Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the AI Stocks in Focus on Wall Street. On January 26, Raymond James analyst Andrew Marok reiterated an Outperform rating on the stock with a $600.00 price target. The rating affirmation comes ahead of the company’s fiscal second-quarter 2026 earnings report due today, January 28. Raymond James sees robust Azure performance for Microsoft stock, but rema...
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the AI Stocks in Focus on Wall Street. On January 26, Raymond James analyst Andrew Marok reiterated an Outperform rating on the stock with a $600.00 price target. The rating affirmation comes ahead of the company’s fiscal second-quarter 2026 earnings report due today, January 28. Raymond James sees robust Azure performance for Microsoft stock, but remains cautious due to AI memory constraints. Overall, it is positive heading into earnings. According to the firm, sentiment on MSFT stock has been declining, with shares trading lower alongside many other “Magnificent 7” technology companies, except for Alphabet. Raymond James Reiterates Outperform on Microsoft (MSFT) Ahead of Earnings Taina Sohlman / Shutterstock.com Based on market checks, Azure cloud services have been performing strongly, and non-AI workloads continue to drive the segment while AI supply remains limited. The firm also noted how there are growing concerns about memory supply and higher prices, raising concerns that Microsoft’s target for demand/supply equilibrium may be delayed further. However, it is still too early for the company to talk about any delay in this week’s earnings call. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) provides AI-powered cloud, productivity, and business solutions, focusing on efficiency, security, and AI advancements. While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 AI Stocks on Market Radar and 10 AI Stocks Analysts Are Watching Disclosure: None.
Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images By Christopher Gannatti, CFA and Samuel Rines The WisdomTree GeoAlpha Opportunities Fund ( GEOA ) is up ~6.3% year-to-date. The S&P 500: roughly 1.0%. The MSCI ACWI Index: roughly 2.1%. 1 GEOA's early lead in 2026 is large enough that it deserves a real explanation - and that explanation starts with how GEOA is built versus what the S&P 500 is forced to be. ...
Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images By Christopher Gannatti, CFA and Samuel Rines The WisdomTree GeoAlpha Opportunities Fund ( GEOA ) is up ~6.3% year-to-date. The S&P 500: roughly 1.0%. The MSCI ACWI Index: roughly 2.1%. 1 GEOA's early lead in 2026 is large enough that it deserves a real explanation - and that explanation starts with how GEOA is built versus what the S&P 500 is forced to be. Looking back to GEOA's inception, which we do in Figure 1a, we see a similar picture. Figure 1a: Turning Geopolitical Complexity into Performance Figure 1b: Standardized Returns Sources: Morningstar, FactSet and WisdomTree, specifically data is from the PATH Fund Comparison Tool, accessed as of 1/23/26, but showing returns for the period ended 1/22/26 for Figure 1a and 12/31/25 for 1b. NAV denotes total return performance at net asset value. MP denotes market price performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The WisdomTree GeoAlpha Opportunities Fund targets exposure to companies that can capitalize on "emerging strategic and economic realignments" and as a tool for diversifying U.S.-centric allocations. WisdomTree's GeoAlpha starts by screening the country universe to avoid "geopolitical traps," emphasizing alignment with the U.S. and its allies - North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members and major non-NATO allies - and explicitly naming Mexico (USMCA 2 ) and India (QUAD 3 ) as included exposures, while excluding countries viewed as not aligned with the U.S. and its allies. Stocks are then scored across geopolitical and policy themes such as supply chain resilience, with additional sleeves tied to fiscal/monetary shifts, consumer preference changes, and technology innovation. Simply, it is engineered to...
Take this one to heart. Seriously. If 2026 is the year you're planning to retire, you may be aware that there are certain financial tasks to tackle before ending your career for good. These include: Creating a budget to understand your annual income needs. Figuring out how much money you'll get from Social Security each month and deciding when to take benefits. Assessing your retirement savings ac...
