fatido/iStock via Getty Images As a contrarian value investor, when looking for top investment ideas to overweight in my portfolio, I select companies that have strong fundamentals yet are also priced at significant discounts due to getting hit with a barrage of negative headlines about their futures. I then study these companies and their industries deeply in order to find opportunities where it ...
fatido/iStock via Getty Images As a contrarian value investor, when looking for top investment ideas to overweight in my portfolio, I select companies that have strong fundamentals yet are also priced at significant discounts due to getting hit with a barrage of negative headlines about their futures. I then study these companies and their industries deeply in order to find opportunities where it appears that the consensus outlook for the company and its industry is not consistent with what seems to be the most likely outcome for them. This enables me to buy high-quality companies at significant discounts to what will likely be their performance in the future and thereby achieve outsized total returns. Based on my research, this set-up describes Blue Owl Capital ( OWL ). While its stock price is currently in the penalty box due to significant negative press on two of its biggest business segments, namely private credit and AI infrastructure, OWL’s actual fundamentals and outlook in both of these segments remain quite strong, making its current near 6% dividend yield not only sustainable but likely to grow for years to come. Additionally, its price-to-earnings multiple is heavily discounted relative to its peers, which makes it a very attractive investment opportunity heading into 2026. In this article, I will detail why I'm so bullish on this out-of-favor stock. In this article, I will first take a look at OWL’s value proposition and business model. Next, I will address the two biggest bear concerns about the stock, namely its private credit and AI data center exposure. Third, I will take a closer look at its valuation and explain why I believe the stock is heavily mispriced. Fourth, I will look at the risks facing the stock that actually matter and what would make me change my mind on the bull thesis. And finally, I will conclude by summarizing why the stock is my top 2026 long idea and why I rate it a strong buy right now. Why Blue Owl’s Business Model Is Built To...
Thinkhubstudio/iStock via Getty Images The market is fixated on when Big Tech will generate economic value from the $400 billion-plus being poured into AI data center expansion annually. The market is missing the point. Monetization has never been Big Tech’s weakness, as explosive revenue growth and high margins have defined their businesses for decades. While execution risk always exists, these c...
Thinkhubstudio/iStock via Getty Images The market is fixated on when Big Tech will generate economic value from the $400 billion-plus being poured into AI data center expansion annually. The market is missing the point. Monetization has never been Big Tech’s weakness, as explosive revenue growth and high margins have defined their businesses for decades. While execution risk always exists, these companies remain the world’s most reliable operators at scale. Instead, the real risk to the AI economy lies in the physical constraints of scaling these AI ambitions — not in compute availability from companies like Nvidia ( NVDA ) or Broadcom ( AVGO ), and certainly not in Big Tech’s software capabilities, but in power, cooling, and infrastructure that were never designed for this magnitude of demand. Nvidia’s GPU roadmap is bringing about an immediate need to overhaul data centers, as most data centers today are incapable of powering the kilowatts required for rack-scale systems. Blackwell power requirements of 120 kW for the GB200s and 140 kW for the GB300s represent a 2X increase from the H200s 70kWs. As we look out over the next 1-2 years, it’s expected Nvidia will ship rack-scale systems requiring 300-600 kW – or a 5X increase from what was needed per system in the first half of 2025. Therefore, it's not enough to say the AI economy needs more power, but rather it needs power urgently. These are two entirely different matters; for example, the first could be supported by the expansion of nuclear power and the electrical grid, but the latter cannot. In fact, combining these two is something very few companies can do. This leads me to my Top Pick for 2026 – Bloom Energy. Bloom Energy offers onsite power generation through solid oxide fuel cells that are behind the meter to reduce dependency on the grid. By providing behind-the-meter generation, Bloom reduces reliance on utility infrastructure and accelerates time-to-power for customers. An added benefit is the United St...
EU, India Sign 'Mother Of All Deals' Free Trade Agreement In Rebuff To Trump: What's In It The newly signed India-European Union free trade agreement is being hailed as "the mother of all deals" - as it follows nearly two decades of intermittent negotiations, also after President Trump slapped India with 50% tariffs last year in part for continuing to buy Russian oil, and as Washington pressures E...
