Wolterk/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction & Financials Urban Outfitters ( URBN ) currently trades at a solid valuation despite the recent rally, with plenty of room to expand in an environment that could improve in the long term despite near-term headwinds, supported by their debt-free balance sheet, solid cash flow, and even advantages stemming from their Nuuly subscription service. ...
Wolterk/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction & Financials Urban Outfitters ( URBN ) currently trades at a solid valuation despite the recent rally, with plenty of room to expand in an environment that could improve in the long term despite near-term headwinds, supported by their debt-free balance sheet, solid cash flow, and even advantages stemming from their Nuuly subscription service. Urban Outfitters IR Urban Outfitters reported a very solid Q3 FY2026, with record revenue and a surge in comparable sales that I’ll mention below, with the stock rallying by over 15% following the announcement. Meanwhile, the free cash flow reached $120.74 million over the first 9 months of FY26 compared to $38.31 million over 9M’25, although it’s very important to note that the company’s cash flow is very seasonal, with Q4 generally being the strongest by a wide margin. Urban Outfitters IR This becomes significantly more visible if we look at the annual report, with $320.25 million in FY25, $309.79 million in FY24 and -$56.78 million in FY23 (hit by negative working capital changes plus lower income), while URBN projected a significant jump in CAPEX, reaching ~$300 million in FY26 (vs. $182.58 million in FY25 and $199.63 million in FY24) as they continue to expand, planning to open roughly 52 new stores (net) and develop locations (especially Free People), while their rental subscription (Nuuly) is also surging. Urban Outfitters IR As we can see, all brands reported very solid growth in sales during Q3 and 9M’26 compared to 9M’25, while they recently reported record holiday sales, with a 9% increase over November and December 2025 compared to 2025, while the 11-month period (Feb - Dec) came with an increase of 11%, opening 58 new retail locations throughout the year. Urban Outfitters IR Financially, based on URBN’s latest report , we see a very strong position, with the current assets almost covering their total liabilities, with a solid amount of cash and marketable secur...
Bain Capital and Blackstone Inc. are among private equity firms in the next round of bidding for Vitabiotics Ltd. , the UK vitamin company led by ex- Dragons’ Den investor Tej Lalvani, according to people familiar with the matter. EQT AB and TPG Inc. have also proceeded in the bidding process for Vitabiotics, which sells some of the UK’s most popular supplement brands, the people said. The busines...
Bain Capital and Blackstone Inc. are among private equity firms in the next round of bidding for Vitabiotics Ltd. , the UK vitamin company led by ex- Dragons’ Den investor Tej Lalvani, according to people familiar with the matter. EQT AB and TPG Inc. have also proceeded in the bidding process for Vitabiotics, which sells some of the UK’s most popular supplement brands, the people said. The business could be valued at about £900 million ($1.2 billion) in a deal, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Deliberations are ongoing and there’s no certainty of a transaction, according to the people. Representatives for Bain, Blackstone, EQT, TPG and Vitabiotics declined to comment. Vitabiotics sells vitamins under brands including Wellman, Wellwoman, Pregnacare and Wellbaby. Lalvani, the company’s chief executive officer, is known in the UK from his time on the popular reality television show Dragons’ Den , which features entrepreneurs pitching products to a panel of investors in the hopes of receiving financial backing. He’s the son of Kartar Lalvani, founder and chairman of Vitabiotics.
The Bank of England (BoE) has set out plans to accelerate tokenisation and regulated stablecoins in UK financial markets, highlighting efforts to modernise payments, settlement, and collateral management while safeguarding financial stability. Speaking at the Tokenisation Summit in London on Thursday, Sasha Mills, executive director for financial market infrastructure at the BoE, said 2026 would b...
The Bank of England (BoE) has set out plans to accelerate tokenisation and regulated stablecoins in UK financial markets, highlighting efforts to modernise payments, settlement, and collateral management while safeguarding financial stability. Speaking at the Tokenisation Summit in London on Thursday, Sasha Mills, executive director for financial market infrastructure at the BoE, said 2026 would be “fundamental in shaping the UK’s digital financial future,” with the UK's central bank focusing on three key areas: systemic stablecoins, tokenised collateral, and the digital securities sandbox (DSS). Read more: Crypto live prices “The UK has the opportunity to build truly holistic digital financial markets,” Mills said, noting that innovation must be underpinned by resilience, proportionate supervision, and international coordination. Global stablecoin transactions increasing Mills confirmed the BoE is pressing ahead with a regulatory framework for systemic stablecoins, which will be jointly supervised with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Stablecoins are digital tokens pegged to currencies like the dollar, euro, or pound. Read more: Bitcoin price slides as gold rallies on weaker dollar Mills explained that the proposed framework would allow systemic stablecoins to access a Bank of England deposit account and could include a liquidity facility to act as a backstop for issuers, helping to mitigate potential risks to the UK banking system. “Our regime proposes to provide systemic stablecoins with a deposit account at the Bank of England while also considering putting in place a liquidity facility to provide a backstop for stablecoin issuers,” she said. Read more: Why stablecoins could power the AI agent economy “Systemic stablecoins need to meet the same standards as existing forms of money used in the UK real economy,” Mills said. The BoE aims to finalise the regime by the end of the year, following a consultation launched in 2025. A second focus is tokenised colla...