Take this one to heart. Seriously. If 2026 is the year you're planning to retire, you may be aware that there are certain financial tasks to tackle before ending your career for good. These include: Creating a budget to understand your annual income needs. Figuring out how much money you'll get from Social Security each month and deciding when to take benefits. Assessing your retirement savings account to see how much annual income it can provide. Figuring out what you'll do for healthcare, especially if you're retiring before you'll be eligible for Medicare. But even if you've checked off all these boxes, you may not be ready to retire just yet. Make sure you know how you'll keep busy If you don't know how you'll fill your days once your career comes to an end, you're not ready to retire. Period. You might think you'll enjoy being able to go about your days without a plan. But many retirees in that situation wind up miserable shortly after leaving their jobs because they feel their days lack structure and meaning. If you're intent on retiring in 2026, figure out what your lifestyle will look like ahead of time. Maybe you'll volunteer twice a week, get a freelance job that keeps you busy one or two afternoons, and join a gym you'll visit almost daily. You should feel free to create a game plan that works for you, makes you happy, and aligns with your retirement budget. But it's extremely important to know what you'll do with your newfound free time before retiring. Otherwise, you risk winding up very unhappy, to the point where it hurts both your mental and physical health.
The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, as expected, but made a slightly hawkish adjustment to its policy statement. Markets could swing during Chairman Jerome Powell's 2:30 p.m. ET news conference. The S&P 500 remained slightly lower shortly after the 2 p.m. ET policy statement on Wednesday after eking out a record closing high on Tuesday.
The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, as expected, but made a slightly hawkish adjustment to its policy statement. Markets could swing during Chairman Jerome Powell's 2:30 p.m. ET news conference. The S&P 500 remained slightly lower shortly after the 2 p.m. ET policy statement on Wednesday after eking out a record closing high on Tuesday.
The review has shown almost the same thing each year - that people with a learning disability die around 20 years younger than others. It has also found that many people die due to issues such as missed diagnoses, delays in care, or treatable conditions that were not acted on in time.
The review has shown almost the same thing each year - that people with a learning disability die around 20 years younger than others. It has also found that many people die due to issues such as missed diagnoses, delays in care, or treatable conditions that were not acted on in time.
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is one of the AI Stocks in Focus on Wall Street. On January 27, Stifel analyst Mark Kelley raised the price target on the stock to $300.00 from $295.00 on Tuesday, while maintaining a Buy rating. The firm cited positive ad checks, robust e-commerce trends, and solid AWS growth for the price target raise. Amazon is set to report its earnings on February 5, with analys...
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is one of the AI Stocks in Focus on Wall Street. On January 27, Stifel analyst Mark Kelley raised the price target on the stock to $300.00 from $295.00 on Tuesday, while maintaining a Buy rating. The firm cited positive ad checks, robust e-commerce trends, and solid AWS growth for the price target raise. Amazon is set to report its earnings on February 5, with analysts optimistic on the stock as it heads closer to the day. The firm cited supportive fundamentals across multiple businesses, particularly its advertising one. Besides advertising, Stifel also highlighted a healthy Q4 e-commerce backdrop, and AWS growth that looks more than reasonable to them. These factors are anticipated to offset softness tied to pressure on the average consumer, which is consumer spending weakness. Stifel Stays Bullish on Amazon (AMZN) Ahead of Earnings Photo by Sunrise King on Unsplash Stifel believes Amazon has sufficient strengths to offset these challenges and outperform in 2026. “We expect last year’s stock underperformance to turn into outperformance when all is said and done in 2026.” Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is an American technology company offering e-commerce, cloud computing, and other services, including digital streaming and artificial intelligence solutions. While we acknowledge the potential of AMZN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 AI Stocks on Market Radar and 10 AI Stocks Analysts Are Watching Disclosure: None.
UniqueMotionGraphics/iStock via Getty Images One and a half years ago, I published my last article about MSCI Inc. ( MSCI ). And after I had been rather bearish in previous articles about the stock, I saw the picture improving as the stock price stagnated more or less while the fundamental picture still improved. I wrote in my conclusion back then: At this point, we can argue that MSCI is fairly v...