EU, India Sign 'Mother Of All Deals' Free Trade Agreement In Rebuff To Trump: What's In It The newly signed India-European Union free trade agreement is being hailed as "the mother of all deals" - as it follows nearly two decades of intermittent negotiations, also after President Trump slapped India with 50% tariffs last year in part for continuing to buy Russian oil, and as Washington pressures Europe and Denmark particularly over Greenland. The deal is expected to double EU goods exports to India by 2032 , by eliminating or at least sharply reducing tariffs on 96.6% of the value of EU exports. "This agreement will bring major opportunities for the people of India and Europe," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday. And European Commission President President Ursula von der Leyen, who was in New Delhi on Monday as an honorary guest for India's Republic Day and its annual military parade, said that "Europe and India are making history today." via X/Von der Leyen She further wrote on X: " We have created a free-trade zone of two billion people , with both sides set to benefit. We will grow our strategic relationship to be even stronger." European Council President Antonio Costa was also present. Indeed in terms of geographic scope, the agreement spans a population of roughly 2 billion people (between India and the 27-member bloc) and creates a combined market valued at nearly $27 trillion, accounting for about 25% of global GDP, according to European sources. What's in it? Below are the main highlights : Will phase out tariffs on most EU exports of chemicals, machinery, and electrical equipment , along with aircraft and spacecraft , following staged reductions. Tariffs on motor vehicles , currently as high as 110% , will be slashed to 10% under a quota of 250,000 vehicles - a cap that is six times larger than the 37,000-unit quota India granted the UK under a deal signed last July. India will also lower tariffs on EU wine, beer, and olive oil . Brussels said the d...
fotofrog/E+ via Getty Images As the first month of 2026 comes to an end this week and earnings season accelerates, b elow is a list of the top 10 U.S. consumer staples stocks above $10B market cap ranked by their one-month price performance percentage. The list is topped by Bunge Global SA ( BG ), with an impressive one-month performance of 27.85% and a Hold Quant Rating of 3.03. Celsius Holdings ...
fotofrog/E+ via Getty Images As the first month of 2026 comes to an end this week and earnings season accelerates, b elow is a list of the top 10 U.S. consumer staples stocks above $10B market cap ranked by their one-month price performance percentage. The list is topped by Bunge Global SA ( BG ), with an impressive one-month performance of 27.85% and a Hold Quant Rating of 3.03. Celsius Holdings ( CELH ), Archer-Daniels-Midland Company ( ADM ), Constellation Brands ( STZ ), and The Clorox Company ( CLX ) round out the top five performers. Among the stocks on the list, Philip Morris International Inc. ( PM ) and Tyson Foods, Inc. ( TSN ) have earned Buy Quant Ratings of 3.80 and 3.88, respectively. Other well-known names include Costco Wholesale Corporation ( COST ) and Dollar General Corporation ( DG ), though most of the top performers carry a Hold Quant Rating. Here is the list: Bunge Global SA ( BG ), 27.85% Celsius Holdings ( CELH ), 19.63% Archer-Daniels-Midland ( ADM ), 16.34% Constellation Brands ( STZ ), 15.88% The Clorox Company ( CLX ), 14.55% Costco Wholesale ( COST ), 11.94% Altria Group ( MO ), 9.34% Philip Morris International ( PM ), 9.13% Dollar General ( DG ), 9.06% Tyson Foods ( TSN ), 8.83% Consumer Staples ETFs: ( XLP ), ( VDC ), ( IYK ), ( FSTA ), ( KXI ), and ( RSPS ) More on consumer staples stocks IYK: Consumer Staples Dashboard For January Bunge Global: Soybean Oversupply Pressures Profits, Viterra Effect Priced In Bunge: A New Era Of Agribusiness Dominance Oppenheimer sees strong start to earnings season as it favors growth sectors Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble outperform on a bruising day overall for U.S. stocks
zimmytws Seeking Alpha's roundup of statements, announcements, and remarks that could impact markets, sectors, or individual stocks. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it is proposing only a 0.09% net average payment increase for Medicare Advantage plans as part of its proposed policies for 2027. “These proposed payment policies are about making sure Medicare Advantage works better ...