Last year's weakness is ultimately an improved entry opportunity for long-term-minded investors. For several high-profile growth stocks, share price performance in 2025 ended up being forgettable. These stocks didn't just underperform. They lost ground. However, if you can take a step back and look at the bigger picture, there are at least a couple of these cases where this weakness is likely only...
Last year's weakness is ultimately an improved entry opportunity for long-term-minded investors. For several high-profile growth stocks, share price performance in 2025 ended up being forgettable. These stocks didn't just underperform. They lost ground. However, if you can take a step back and look at the bigger picture, there are at least a couple of these cases where this weakness is likely only a temporary setback. Indeed, these pullbacks offer an opportunity for investors to get in front of a recovery in 2026. Here's a closer look at two of these best bets. DraftKings It's pretty clear why shares of sports-betting name DraftKings (DKNG +0.03%) lost 8% of their value last year (and closed 35% below their 2025 peak). Not only is the company's growth slowing down now that most of the industry's low-hanging fruit has been picked, but prediction-market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are now making inroads on DraftKings' sports-waging turf. It's not an issue for investors to simply dismiss. Worries that an alternative like Polymarket or Kalshi could significantly disrupt DraftKings' growth plans, however, are overblown. Expand NASDAQ : DKNG DraftKings Today's Change ( 0.03 %) $ 0.01 Current Price $ 30.12 Key Data Points Market Cap $15B Day's Range $ 29.98 - $ 30.93 52wk Range $ 26.23 - $ 53.61 Volume 1.2K Avg Vol 14M Gross Margin 39.23 % The key here is the power of the brand name itself. DraftKings was a well-known fantasy sports platform well before sports-betting's federal ban was lifted back in 2018, and, even now, the name is as much of a marketing tool as it is a means of betting on sporting events. It's now partnering with NBCUniversal's sports broadcasting arm, for instance, integrating its wagering tech with the media giant's sports entertainment programming. It's also now the official sportsbook and odds provider for ESPN. These are promotional opportunities that players like Polymarket and Kalshi just aren't going to get. To the extent it matters, Dra...
TLDR Microsoft’s Q2 capital spending hit $37.5 billion with two-thirds going to AI chips, beating Wall Street estimates Meta Platforms plans up to $135 billion in 2026 capex, 20% above expectations and double last year’s spending Both Microsoft and Meta report AI computing demand exceeds their current supply capacity China approved sales of Nvidia’s H200 chips to ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent af...
TLDR Microsoft’s Q2 capital spending hit $37.5 billion with two-thirds going to AI chips, beating Wall Street estimates Meta Platforms plans up to $135 billion in 2026 capex, 20% above expectations and double last year’s spending Both Microsoft and Meta report AI computing demand exceeds their current supply capacity China approved sales of Nvidia’s H200 chips to ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent after restrictions ASML and SK Hynix posted strong earnings, with ASML’s orders and 2026 sales forecast beating estimates 💥 Find the Next KnockoutStock! Get live prices, charts, and KO Scores from KnockoutStocks.com , the data-driven platform ranking every stock by quality and breakout potential. Nvidia shares closed at their highest level since early November on Wednesday. The stock fell 0.7% in after-hours trading but remains near the top of its recent trading range. NVIDIA Corporation, NVDA The chip maker is getting a boost from major tech companies announcing large AI infrastructure investments. Microsoft and Meta Platforms both revealed spending plans that exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. Microsoft reported capital expenditures of $37.5 billion for its fiscal second quarter. The figure topped the consensus estimate of $36.7 billion. About two-thirds of that spending went toward chips. The company’s CFO Amy Hood told investors that limited AI hardware availability is still slowing cloud computing growth. Microsoft flagged its own Maia 200 AI chip but confirmed continued purchases from Nvidia and AMD. “We want to make sure we’re not locked into any one thing,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on an analyst call. He emphasized partnerships with both Nvidia and AMD as all three companies continue innovating. Meta Doubles Down on AI Infrastructure Meta Platforms announced even bigger spending plans. The Facebook parent said 2026 capital expenditures could reach $135 billion. That’s 20% higher than Wall Street expected and nearly double last year’s investment. CFO Susan Li...
Worawith Ounpeng/iStock via Getty Images Midstream energy investors have endured dramatic commodity swings over the past several years. Oil prices collapsed during the 2020 pandemic, surged to multi-year highs by 2022, and then moderated again. Natural gas followed a similar boom-and-bust pattern. For producers, these moves translated into volatile earnings and capital spending cycles. For midstre...