UniqueMotionGraphics/iStock via Getty Images One and a half years ago, I published my last article about MSCI Inc. ( MSCI ). And after I had been rather bearish in previous articles about the stock, I saw the picture improving as the stock price stagnated more or less while the fundamental picture still improved. I wrote in my conclusion back then: At this point, we can argue that MSCI is fairly valued. When taking analysts’ growth estimates and the company’s own optimistic long-term targets, the stock is trading for a reasonable price. But I would still be rather cautious at this point. When considering the risks mentioned above and the steep decline of free cash flow following the Great Financial Crisis, I can easily imagine the stock declining lower. We should also keep in mind that the stock traded for valuation multiples in the low teens following the years of the Great Financial Crisis – and this could happen again. In my last article, I switched the rating to “Hold” after I had a “Sell” rating on the stock in the previous articles. And in this article, I will rate the stock as a “Hold” once again. The stock is not so overvalued anymore to rate it with a “Sell” but it is far from being a bargain or a great investment. In my opinion, we are still faced with downside risks at this point. Since my last article was published, MSCI has increased about 24% in value and 26.5% when including dividends (the stock performed almost in line with the S&P 500 Index (SP500)). In the following article, I will argue once again that MSCI is fairly valued or maybe a bit undervalued. I will once again argue that MSCI still has solid growth potential, but that growth potential is almost priced into the stock at this point and therefore investors should not expect more than 10% annual return on investment (which is a solid return). We will look at different growth opportunities in the years to come (including share buybacks) but start with the last quarterly results. Quarterly Resu...
Tether To Become "Gold Central Bank" In Post-Dollar World, CEO Ardoino Says Authored by Danny Park via TheBlock.co, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told Bloomberg that he expects the company to become one of the largest gold central banks in the world. The company plans to start trading its gold reserves for additional profit. Tether owns around 140 tons of gold, worth around $23 billion, stored in a nuc...
Tether To Become "Gold Central Bank" In Post-Dollar World, CEO Ardoino Says Authored by Danny Park via TheBlock.co, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told Bloomberg that he expects the company to become one of the largest gold central banks in the world. The company plans to start trading its gold reserves for additional profit. Tether owns around 140 tons of gold, worth around $23 billion, stored in a nuclear bunker in Switzerland. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the stablecoin giant is on track to become one of the largest gold central banks in the world and plans to actively trade its reserves, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Ardoino told Bloomberg in an interview that he expects the company's role in the gold market to expand as geopolitical rivals to the U.S. will likely launch a gold-backed alternative to the dollar. The CEO previously said that gold is "logically a safer asset than any national currency." Ardoino reportedly said Tether intends to continue reinvesting its massive earnings into gold. The company is buying one or two tons of gold per week, and will maintain this pace for "definitely the next few months," he said. The stablecoin giant has amassed close to 140 tons of gold, held at a "James Bond-esque" nuclear bunker in Switzerland built during the Cold War. Bloomberg reported that this is the largest known gold reserve in the world outside of those held by central banks, ETFs, and commercial banks. “Tether maintains approximately 130 metric tons of physical gold, and the gold backing every XAUT token is held separately, making it eligible for physical delivery redemption,” a spokesperson for Tether told Cointelegraph. With the recent surge in gold and other metal prices, Tether's gold holdings are worth over $23.3 billion. As of today, gold's price stands at approximately $5,234 per troy ounce, continuing its strong rally. Entering the trading arena Moving beyond simple reserves, Tether aims to take on banking giants JPMorgan and HSBC by entering the gold tradi...
Chip Somodevilla The federal funds rate holding at 3.50%-3.75% should help stabilize the labor market while helping push inflation down toward the Federal Reserve's 2% goal, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday at his post-decision press conference. "We see the current policy rate as appropriate to support both of our goals," he said. The central bank will continue to make decisio...
Chip Somodevilla The federal funds rate holding at 3.50%-3.75% should help stabilize the labor market while helping push inflation down toward the Federal Reserve's 2% goal, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday at his post-decision press conference. "We see the current policy rate as appropriate to support both of our goals," he said. The central bank will continue to make decisions on a meeting-by-meeting basis. The comments came after the Federal Open Market Committee paused its three-cut rate easing cycle, keeping the federal funds rate target range at 3.50%-3.75%. Powell said he attended the Supreme Court case that will decide whether President Donald Trump can remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board. He described the case as "perhaps the most important legal case in the Fed's 113-year history… I thought I might have a hard time explaining why I didn't attend it." The Fed chair also declined to respond further on the Department of Justice's investigation into the Federal Reserve and Powell on its renovation project. He had no further news on whether the Fed has responded to the subpoenas from the DOJ. Furthermore, he refused to say whether he intends to stay on the board after his term as chair ends in May. "There's a clear improvement in the outlook for growth," Powell said. "Overall, it's a stronger forecast." The temporary effect from the government shutdown should reverse as the economy Nonfarm payroll growth averaged 22K over the past three months, he noted. Inflation eased from highs in mid-2022 but remains elevated above the Fed's 2% goal. Total PCE inflation rose 2.9%, and core PCE, which ex rose 3.0% over the past year, largely reflecting inflation in the goods sector. 2:52 PM ET: "It's not anybody's base case that the next move is a rate hike," Powell said. 2:51 PM ET: Core PCE, excluding the effects of tariffs on goods, is running just above 2%, he said. 2:49 PM ET: The risks to inflation and the labor market have diminished, ...