zimmytws Seeking Alpha's roundup of statements, announcements, and remarks that could impact markets, sectors, or individual stocks. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it is proposing only a 0.09% net average payment increase for Medicare Advantage plans as part of its proposed policies for 2027. “These proposed payment policies are about making sure Medicare Advantage works better for the people it serves,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz in a statement . “By strengthening payment accuracy and modernizing risk adjustment, CMS is helping ensure beneficiaries continue to have affordable plan choices and reliable benefits, while protecting taxpayers from unnecessary spending that is not oriented towards addressing real health needs," Oz added. Wall Street analysts had been expecting an increase of 4% to 6%, according to CNBC. Leading providers of Medicare Advantage plans include CVS Health ( CVS ), UnitedHealth ( UNH ), Humana ( HUM ), Centene ( CNC ), Cigna ( CI ), Molina ( MOH ), and Elevance ( ELV ). United Parcel Service ( UPS ) said it plans to cut up to 30,000 jobs as it winds down its partnership with Amazon ( AMZN ). “In terms of variable costs, we expect to reduce operational positions by up to 30,000,” UPS CFO Brian Dykes said during an analyst call, according to CNBC . “This will be accomplished through attrition, and we expect to offer a second voluntary separation program for full-time drivers.” The European Union has begun operating a new communications satellite network aimed at providing an alternative to Starlink ( STRLK ) and other U.S. providers. The IRIS2 and GOVSATCOM networks went online for government and military use last week, with plans underway to also provide access to Ukraine, according to Bloomberg . “All member states can now have access to sovereign satellite communication. Military and government. Secure and encrypted. Built in Europe—operated in Europe, under European control,” Defense and Space Commissioner Andriu...
As gold holds above $5,000 an ounce amid geopolitical risk and a broader move away from sovereign bonds and currencies, FG Nexus CEO of Digital Assets Maja Vujinovic tells Bloomberg that investors are searching for places to protect capital. She says Bitcoin remains part of that mix, with ETF flows showing continued interest, but notes that in periods of heightened uncertainty, gold often comes fi...
As gold holds above $5,000 an ounce amid geopolitical risk and a broader move away from sovereign bonds and currencies, FG Nexus CEO of Digital Assets Maja Vujinovic tells Bloomberg that investors are searching for places to protect capital. She says Bitcoin remains part of that mix, with ETF flows showing continued interest, but notes that in periods of heightened uncertainty, gold often comes first. She joined the conversation on "Bloomberg Crypto" with Scarlet Fu and Tim Stenovec. (Source: Bloomberg)
Image source: The Motley Fool. Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 7 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer — Sandeep Bakhshi Executive Director — Sandeep Batra Executive Director — Anindya Banerjee Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Profit Before Tax Ex-Treasury -- INR 161.64 billion, up 9.1% year-on-year and 3% sequentially. -- INR...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 7 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer — Sandeep Bakhshi Executive Director — Sandeep Batra Executive Director — Anindya Banerjee Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Profit Before Tax Ex-Treasury -- INR 161.64 billion, up 9.1% year-on-year and 3% sequentially. -- INR 161.64 billion, up 9.1% year-on-year and 3% sequentially. Net Interest Income (NII) -- INR 215.29 billion, up 7.4% year-on-year; sequentially down from INR 216.35 billion, which included INR 3.61 billion of interest on tax refund in the prior quarter. -- INR 215.29 billion, up 7.4% year-on-year; sequentially down from INR 216.35 billion, which included INR 3.61 billion of interest on tax refund in the prior quarter. Profit After Tax -- INR 123.59 billion, growing 5.2% year-on-year. -- INR 123.59 billion, growing 5.2% year-on-year. Consolidated Profit After Tax -- INR 133.57 billion, a 3.2% increase year-on-year. -- INR 133.57 billion, a 3.2% increase year-on-year. Core Operating Profit -- INR 170.78 billion, up 6.5% year-on-year. -- INR 170.78 billion, up 6.5% year-on-year. Loan Growth (Domestic Portfolio) -- 10.6% year-on-year, with sequential growth of 3.3% compared to 1.5% in the previous quarter. -- 10.6% year-on-year, with sequential growth of 3.3% compared to 1.5% in the previous quarter. Retail Loan Growth -- 6.6% year-on-year and 2.6% sequentially; retail portfolio including nonfund-based outstanding comprised 42.9% of total portfolio. -- 6.6% year-on-year and 2.6% sequentially; retail portfolio including nonfund-based outstanding comprised 42.9% of total portfolio. Business Banking Portfolio Growth -- 24.8% year-on-year and 6.5% sequentially. -- 24.8% year-on-year and 6.5% sequentially. Retail Loan Segment Metrics -- Mortgage portfolio up 9.9% year-on-year and 2.8% sequentially; auto loans up 1.4% year-on-year and flat sequentially; commercial vehicles and equipme...
