希臘一間餅乾廠發生爆炸，造成至少4人死亡，7人受傷，1人失蹤。 廠房嚴重損毀，消防員到場灌救。事發於希臘中部，特里卡拉市一間餅乾廠，周一清晨發生爆炸，引起大火，當時廠內有13名工人，部分人成功逃離現場，死者和失蹤者都是都工人，傷者包括一名消防員。 警方稱爆炸源頭，懷疑在廿四小時運作的爐具附近，起因有待調查。

面对每天上千份上市公司公告该看哪些？重大事项公告动辄几十页几百页重点是啥？公告里一堆专业术语不知道算利好还是利空？请看财联社公司新闻部 《速读公告》 栏目，我们派驻全国的记者们将于公告当晚为您带来准确、快速、专业的解读。 财联社1月26日讯（记者 武超） 受益于国内外市场收入明显增长，以及所有股权转让收益，糖尿病治疗领域的龙头企业 通化东宝 （600867.SH）预计2025年净利润大幅扭亏。 公司今日晚间发布公告，经财务部门初步测算，预计2025年实现归属于母公司所有者的净利润约为12.42亿元，上年同期为-0.43亿元，同比扭亏为盈；扣除非经常性损益的净利润约为4.02亿元，上年同期为-919.54万元。 公告显示，公司转让 特宝生物 （688278.SH）股权产生显著收益，去年7月，通化东宝完成了与西藏信托有限公司的股份协议转让，转让股权占特宝生物总股本的5.70%，转让价款总额为13.01 亿元。转让完成后，公司持有特宝生物的股份总数由6520万股减少至4201万股，持股比例由16.03%降至10.33%。 而反映主营业务表现的4.02亿元扣非净利润，则真实体现了公司在集采新周期下的复苏态势。财联社记者注意到，2024年，因胰岛素集采实施、库存调整以及一次性计提损失等因素，公司业绩曾短期承压。进入2025年，在此前国家胰岛素集采续约中以全线产品A类中标获得的优势开始释放，公司胰岛素类似物产品快速进入医院市场并放量。 公司表示，国内市场方面，公司依托本次胰岛素集采中标优势，推动门冬、甘精等胰岛素类似物产品快速上量，市场份额迅速提升；同时，利拉鲁肽注射液与恩格列净片等产品同样取得良好增长，多品类协同发力，带动国内销售收入较上期大幅攀升。 国际市场方面，出口收入增长明显。据悉，去年以来，公司门冬胰岛素注射液在多米尼加、印尼获批上市，甘精胰岛素在缅甸获批，精蛋白人胰岛素混合注射液在乌兹别克斯坦、尼加拉瓜获批，进一步拓展新兴市场。 从季度数据来看，2025年前三季度，公司实现扣非净利润3.21亿元，据此计算，第四季度扣非净利润约0.81亿元，环比有所放缓。 从长期发展看，公司将资源向创新药研发倾斜。公司近期在互动平台对投资者表示，目前有4款一类创新药处于临床试验阶段，GLP-1类与痛风治疗领域各2款。其中，GLP-1/GIP双靶点激动剂注射用THDBH120减重适应症...

Meta Platforms stock price target lowered to $835 at KeyBanc Investing.com

Funtap/iStock via Getty Images The S&P 500 ( SPX ) experienced some geopolitical turmoil during the holiday-shortened trading week ending on Friday, 23 January 2026. The index plunged two percent on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, thanks to a one-two punch. One of the punches was delivered by President Trump's weekend announcement he would impose new tariffs on European nations opposing his initiative to acquire Greenland from Denmark. That action had sent European stock prices lower before contributing to the U.S. stock market's drop. The good news here, however, is that by Thursday, the dispute was resolved and stock prices recovered. The second punch was delivered by a developing crisis for Japan's economy. On Tuesday, 20 January 2026, the nation's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, announced plans for a snap election to secure a mandate for much higher government spending. That's a problem because Japan's central bank has been struggling to control inflation, which the new spending is expected to aggravate. The response by markets has been to send Japanese government bonds and its currency plunging, which has a global impact. This developing crisis has not yet been resolved. In reaction to all this and other market-moving news, the U.S. stock market rebounded, but not all the way. The S&P 500 closed out the week at 6,915.61 , down 0.35% from its previous week's close. It's not often we can point to geopolitical events as contributing anything more than noise to the trajectory of stock prices. The latest update of the alternative futures chart shows the S&P 500's trajectory is where it would be expected to be for investors focusing on the upcoming future quarter of 2026-Q2. As for why, one major reason is provided by the CME Group's FedWatch Tool , which continues to project the Fed will hold the Federal Funds Rate steady until 17 June (2026-Q2), when it anticipates a 77% probability for a quarter-point rate cut. The tool forecasts a better than 50% chance of another ...