Bob Michele, JPMorgan Asset Management global head of fixed income, says he isn't seeing any signs of a "Sell America" movement on "Bloomberg Surveillance: The Fed Decides." (Source: Bloomberg)
Bob Michele, JPMorgan Asset Management global head of fixed income, says he isn't seeing any signs of a "Sell America" movement on "Bloomberg Surveillance: The Fed Decides." (Source: Bloomberg)
Jerome Powell, chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, during the Hoover Institution's George P. Shultz Memorial Lecture Series in Stanford, California, Dec. 1, 2025. Jason Henry | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Federal Reserve has not yet complied with grand jury subpoenas issued as part of a criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell by federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., a person familiar ...
Jerome Powell, chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, during the Hoover Institution's George P. Shultz Memorial Lecture Series in Stanford, California, Dec. 1, 2025. Jason Henry | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Federal Reserve has not yet complied with grand jury subpoenas issued as part of a criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell by federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., a person familiar with the situation told CNBC on Wednesday. The probe of Powell is continuing, according to that person, who spoke hours before the Fed revealed its decision to hold interest rates steady. Powell on Jan. 11 said he was under criminal investigation. The probe is being conducted by the office of Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. It is not clear when the deadline is for the Fed to turn over documents demanded by the subpoena. CNBC has requested comment from the Fed and from the Department of Justice. While speaking to reporters later Wednesday, Powell was asked if the Fed had responded to the subpoenas. "I have nothing for you on that today," Powell replied. Read more CNBC politics coverage Fed has not yet complied with subpoenas as Powell probe continues: Source Trump lowered 'temperature' on Minnesota, wants to avoid shutdown: Bessent NYC Mayor Mamdani says city must hike taxes on wealthy to fill $12B deficit Trump warns Iran an 'armada' is heading its way and to agree to a nuclear deal, or else U.S.-India trade talks could get a boost as America sees life going on without it Canada's Carney tells Trump 'I meant what I said in Davos' Trump says he wants 'very honorable and honest investigation' of Alex Pretti killing Democrats to Trump: Fire Kristi Noem or risk her impeachment The government is barreling toward a partial shutdown over DHS funding. Here's what to expect ICE chief ordered to appear in Minnesota federal court, judge threatens contempt ruling Powell said on Jan. 11 that the DOJ days earlier had served the Fed "with grand jury subpoena...
In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel ''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy st...
In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel ''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money — maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is NBT Bancorp. Inc. (Symbol: NBTB), which saw buying by Director Timothy E. Delaney. Back on November 6, Delaney invested $409,750.00 into 10,000 shares of NBTB, for a cost per share of $40.98. In trading on Wednesday, shares were changing hands as low as $41.87 per share, which is 2.2% above Delaney's purchase price. It should be noted that Delaney has collected $0.37/share in dividends since the time of their purchase, so they are currently up 3.1% on their purchase from a total return basis. NBT Bancorp. Inc. shares are currently trading -2.30% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of NBTB shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, NBTB's low point in its 52 week range is $37.31 per share, with $49.18 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $42.78. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: Purchased Insider Title Shares Price/Share Value 10/31/2025 Timothy E. Delaney Director 2,000 $40.50 $81,000.00 11/06/2025 Timothy E. Delaney Director 10,000 $40.98 $409,750.00 The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, NBTB shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cite...
The best performing sector as of midday Wednesday is the Technology & Communications sector, higher by 1.0%. Within that group, Broadcom Inc (Symbol: AVGO) and CrowdStrike Holdings Inc (Symbol: CRWD) are two large stocks leading the way, showing a gain of 5.9% and 4.9%, respectively. Among technology ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLK), which i...