Chelsea have not won the Premier League since Antonio Conte led them to the 2016-17 title - and facing the Italian's Napoli side on Wednesday brings that into sharp focus. Conte's triumph came in the season when Pep Guardiola began his reign as Manchester City boss. It was Conte's first campaign in England, too, and Chelsea enjoyed a club-record 13 consecutive league wins on their way to lifting t...
Chelsea have not won the Premier League since Antonio Conte led them to the 2016-17 title - and facing the Italian's Napoli side on Wednesday brings that into sharp focus. Conte's triumph came in the season when Pep Guardiola began his reign as Manchester City boss. It was Conte's first campaign in England, too, and Chelsea enjoyed a club-record 13 consecutive league wins on their way to lifting the championship with 93 points. Their fifth Premier League crown in 13 seasons matched Manchester United's achievement in that same period. Chelsea - or indeed United - haven't ruled the roost since, amid an extensive turnover of players and coaches. Nine years down the line, we reach a dramatic finale to the Champions League's opening phase. Liam Rosenior's Chelsea need a win against Conte's Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to go directly into the last-16 stage. Their hosts - Serie A champions last season - must win to stay in the competition. Like so many aspects of Chelsea's recent history, you'd struggle to write this script. Aside from Thomas Tuchel's Champions League triumph in 2021, the heights of Conte's short stint at the wheel have not been matched at Chelsea. Rosenior, 41, is the latest of seven head coaches, not including interim appointments, to have led Chelsea since Conte was sacked in July 2018. Speaking about Conte on Tuesday in Naples, Rosenior said: "I have huge respect for him. Firstly as a player, he was a magnificent footballer. He then went on to - and still has - an incredible career as a coach. "I think his passion as a player transmits to the passion in his teams and obviously when I was younger watching Chelsea play in the manner that they did, defensively so strong. "[Eden] Hazard was incredible in those moments, and he [Conte] has gone on to prove what an amazing manager he is and he's won many titles, including an incredible title here last year."
The software giant is vying for a bigger piece of the AI pie. There's no denying that Nvidia's (NVDA +1.58%) graphics processing units (GPUs) are tops when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) processing. Unfortunately, being the king of the hill means there's always someone trying to take your crown. Microsoft (MSFT +2.18%) just announced the debut of a powerful new AI chip, the latest move i...