印度東部的西孟加拉邦爆發可致命的尼帕病毒疫情，最少5人確診，近百人隔離。泰國全面篩查來自當地的航班。 本港衞生防護中心表示，本港至今並無發現尼帕病毒感染個案，但會加強對高風險旅客檢查。有傳染病科醫生提醒市民，外遊時要注意衞生和飲食。 印度個別地區出現尼帕病毒感染群組，衞生防護中心表示正在跟進，包括主動向世衞和印度當局索取進一步資訊，對來自有關爆發地區，並出現疑似徵狀的入境旅客，進行健康篩查。 中心指，尼帕病毒感染是一種新發的人畜共患疾病，果蝠是病毒的天然宿主，主要通過直接接觸受感染動物的飛沫、分泌物等傳播。 有傳染病科醫生指，受感染動物接觸過的食物，都有傳播風險。 感染及傳染病醫學會會長林緯遜稱：「特別是果蝠吃過的水果，尤其是椰棗，如果吃過或接觸過的水果、生食(受污染水果)、包括椰棗汁，沒有煮熟飲用的話，都有機會感染病毒。如果經加熱的程序，就會將病毒殺死，大大減低透過水果傳染病毒的機會。」 林緯遜又指，尼帕病毒潛伏期4至45日，早期會出現頭痛、發燒、肌肉酸痛等，與流感類似的病徵，但病情可急速惡化，病毒會攻擊神經系統，嚴重時會併發急性腦炎、癲癇等。 林緯遜說：「病毒入侵香港的風險整體而言都是低的，因始終最高風險都是在當地，生食一些椰棗或椰棗汁，除非香港市民去當地旅遊生食過這些產品，或跟病患有直接接觸。」 衞生防護中心就提醒市民，如前往受病毒影響的地方，應避免接觸野生動物或其分泌物，尤其是蝙蝠、養殖豬、馬和貓。 尼帕病毒｜印度現感染群組 無疫苗可人傳人死亡率高達75%｜即睇如何避免病從口入

有本地旅行社負責人表示，新春期間日本旅行團，較去年整體下跌約一成，但相信和近期中日緊張關係無關。 不少人會趁農曆新年外遊，今年打工仔請兩天假，就可以連放九天。不過，有旅行社負責人指，農曆新年外遊市道較預期差，甚至比聖誕時更差。其中往日本的外遊訂單，按年減少近一成。其中一個原因是，各項旅遊產品的價錢都上升了。 旅行社常務董事袁振寧指出：「國內很多航班都取消，我們都估計有一部分，可能經香港飛出去，所以整體需求，在香港飛出去也強勁，全世界都去日本旅遊，那些酒店、旅遊設施、膳食，所有當地的體驗活動項目，其實都有加價壓力。有些酒店比起開關時，都加了一倍甚至兩倍，所以日圓處於低水平，使得旅費的升幅沒有那麼快，但是都阻止不了那個趨勢。」 外交部自去年11月起，多次呼籲中國公民避免前往日本，袁振寧指該月赴日訂單，曾錄得雙位數的跌幅，之後已回穩。他認為外遊市道不理想是整體狀況，原因包括本港經濟環境欠佳，及港人疫後旅遊模式改變等。

文章提及标的 焦煤 -- 瓶片 -- 双胶纸 -- 对二甲苯 -- PTA -- 棕榈油 -- 期市夜盘收盘，国内期货主力合约多数下跌。跌幅方面，焦煤、瓶片、双胶纸、对二甲苯、PTA跌超1%。涨幅方面，棕榈油、沪金、合成橡胶涨超1%。