The best performing sector as of midday Wednesday is the Technology & Communications sector, higher by 1.0%. Within that group, Broadcom Inc (Symbol: AVGO) and CrowdStrike Holdings Inc (Symbol: CRWD) are two large stocks leading the way, showing a gain of 5.9% and 4.9%, respectively. Among technology ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLK), which is up 1.7% on the day, and up 25.26% year-to-date. Broadcom Inc, meanwhile, is up 64.36% year-to-date, and CrowdStrike Holdings Inc is up 42.44% year-to-date. Combined, AVGO and CRWD make up approximately 5.3% of the underlying holdings of XLK. The next best performing sector is the Energy sector, higher by 0.7%. Among large Energy stocks, EQT Corp (Symbol: EQT) and Baker Hughes Company (Symbol: BKR) are the most notable, showing a gain of 5.5% and 2.9%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Energy stocks is the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE), which is up 0.1% in midday trading, and up 10.32% on a year-to-date basis. EQT Corp, meanwhile, is up 19.09% year-to-date, and Baker Hughes Company is up 26.52% year-to-date. Combined, EQT and BKR make up approximately 4.8% of the underlying holdings of XLE. Comparing these stocks and ETFs on a trailing twelve month basis, below is a relative stock price performance chart, with each of the symbols shown in a different color as labeled in the legend at the bottom: Here's a snapshot of how the S&P 500 components within the various sectors are faring in afternoon trading on Wednesday. As you can see, four sectors are up on the day, while five sectors are down. Sector % Change Technology & Communications +1.0% Energy +0.7% Services +0.3% Industrial +0.3% Consumer Products -0.2% Materials -0.2% Financial -0.4% Utilities -0.5% Healthcare -0.6% 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » Also see: Energy Stocks You Can Buy Cheaper Than Insiders Did Top Ten Hedge Funds Holding KFRC Institutional Holders of SLGG The views and opi...
The worst performing sector as of midday Wednesday is the Healthcare sector, showing a 1.1% loss. Within the sector, Molina Healthcare Inc (Symbol: MOH) and Centene Corp (Symbol: CNC) are two large stocks that are lagging, showing a loss of 8.9% and 7.9%, respectively. Among healthcare ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLV), which is down 1.0% on...
The worst performing sector as of midday Wednesday is the Healthcare sector, showing a 1.1% loss. Within the sector, Molina Healthcare Inc (Symbol: MOH) and Centene Corp (Symbol: CNC) are two large stocks that are lagging, showing a loss of 8.9% and 7.9%, respectively. Among healthcare ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLV), which is down 1.0% on the day, and up 7.15% year-to-date. Molina Healthcare Inc, meanwhile, is down 4.20% year-to-date, and Centene Corp, is down 6.73% year-to-date. Combined, MOH and CNC make up approximately 0.8% of the underlying holdings of XLV. The next worst performing sector is the Consumer Products sector, showing a 1.0% loss. Among large Consumer Products stocks, Hershey Company (Symbol: HSY) and Campbell's Company (Symbol: CPB) are the most notable, showing a loss of 4.4% and 3.8%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Consumer Products stocks is the iShares U.S. Consumer Goods ETF (IYK), which is down 1.6% in midday trading, and up 6.49% on a year-to-date basis. Hershey Company, meanwhile, is up 1.69% year-to-date, and Campbell's Company, is down 3.34% year-to-date. Combined, HSY and CPB make up approximately 1.5% of the underlying holdings of IYK. Comparing these stocks and ETFs on a trailing twelve month basis, below is a relative stock price performance chart, with each of the symbols shown in a different color as labeled in the legend at the bottom: Here's a snapshot of how the S&P 500 components within the various sectors are faring in afternoon trading on Wednesday. As you can see, two sectors are up on the day, while six sectors are down. Sector % Change Technology & Communications +0.7% Utilities +0.3% Industrial 0.0% Materials -0.2% Financial -0.4% Services -0.7% Energy -0.9% Consumer Products -1.0% Healthcare -1.1% 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » Also see: Top Ten Hedge Funds Holding VTAK Institutional Holders of NMFC Institutional Holders of CNCE The ...