Worawith Ounpeng/iStock via Getty Images Midstream energy investors have endured dramatic commodity swings over the past several years. Oil prices collapsed during the 2020 pandemic, surged to multi-year highs by 2022, and then moderated again. Natural gas followed a similar boom-and-bust pattern. For producers, these moves translated into volatile earnings and capital spending cycles. For midstream Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), the outcome was notably different. Despite sharp price fluctuations, most pipeline and storage operators continued to generate relatively steady cash flow, reinforcing the defensive nature of the midstream business model.¹ Commodity Volatility Versus Throughput Stability Severe commodity downturns can pressure midstream operators when low prices discourage drilling and reduce volumes. That dynamic was evident during the 2014–2016 energy downturn and again in 2020, when some pipelines experienced lower utilization. History also shows that production often rebounds once prices stabilize, even if prices remain below prior peaks. After crude prices retreated from 2022 highs, U.S. oil production still climbed to record levels as producers focused on efficiency and capital discipline.² Natural gas markets tell a similar story. Even as benchmark gas prices fell from their 2022 spike, U.S. production reached record highs in 2023, supported by steady domestic demand and expanding LNG export capacity.³ For midstream operators, the volume of hydrocarbons moving through pipelines matters far more than spot prices. New export terminals, petrochemical plants, and power-generation demand effectively add new sources of throughput, helping sustain cash flow even in volatile pricing environments. The Toll-Road Model in Practice Midstream MLPs are often described as toll roads for the energy economy. Their revenues are largely generated from long-term, fee-based contracts tied to volumes rather than commodity prices. Many of these agreements include mini...
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Google is disabling some Phone app features on older Pixel devices after acknowledging a bug that inadvertently leaked audio to callers. The issue has specifically been linked to the Take a Message feature released last year, which automatically answers and transcribes voicemails when you miss a call, with a ha...
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Google is disabling some Phone app features on older Pixel devices after acknowledging a bug that inadvertently leaked audio to callers. The issue has specifically been linked to the Take a Message feature released last year, which automatically answers and transcribes voicemails when you miss a call, with a handful of Pixel 4 and 5 owners reporting that their microphones were activating when callers were leaving messages. “We’ve investigated this issue, which we’ve confirmed affects a very small subset of Pixel 4 and 5 devices under very specific and rare circumstances,” said Google community manager Siri Tejaswini on a support page. “Out of an abundance of caution, we’re disabling Take a Message and next-gen Call Screen features from these devices.” One Reddit user who experienced the bug said that callers did not hear their usual voicemail greeting, and that they “could hear me/room sounds while they were leaving a message.” The user describes how the microphone privacy indicator at the top-right corner of their phone display was triggered after missing a call and Take a Message activated. “It was as though I picked up the phone, except I had done nothing. It just passively started recording me and sending audio to the caller.” We have asked Google if these features are being permanently removed from Pixel 4 and 5 handsets, or if they will be restored in the future. For now, Tejaswini says that impacted Pixel owners “will still be able to use manual and automatic Call Screening or their carrier voicemail instead.”
"What I was saying to them was that I think, without being arrogant about it, because of what I've contributed to building in Greater Manchester, I was in a strong position to fight back this different type of politics that is trying to come in and trying to win our council seats and come into Greater Manchester in a big way.
"What I was saying to them was that I think, without being arrogant about it, because of what I've contributed to building in Greater Manchester, I was in a strong position to fight back this different type of politics that is trying to come in and trying to win our council seats and come into Greater Manchester in a big way.
Bitcoin surged during the last month, rocketing up nearly 40% in a few short weeks. The granddaddy of cryptocurrency is approaching the six-figure price mark as investors rejoice. As was the case with many runs during the last seven years, Bitcoin seems to be the tide lifting all boats; coins from Solana to Cardano are seeing a boost in price, mirroring Bitcoin's own success. One of the most intri...
Bitcoin surged during the last month, rocketing up nearly 40% in a few short weeks. The granddaddy of cryptocurrency is approaching the six-figure price mark as investors rejoice. As was the case with many runs during the last seven years, Bitcoin seems to be the tide lifting all boats; coins from Solana to Cardano are seeing a boost in price, mirroring Bitcoin's own success. One of the most intriguing altcoins is undoubtedly XRP (CRYPTO: XRP). Although it's far from new -- the coin has been around since 2012 -- XRP is gaining in popularity as new investors enter the market and regulatory headwinds that have plagued the crypto begin to shift. So, with all the excitement, let's consider: Is XRP a millionaire maker? XRP is taking aim at the banking industry XRP is the token used by RippleNet, a payment network designed to help banks and financial institutions move money around the world. It is essentially a global settlement system, currency exchange, and remittance network all rolled into one. Traditional methods can be costly and slow. By using XRP and RippleNet, these institutions can save money and time and better serve their customers. XRP is already used by some institutions, and it has a proven track record. It is lightning fast, dirt cheap, and can scale -- in crypto, this refers to how many transactions the network can handle before slowing -- very well, especially compared to Bitcoin. XRP's proponents argue that this very real, commercial application makes it inherently valuable. That all sounds great, but it may be a bit more complicated The pitch makes a ton of sense at first blush. The banking industry pays hundreds of billions of dollars in fees each year, about $193 billion in 2023. If XRP can become the standard, it will capture that value. Here's the problem. First, the primary reason that banks would take on the risk of transitioning away from a proven standard is to save a significant amount of money. So, even if the entire industry switched, the re...