中日關係持續緊張，下月有49條航線取消全部航班，而內地多間航空公司的日本航線，免費退改機票政策再延長7個月。在北京，外交部提醒中國公民，春節期間避免前往日本。 日本大選下月八日舉行，身兼首相的自民黨總裁高市早苗，星期一出席黨魁辯論時，回應她解散國會後內閣支持度下跌，認為些微下跌是正常的。 日本首相高市早苗說：「如果自民黨在這次選舉中落敗，我將不再擔任首相，也無法執行我想要的政策。我的意思是，如果我們黨和維新黨無法取得多數，我會立刻辭職。」 在被問到她發表「台灣有事」言論後，日中關係惡化，她稱日方依然對中方敞開對話大門，目前並非完全中斷與中國的溝通，在各層級都有保持交流。 日本放送協會發布最新民調，高市內閣的支持率為百分之59，較兩星期前的上次調查下跌3個百分點，而不支持度則為百分之26，上升5個百分點。 而在政黨支持度，自民黨以接近百分之36領先，大幅拋離第二高，由最大在野黨立憲民主黨與公明黨成立的新政黨，中道改革聯合的約百分之8。 中日關係緊張之際，包括中國3間最大航空公司，中國國際航空、東方航空和南方航空，加上廈門航空、山東航空等多間航空公司，星期一宣布，將日本航機免費退票或改票的安排再延長七個月，至到今年10月24日，橫跨2026年夏秋航季。 根據交通數據分析平台航班管家，2026年1月中國內地赴日航班取消率超過百分至47，比前一個月上升近8個百分點。而截止星期一，2月已經有49條航線取消全部航班，據報其中兩條航線是由深圳出發。 在北京，外交部提醒中國公民，新春期間避免前往日本，指日本社會近期治安不靖，發生多宗針對中國公民的違法犯罪案件，造成人員受傷。日本政府亦已就後續地震發出警告，中國公民在當地面臨嚴重安全威脅。

Victor Golmer/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Thesis BASF SE ( BASFY ) is the largest chemical company in the world. It’s a German industrial heavyweight that’s been around for over 160 years. The portfolio is massive, stretching from basic chemicals and materials to industrial solutions, surface technologies, nutrition, and crop science. Seeking Alpha From a momentum standpoint, over the past year, BASFY’s share price has outpaced the S&P 500 ( SP500 ), even as performance over the three-, five-, and ten-year windows continues to lag by a wide margin. Seeking Alpha To me, that suggests investors are starting to see something tangible improving under the hood, but it’s also clear this is not a position for those looking for instant gratification. Nevertheless, after reviewing the BASF Group’s preliminary figures , I'm inclined to have a bullish outlook on the company’s shares backed by a strong cash flow yield, improving free cash flow, an active buyback, and a dividend yield around 4.6%. Not a Breakout, but a Base Digging into BASF’s preliminary 2025 figures , sales came in at €59.7 billion, essentially right where analysts thought they would land. Volumes edged higher as well, helping to offset pressure from unfavorable currency movements and slight price declines. While chemical operations earlier in the production process continued to face tighter profit margins, businesses further along the supply chain helped balance out those pressures. Surface Technologies, in particular, didn’t fall apart. A 4% bump in global light vehicle production was enough to keep demand pointed in roughly the right direction. The real standout here is free cash flow, which climbed to €1.3 billion. That’s nearly double the €0.7 billion posted a year earlier and well ahead of the €0.6 billion analysts were expecting. A big part of that improvement came from tighter discipline on capital spending, which was cut to €4.3 billion from €6.2 billion in 2024. Due to the flexibility that this...