The software giant is vying for a bigger piece of the AI pie. There's no denying that Nvidia's (NVDA +1.58%) graphics processing units (GPUs) are tops when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) processing. Unfortunately, being the king of the hill means there's always someone trying to take your crown. Microsoft (MSFT +2.18%) just announced the debut of a powerful new AI chip, the latest move in the company's bid to become a greater force in the AI landscape. A chip off the old block In a blog post released on Monday, Scott Guthrie, Microsoft's executive vice president of Cloud + AI, introduced Maia 200, the company's latest chip designed specifically for AI inference. He calls Maia "a breakthrough inference accelerator engineered to dramatically improve the economics of AI token generation." The Maia 200 has more high-bandwidth memory, offering three times the performance of Amazon's (AMZN +2.31%) third-generation Trainium chip and above that of Alphabet's (GOOGL +0.65%) (GOOG +0.66%) seventh-generation Ironwood Tensor Processing Unit (TPU). Guthrie called Maia "the most performant, first-party silicon from any hyperscaler." The processor provides both performance and bang for the buck, being "tailored for large-scale AI workloads while also delivering efficient performance per dollar." Maia also includes a reconfigured memory system designed to prevent bottlenecks when feeding data into the AI model. It's also Microsoft's most efficient inference chip "ever deployed, with 30% better performance per dollar" than similarly priced alternatives. Expand NASDAQ : MSFT Microsoft Today's Change ( 2.18 %) $ 10.27 Current Price $ 480.55 Key Data Points Market Cap $3.5T Day's Range $ 473.13 - $ 482.85 52wk Range $ 344.79 - $ 555.45 Volume 1.2M Avg Vol 25M Gross Margin 68.76 % Dividend Yield 0.72 % One of the most significant benefits for Microsoft is that the Maia 200 has been designed to provide peak efficiency when powering Copilot and Azure OpenAI. It is also being dep...
The term “hyperbole” doesn’t apply when describing AI’s impact on our daily lives, especially at work. Large language models are not only reshaping methods of recruiting and hiring, forcing job-seekers to change how they build resumes and search for positions, but also how workers approach retirement savings and planning. Here are three examples of AI’s effect: Retirement Plan Impact While Elon Mu...
The term “hyperbole” doesn’t apply when describing AI’s impact on our daily lives, especially at work. Large language models are not only reshaping methods of recruiting and hiring, forcing job-seekers to change how they build resumes and search for positions, but also how workers approach retirement savings and planning. Here are three examples of AI’s effect: Retirement Plan Impact While Elon Musk boldly proclaimed on a recent podcast that saving for your retirement in 10 to 20 years “won’t matter,” thanks to AI and what he deemed its promise of universal “whatever you want to have” income, most financial professionals disagree. Building a nest egg while you’re working and contributing income to employer-sponsored plans like 401(k)s remain crucial to long-term financial stability. The good news is that AI, which is being slowly integrated into workplace retirement systems, may simplify the process. According to responses in a 2025 MetLife retirement study, AI will enable retirement platforms to: Use predictive analytics to estimate participation levels in workplace plans. Automate more complex plan management tasks. Forecast future performance of workplace plans. Optimize their decisions on which benefits to offer. From an employee perspective, meanwhile, plan sponsors who took part in MetLife’s study are optimistic about AI’s workplace effect, with 52% of respondents believing it will help workers select investment options based on their specific goals, and nearly half saying AI can help workers develop customized retirement strategies and select retirement income options based on their needs. Of course, with AI in particular, there are risks, such as privacy and security lapses, consumer overreliance on algorithms to make decisions and biases baked into the data that can diminish its value. The Algorithm Embrace One of AI’s key benefits is that it satisfies our need for speed, providing immediate information-processing and answers to financial and retirement que...
Supermicro's pullback may be masking one of the most compelling AI infrastructure setups investors will see this year. Super Micro Computer (SMCI +1.09%) is facing slowing growth, but its expanding role in AI infrastructure and edge computing could flip the script. With new partnerships and analyst targets pointing higher, this stock may be closer to a breakout than the chart suggests. Stock price...
Supermicro's pullback may be masking one of the most compelling AI infrastructure setups investors will see this year. Super Micro Computer (SMCI +1.09%) is facing slowing growth, but its expanding role in AI infrastructure and edge computing could flip the script. With new partnerships and analyst targets pointing higher, this stock may be closer to a breakout than the chart suggests. Stock prices used were the market prices of Jan. 19, 2026. The video was published on Jan. 27, 2026.
asbe/iStock via Getty Images Silver prices have been defying gravity of late. Net buying by silver investors has been the key factor driving silver prices up sharply. While silver prices have been in an upward trend since early 2024, the rally accelerated during the second half of 2025. Prices could still rise higher, but greater price volatility should be expected going forward. What Keeps The Pa...