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Amidst the fast-paced and highly competitive business environment of today, conducting comprehensive company analysis is essential for investors and industry enthusiasts. In this article, we will delve into an extensive industry comparison, evaluating Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) in comparison to its major competitors within the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry. By analyzing critical financial metrics, market position, and growth potential, our objective is to provide valuable insights for investors and offer a deeper understanding of company's performance in the industry. Micron Technology Background Micron is one of the largest semiconductor companies in the world, specializing in memory and storage chips. Its primary revenue stream comes from dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, and it also has minority exposure to not-and or NAND, flash chips. Micron serves a global customer base, selling chips into data centers, mobile phones, consumer electronics, and industrial and automotive applications. The firm is vertically integrated. Company P/E P/B P/S ROE EBITDA (in billions) Gross Profit (in billions) Revenue Growth Micron Technology Inc 37.99 7.65 10.66 9.28% $8.35 $7.65 56.65% NVIDIA Corp 46.45 38.36 24.65 29.14% $38.75 $41.85 62.49% Broadcom Inc 67.10 18.67 24.31 11.02% $9.86 $12.25 28.18% Advanced Micro Devices Inc 135.96 6.95 13.24 2.06% $2.11 $4.78 35.59% Texas Instruments Inc 35.21 10.56 10.25 8.21% $2.24 $2.72 14.24% Qualcomm Inc 31.10 7.85 3.89 -12.88% $3.51 $6.24 10.03% Analog Devices Inc 67.02 4.42 13.77 2.32% $1.47 $1.94 25.91% Marvell Technology Inc 28.25 4.84 8.94 13.84% $2.58 $1.07 36.83% NXP Semiconductors NV 28.74 5.82 4.92 6.43% $1.11 $1.79 -2.37% Monolithic Power Systems Inc 27.29 14.28 19.25 5.12% $0.21 $0.41 18.88% First Solar Inc 18.58 2.88 5.15 5.19% $0.61 $0.61 79.67% ON Semiconductor Corp 84.90 3.15 4.19 3.22% $0.44 $0.59 -11.98% Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 114.79 18.70 31.95 7.99% $0.09 $0.18 272.08% Tower Semicon...

现货白银日内涨幅达8.0%，报111.27美元/盎司。

In the ever-evolving and intensely competitive business landscape, conducting a thorough company analysis is of utmost importance for investors and industry followers. In this article, we will carry out an in-depth industry comparison, assessing Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) alongside its primary competitors in the Automobiles industry. By meticulously examining key financial metrics, market positioning, and growth prospects, we aim to offer valuable insights to investors and shed light on company's performance within the industry. Tesla Background Tesla is a vertically integrated battery electric vehicle automaker and developer of real world artificial intelligence software, which includes autonomous driving and humanoid robots. The company has multiple vehicles in its fleet, which include luxury and midsize sedans, crossover SUVs, a light truck, and a semi truck. Tesla also plans to begin selling a sports car and offer a robotaxi service. Global deliveries in 2024 were a little below 1.8 million vehicles. The company sells batteries for stationary storage for residential and commercial properties including utilities and solar panels and solar roofs for energy generation. Tesla also owns a fast-charging network and an auto insurance business. Company P/E P/B P/S ROE EBITDA (in billions) Gross Profit (in billions) Revenue Growth Tesla Inc 309.70 18.68 16.55 1.75% $3.66 $5.05 11.57% General Motors Co 15.21 1.12 0.43 1.95% $5.74 $3.11 -0.34% Ferrari NV 32.11 13.52 7.27 10.42% $0.67 $0.88 7.4% Ford Motor Co 11.59 1.14 0.29 5.29% $3.67 $4.3 9.39% Thor Industries Inc 21.66 1.41 0.62 0.5% $0.11 $0.32 11.5% Winnebago Industries Inc 36.39 1.07 0.46 0.45% $0.03 $0.09 12.32% Workhorse Group Inc 0.06 1.37 0.32 -28.77% $-0.01 $-0.01 -4.97% Average 19.5 3.27 1.57 -1.69% $1.7 $1.45 5.88% Upon closer analysis of Tesla, the following trends become apparent: The current Price to Earnings ratio of 309.7 is 15.88x higher than the industry average, indicating the stock is priced at a premium lev...

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach press release ( FMBL ): Q4 GAAP EPS of $141.90. Revenue of $78.59M. F&M’s net interest margin improved to 2.58% for the fourth quarter of 2025, from 2.14% for the fourth quarter of 2024. Net interest margin was 2.44% for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared with 2.00% in 2024. For the fourth quarter of 2025, the Bank recorded a $500,000 recapture of provision for credit losses, compared with a $600,000 provision for credit losses recorded in the 2024 fourth quarter. For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Bank recorded a $1.1 million recapture of provision for credit losses, compared with a $6.6 million recapture of provision for credit losses for the year ended December 31, 2024. Total non-interest income was $4.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2025, compared with a negative $3.8 million for the same period last year, primarily due to a repositioning of the Bank’s investment securities by selling low-yielding fixed-rate securities and deploying the proceeds into higher-earning securities, resulting in a one-time impact on earnings. For the year ended December 31, 2025, total non-interest income was $17.5 million, compared with $19.6 million for year ended December 31, 2024. Total non-interest expense for the 2025 fourth quarter was $51.9 million, compared with $51.5 million for the 2024 fourth quarter. Non-interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2025, was $200.7 million, compared with $200.0 million a year ago. More on Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Dividend scorecard for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Financial information for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach

格隆汇1月26日｜纳斯达克综合指数涨幅扩大，现涨0.5%，最新报23617.87点。

China is expected to finish construction on the landmark Pinglu Canal before the end of this year, taking just four years to complete the 72.7 billion yuan (US$10.4 billion) project to boost trade links with the country’s top export destination: Southeast Asia. The mega-project will provide China’s landlocked southwestern provinces with direct access to global shipping lanes, making it faster and cheaper to transport goods between the Chinese interior and neighbouring countries. The 134km (83 mile) waterway linking Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, with the Gulf of Tonkin – known in China as the Beibu Gulf – via the Qinjiang River is the first major canal China has built for centuries Advertisement Construction on the project has already entered its final phase, and it is set to open to navigation by the end of 2026, state media outlet China National Radio reported on Wednesday. About 89.7 per cent of the planned investment has been completed, Guangxi Daily reported on Sunday, citing a government conference. Advertisement The Pinglu Canal features a waterway large enough to accommodate 5,000-tonne vessels, three dual-line shiplock hubs, and 27 newly built or renovated bridges, 13 of which have already been put into operation, the report said. With work progressing smoothly, preparations to open the canal to shipping traffic are set to begin from May, according to the report, citing a senior manager on the project.

農曆新年將至，為方便市民封利是，三間發鈔銀行（滙豐銀行、渣打銀行及中國銀行）的分行將於2月3日（星期二）至2月16日（星期一）提供新鈔及「迎新鈔」（即雖舊仍簇新的鈔票）供市民兌換。本文將總結本港多間銀行的換新鈔安排，包括網上預約時間、分行兌換地點及特別措施等，讓市民能輕鬆掌握換新鈔攻略，避免排隊之苦。 換新鈔2026｜滙豐銀行指定ATM可提取「迎新鈔」 今年滙豐推出新措施，除了在旺角、觀塘及屯門市廣場理財易中心及三部流動銀行的部分指定自動櫃員機可以提取面值20元或50元「迎新鈔」外，以往僅支援開戶等非現金交易的流動銀行亦首次提供3,000元新鈔套裝。此外，所有分行將提供面值3,000港元及6,000港元的鈔票套裝。 網上預約 即日起，可透過HSBC HK APP或 網站 預約時段，再於選定分行領取新鈔 兌換日期 迎新鈔ATM提取：2026年2月3日至9日 分行提取：2026年2月3日至16日（年卅十） 兌換地點： 分行：全港滙豐分行提供新鈔及迎新鈔兌換。（ 按此瀏覽分行列表 ） ATM：指定地點如旺角、觀塘及屯門市廣場理財易中心，以及三部流動銀行的部分自動櫃員機，可提取20元或50元迎新鈔。（ 按此瀏覽流動銀行位置 ） 理財易中心地址： 地點 地址 營業時間 旺角理財易中心 旺角彌敦道673號旺角滙豐大廈低層地下 上午6時至凌晨12時 觀塘理財易中心 觀塘開源道 71 號皇子大廈地下 24 小時 屯門市廣場 理財易中心 屯門市廣場第二期高層地下1號舖 24 小時 流動銀行 按此瀏覽流動銀行位置 星期一至五：上午9時至下午5時 星期六：上午9時至下午1時 特別措施 分行延長服務時間 2026年2月3日至5日，所有滙豐分行4提早於早上8時營業，並設有特快櫃台加快流程。 即場票籌 為更有效管理人流，2026年2月3日至16日，分行每日早上會向未有預約的客戶派籌，以於當日兌換新鈔。 卓越理財服務 滙豐卓越理財專尚及卓越理財客戶可透過其客戶總監或客戶經理預訂安排領取新鈔。 注意事項 自動櫃員機每次最多只能提取40張鈔票。 三間流動銀行只提供面值3,000元的新鈔套裝，並只限滙豐戶口持有人從戶口提取。 每份3,000元套裝由100張20元鈔票及20張50元鈔票組成。 換新鈔2026｜中銀香港即日起可預訂「新鈔標準裝」 由2026年2月3日起，中銀香港各分行將提供新鈔及「迎新鈔」...