asbe/iStock via Getty Images Silver prices have been defying gravity of late. Net buying by silver investors has been the key factor driving silver prices up sharply. While silver prices have been in an upward trend since early 2024, the rally accelerated during the second half of 2025. Prices could still rise higher, but greater price volatility should be expected going forward. What Keeps The Party Going There is a long litany of political, macroeconomic, financial market, and silver market supply and demand factors that are helping to drive silver prices higher. Political risk , and the use of silver as a portfolio diversifier to hedge this risk, is expected to be the key factor keeping net silver investment demand elevated in the medium term. Political risk tends to increase demand for assets like gold and silver, which have no counterparty risk, among investors looking to diversify away from sovereign exposure. Political risk includes both domestic as well as cross border risks. For some time now, there has been a general deterioration in political relations between various countries around the world. This deterioration in relations has intensified recently. Political risks have numerous and serious consequences on economic conditions. One outcome of this deterioration of relations is the acceleration in deglobalization, which has a two-fold negative impact. One is on long-term global economic growth, and the second is on the ability of countries to recover from a global economic downturn. Actions like those witnessed between the United States and Venezuela may serve as rhetorical cover for Russia and China to legitimize their respective actions in Ukraine and Taiwan, potentially accelerating the normalization of territorial expansion via military force. Such erosion of global norms materially raises international political risks. The market has also grown concerned about the Fed’s independence. An attack on the Fed’s independence is by extension an attack on t...
Art Wager/E+ via Getty Images Venture Global ( VG ) -1.9% in Tuesday's trading as J.P. Morgan downgraded the liquefied natural gas transporter to Neutral from Overweight with an $11 price target, noting the company's recent negative revision to FY 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance. The downward revision marked Venture Global's ( VG ) third to FY 2025 guidance since the initial look, which highlights t...
Art Wager/E+ via Getty Images Venture Global ( VG ) -1.9% in Tuesday's trading as J.P. Morgan downgraded the liquefied natural gas transporter to Neutral from Overweight with an $11 price target, noting the company's recent negative revision to FY 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance. The downward revision marked Venture Global's ( VG ) third to FY 2025 guidance since the initial look, which highlights the company’s high sensitivity to short-term pricing, a dynamic JPM analyst Jeremy Tonet thinks will continue . Backed by a bullish thesis on long-term LNG spreads, Venture Global ( VG ) carries significantly higher short-term exposure than peers, and while this creates a unique equity instrument play on LNG, the company's earnings possess significant volatility, as evidenced by the three downward revisions to 2025 guidance, Tonet said. With significant LNG capacity coming to market over the next several years, Tonet expects a moderation in LNG prices, negatively affecting Venture Global's ( VG ) market exposure, and arbitration uncertainty continues to present an overhang. More on Venture Global Venture Global: Still Too Expensive To Pull The Trigger Venture Global: Far Too Expensive After The COD Pay Cut Venture Global: One Bad Arbitration Result Is Not The End Of The World
Bitcoin's push above $90,000 may be the start of an extended rally. Bitcoin (BTC +1.34%) investors got excited when President Donald Trump secured his second term, thinking that pro-crypto laws would result in another boom. However, the famed cryptocurrency is down by more than 10% since Trump's inauguration. It's also down by almost 30% since he took office, but momentum seems to be shifting in B...