Lemonade (LMND) is in the news after announcing the development of a new insurance policy for self-driving cars, beginning with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system offered in Tesla (TSLA) vehicles. The news was met with an immediate reaction in the stock market. LMND stock saw an uptick in shares — up 9% on Jan. 21 and 13% on Jan. 22 — as did Tesla stock. The most prominent part of the announcement was impossible to overlook: Lemonade is promising to decrease its per-mile rates by about 50% with FSD enabled, based on data that demonstrates accident rates decrease substantially with FSD mode engaged. Additionally, Lemonade anticipates that its insurance premiums will continue to decrease as Tesla improves its FSD software packages in future releases. Simply stated, Lemonade is betting that improved autonomy translates into decreased risk that it will be able to accurately assess for their policyholders. This also comes at an important time as investors reassess the insurance, data, and AI nexus. Usage-based pricing models have always been a sought-after goal in the car insurance space, although access to Tesla car data could potentially represent a paradigm shift. About Lemonade Stock Lemonade, a tech-enabled insurance company serving renters, homeowners, pets, life, and most recently auto insurance policies, has established itself as a tech-driven alternative to traditional insurers using AI, automation, and behavioral economics. Lemonade has a total valuation of around $7. billion in terms of market capitalization and is based in New York. LMND stock has experienced an impressive run. In fact, the stock has risen by 181% in the last year alone, trading for around $93 per share, just short of its $99.90 high. In the last year, the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has risen by only a fraction of the gains experienced by LMND. Hence, speculative future gains can be gauged from the performance of the stock. LMND stock is still highly valued. Lemonade is not yet profitable and curre...

Hunkering down in January; hiking boots for outdoor adventures; and cold-weather beauty essentials • Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Congratulations, you’ve made it through more than 75% of January, Blue Monday and all. Extra kudos if you got through it without booking a holiday amid the onslaught of sun-soaked adverts, although I confess I’m not tempted. Would I rather spend hours on a plane with 200 strangers who had prosecco for breakfast, or hibernate until spring? I’ll take hibernation, thanks. Especially now that I’ve learned to do it properly. Hunkering down may not sound like something you need tips to master, but January is the best of times and the worst of times for those of us who struggle with insomnia. On the upside, all the darkness encourages your body to produce plenty of the “sleep hormone” melatonin (nature’s way of telling you to sleep through it). On the downside, lack of sunlight is a key trigger for seasonal affective disorder (Sad) – one of the symptoms of which is broken sleep . Never simple, is it? The best women’s boots for winter: 24 favourites, from knee-high to ankle The best heated clothes airers to save time and money when drying your laundry, tested The best women’s walking boots, tested by our expert hiker The best men’s walking boots for every type of hiking adventure, tested The best electric heaters, from traditional stove-style units to modern smart models – tested How I shop with Dawn O’Porter: ‘Good skin is an obsession’ ‘Wonderfully thick, creamy and clean-tasting’: the best supermarket natural yoghurts, tasted and rated Continue reading...