Bitcoin's push above $90,000 may be the start of an extended rally. Bitcoin (BTC +1.34%) investors got excited when President Donald Trump secured his second term, thinking that pro-crypto laws would result in another boom. However, the famed cryptocurrency is down by more than 10% since Trump's inauguration. It's also down by almost 30% since he took office, but momentum seems to be shifting in Bitcoin's favor. Since breaking past $90,000, is Bitcoin ready for another run? A few vital tailwinds are driving the gains and appear to be here to stay. Lower interest rates Lower interest rates reduce the cost of borrowing money and make it easier for people to take out margin loans. Margin lets people build their Bitcoin positions faster and can increase the price. The Federal Reserve is likely to keep rates steady in 2026. However, that may change once Fed Chair Powell's term concludes in May 2026. Trump has regularly advocated for lower interest rates and may select a chair who is more eager to cut rates quickly. Even if this scenario doesn't play out, rates will remain low for an extended period. Inflation has been holding steady at a little below 3%, which doesn't create the need for higher rates. That's a good setup for an extended Bitcoin rally. Expand CRYPTO : BTC Bitcoin Today's Change ( 1.34 %) $ 1174.37 Current Price $ 89020.00 Key Data Points Market Cap $1.8T Day's Range $ 87315.00 - $ 88763.00 52wk Range $ 74604.47 - $ 126079.89 Volume 41B Growing institutional involvement Retail investors drove the initial momentum for Bitcoin, with many people scoffing at the asset until it became a mainstream choice in 2017. That's the year Bitcoin rallied from a little under $1,000 to almost $20,000 per coin. While retail investors did a lot to move the asset higher, the heavy involvement from institutional investors has helped Bitcoin reach all-time highs. Their involvement was critical in helping Bitcoin exceed $120,000 per coin last year. Bitcoin exchange-traded funds ...
akinbostanci/iStock via Getty Images With Nvidia Corporation ( NVDA ) doubling down on investing in CoreWeave, Inc. ( CRWV ), the market can relax on the worries regarding debt and AI demand. The AI cloud provider is in the midst of a massive AI data center buildout, and the recent stock move is disconnected from the market opportunity. My investment thesis remains ultra Bullish on CoreWeave aroun...
akinbostanci/iStock via Getty Images With Nvidia Corporation ( NVDA ) doubling down on investing in CoreWeave, Inc. ( CRWV ), the market can relax on the worries regarding debt and AI demand. The AI cloud provider is in the midst of a massive AI data center buildout, and the recent stock move is disconnected from the market opportunity. My investment thesis remains ultra Bullish on CoreWeave around $100. Source: Finviz Nvidia Investment Nvidia agreed to invest another $2 billion in CoreWeave at $87.20 per share. The chip company initially owned 24.3 million shares for a 6.2% position in CoreWeave, but the company had 498 million shares outstanding in Q3 '25 for a position below 5%. The deal announcement is interesting in the statement regarding accelerating the ability of CoreWeave to build out 5 gigawatts of AI factories by 2030. The AI cloud company had ~590 MW of active power at the end of Q3 and had contracts to reach ~2.9 GW of power within the next 24 months. Source: CoreWeave Q3'25 presentation The Nvidia deal appears to suggest CoreWeave plans to add another 5 GW of power for AI factories by 2030 to reach a total of 7.9 GW. Following the termination of the Core Scientific ( CORZ ) deal, CoreWeave has pushed towards developing data centers internally versus leasing from unreliable suppliers. The important story here is that CoreWeave is going from only having 590 MW of connected power in Q3, up 120 MW sequentially from Q2. The company forecast Q4 sales at $1.54 billion for just over $5 billion for the year. Due to the focus on AI cloud services and leading GPUs as a service, CoreWeave is on pace to produce somewhere around $1 billion in revenue for each 100 MW of connected power. CoreWeave still has to spend a substantial amount of capital to go from the 590 MW of power to 2.9 GW, but the company will produce substantial revenue growth as well. The company forecasts spending ~$7 billion in Q4 capex to reach upwards of $14 billion for 2025, with the initial 20...
Morgan Stanley tapped longtime executive Amy Oldenburg for a newly created role as head of digital-asset strategy, the bank’s latest move to push into the space. Bloomberg's Katherine Doherty discusses the story on "Bloomberg Crypto" with Scarlet Fu and Tim Stenovec. (Source: Bloomberg)
Morgan Stanley tapped longtime executive Amy Oldenburg for a newly created role as head of digital-asset strategy, the bank’s latest move to push into the space. Bloomberg's Katherine Doherty discusses the story on "Bloomberg Crypto" with Scarlet Fu and Tim Stenovec. (Source: Bloomberg)
The criminal fraud trial against Prophecy Asset Management co-owner Jeffrey Spotts over $300 million in investor losses has been delayed until at least May while a judge considers how to handle as many as 20 classified documents that touch on the case in some way. US District Judge Michael Shipp said at a hearing Tuesday that he plans to begin a trial in May after reviewing the documents under the...
The criminal fraud trial against Prophecy Asset Management co-owner Jeffrey Spotts over $300 million in investor losses has been delayed until at least May while a judge considers how to handle as many as 20 classified documents that touch on the case in some way. US District Judge Michael Shipp said at a hearing Tuesday that he plans to begin a trial in May after reviewing the documents under the Classified Information Procedures Act , or CIPA. Shipp must decide behind closed doors how and to what extent classified information can be used at trial. Prosecutors spoke confidentially Tuesday with Shipp before he convened a phone conference where Assistant US Attorney Aaron Webman said the number of documents at issue is “in the range of 10 to 20.” Webman didn’t specify the nature of the documents, their role in the case, or the US government agency that classified them. “Much of the material, as explained to the court offline, has some very serious national security implications,” Webman said. “We don’t expect that most of it will see the light of day.” Spotts has pleaded not guilty. He is the third Prophecy official accused of falsely telling investors their money went into low-risk equities traded by dozens of sub-advisers who put up cash to cover losses. Prosecutors say most went to Brian Kahn , the former head of Franchise Group Inc. , who ran up massive trading losses. Kahn pleaded guilty on Dec. 10. His crimes occurred as he secretly acted as Prophecy’s top trader while also building Franchise Group, or FRG, into a publicly traded company. Read More: Brian Kahn’s Secrets Led to Broken Promises and FRG’s Collapse FRG, which managed retailers of furniture, vitamins and pet supplies, went private in 2023 in a $2.8 billion deal backed by B. Riley Financial Inc. , now known as BRC Group Holdings Inc . FRG later filed for bankruptcy as losses mounted and news about Kahn’s Prophecy role sparked doubts about whether he’d improperly used money from the hedge fund to acqu...
Earnings Call Insights: Five Star Bancorp (FSBC) Q4 2025 Management View James Beckwith, President, CEO & Director, announced, "2025 was another outstanding year of achievement underpinned by exceptional growth across all of the markets we serve and consistent strong financial performance." The company expanded its footprint in the San Francisco Bay Area with the Walnut Creek office, grew its agri...
Earnings Call Insights: Five Star Bancorp (FSBC) Q4 2025 Management View James Beckwith, President, CEO & Director, announced, "2025 was another outstanding year of achievement underpinned by exceptional growth across all of the markets we serve and consistent strong financial performance." The company expanded its footprint in the San Francisco Bay Area with the Walnut Creek office, grew its agribusiness vertical, and added 10 seasoned business development professionals for organic growth. Beckwith reported, "Five Star Bank achieved year-over-year growth in total loans held for investments of 15%, total deposit growth of 18%, net income growth of 35% and an increase in earnings per share of 28% to $2.90 a share." He highlighted, "Our strong financial performance and dedication to delivering shareholder value drove an increase to our cash dividend of $0.05 per share for a total dividend of $0.25 per share for the quarter. This is the first increase in the dividend since April 2023." Beckwith also stated the company "successfully reduced our balance of wholesale deposits by $95 million or 17% in 2025, and we grew our balance of non-wholesale deposits by $738.1 million or 25%." Asset quality remains strong, with nonperforming loans at 8 basis points of total loans held for investment. Heather Luck, Executive VP & CFO, said, "Net interest income increased $2.7 million or 7% from the previous quarter, primarily due to a $1.8 million increase in loan interest income driven by new loan production and a $1.1 million decrease in interest expense." Luck further explained, "Net interest income increased by $32.2 million or 27% from 2024, primarily due to a $35.9 million increase in loan interest income driven by new loan production at higher rates." Outlook Beckwith provided guidance: "On both sides of the balance sheet, 10% growth as we roll into 2026. If we can achieve that, which is really quite substantial, we're happy with that." He added, "We're trying to get rid of all...