Today, I’m talking with Alex Lintner, who is the CEO of technology and software solutions at Experian, the credit reporting company. Experian is one of those multinationals that’s so big and convoluted that it has multiple CEOs all over the world, so Alex and I spent quite a lot of time talking through the Decoder questions just so I could understand how Experian is structured, how it functions, and how the kinds of decisions Alex makes actually work in practice. There’s a lot there, especially since Alex is in charge of the company’s entire tech arm. That means he oversees big operations like security and privacy, and now, of course, AI — all of which is always important, but is even more critical when you factor in what kind of information Experian collects and stores about, well, literally everyone. See, if you want to participate in the economy in the way the vast majority of us do — renting an apartment, buying a car, getting a job, or applying for a mortgage or a student loan — you’re part of Experian’s ecosystem, whether you like it or not. You’ll hear Alex talk about “consent” a whole lot in this episode, and he’ll argue that you can opt out, but the reality is, interacting with Experian is pretty much non-negotiable in the economy we live in today. It’s hard to do basically anything involving money without a credit score. Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Decoder wherever you get your podcasts. Head here. Not a subscriber? You can sign up here. That’s really the tension at the heart of a company like Experian: Credit scores dominate so many aspects of our lives, and they are controlled and calculated in ways that it feels like we have very little direct influence over. At its heart, Experian’s core service is data — data about people, about their money and what they do with it, about the decisions they make, the bills they pay or don’t pay. And this extremely valuable data weirdly makes Experian a part of your life — a life...

JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Can Shopify Continue to Be a Disruptor in the Agentic Commerce Era Shopify Inc. ( SHOP ). Two decades of Shopify building have transformed the company into one of the most respected and vaunted platforms for small and medium-sized businesses. Not only has it earned the respect (and possibly the ire) of Jeff Bezos' Amazon ( AMZN ), but it has also proved that helping SMBs become successful can be a thriving business, and one that could even scale to the enterprise level over time. What's more, platform moats can be strengthened as Shopify expands its cloud into merchant solutions, which has grown to become the most significant revenue base (75% of revenue) as compared to the core subscription solutions business. However, just as digital commerce, or e-commerce, has undergone periods where rules continue to change while new paradigms evolve, we have also entered a new era of sorts since ChatGPT came into the public domain back in late 2022. There's no putting the genie back into the bottle, so rather than dwell on it, Shopify has come out with guns blazing and appears more ready than ever to be on top of this shift to agentic commerce. Being a company that is well-versed with disruptive innovation, I believe the underlying strength of Shopify's business model is its ability to adapt and create new opportunities to tighten the deep collaboration with its merchant partners. Therefore, even as the new AI shopping wave threatens to upend existing business models and the typical customer relationship patterns as we know them, Shopify is attuned to the changing eras that have "fundamentally rewired the relationship between brands and shoppers" over the past 25 years. Shopify's SMB Merchants Could Gain Clout in AI Shopping As the fourth industrial AI revolution takes shape and "takes off," companies that can harness these rapid changes and disruptions to their business models could drive new growth imperatives more effectively as c...

The clock is officially ticking. In just 5 days, the lowest ticket prices for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 — plus the exclusive 50% off +1 pass for the first 500 registrations — will be gone. And with more than half of those first 500 already claimed, this window is closing fast. If Disrupt has been on your must-attend list, this is your moment to lock in the best deal and bring a +1 for half the price. Register now to save up to $680 on your pass and get a second ticket at 50% off. This offer ends January 30, or the moment the first 500 tickets are claimed. Whichever comes first. Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography Why Disrupt? From October 13–15, San Francisco’s Moscone West becomes the global epicenter of tech. TechCrunch Disrupt is a curated, three-day experience designed to maximize signal over noise — uniting 10,000 founders, investors, operators, and tech leaders for 200+ expert-led sessions featuring 250+ influential voices. Explore what’s next as 300+ startups debut their breakthroughs, experience the high-stakes energy of Startup Battlefield 200, and tap into curated, high-impact networking with the leaders shaping the future of tech. Matt Mullenweg, Founder & CEO of Automattic, speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 Day 3 at Moscone Center on October 30, 2024 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch) Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch Past speakers have included some of the industry’s greatest minds: Alex Pall and Drew Taggart from The Chainsmokers, Co-Founders and Partners, MANTIS Venture Capital Assaf Rappaport, Co-founder & CEO, Wiz Ashton Kutcher, Co-founder, Sound Ventures Bridgit Mendler, CEO, Northwood Space Colin Kaepernick, Founder & CEO, Lumi Denise Dresser, CEO, Slack Erin and Sara Foster, Co-founders and General Partners, Oversubscribed Ventures Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors Matt Mullenweg, Co-Founder, WordPress and CEO, Automattic Peter Beck, Founder & CEO, Rocketlab Vinod...