Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Performance assessment Since my last update on Nvidia stock ( NVDA ), the performance of NVDA has been slightly worse than the broader market index: Performance Since HA's Last Article on NVDA (Seeking Alpha, HA's Last Article on NVDA) Thesis I continue to maintain a balanced view on Nvidia: Major customers are investing in their own...
Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Performance assessment Since my last update on Nvidia stock ( NVDA ), the performance of NVDA has been slightly worse than the broader market index: Performance Since HA's Last Article on NVDA (Seeking Alpha, HA's Last Article on NVDA) Thesis I continue to maintain a balanced view on Nvidia: Major customers are investing in their own chips A trillion-dollar demand pipeline directionally indicates continued high revenue growth Valuations are attractive Technicals point toward another 5% correction Major customers are investing in their own chips Nvidia's top hyperscaler customers, such as Alphabet ( GOOGL ) ( GOOG ), Amazon ( AMZN ), and Meta ( META ) are becoming more focused on developing their own, in-house chips in an effort to mitigate reliance on Nvidia. Companies such as Google, Amazon, and Meta are aggressively focused on developing proprietary ASICs as a cost-efficient alternative to chips manufactured by companies like NVIDIA. - Wedbush Securities As this narrative picks up, I expect this to lead to a subsequent deceleration in future-revenue indicators such as remaining performance obligations [RPOs]: RPO YoY (Company Filings, HA Analysis) Interestingly, in the automotive sector, active substitution trends are playing out to a larger degree as key players such as Volkswagen ( VWAGY ) ( VLKAF ) ( VWAPY ) are finding Chinese technologies to be more cost effective alternatives to Nvidia's chips: With advanced tech from local Chinese players, for us, there is no reason to stick [to] Nvidia... - Thomas Ulbrich, CTO of Volkswagen Group, China Notice the very sharp drop-off in automotive revenue growth already in the latest quarter: Automotive revenue YoY (Company Filings, HA Analysis) Now Nvidia's data center customers would probably value chip performance over pricing a lot more than automotive customers. Still, I believe the deceleration in revenue growth in the automotive sector could foreshadow...
Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Performance assessment Since my last update on Nvidia stock ( NVDA ), the performance of NVDA has been slightly worse than the broader market index: Performance Since HA's Last Article on NVDA (Seeking Alpha, HA's Last Article on NVDA) Thesis I continue to maintain a balanced view on Nvidia: Major customers are investing in their own...
Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Performance assessment Since my last update on Nvidia stock ( NVDA ), the performance of NVDA has been slightly worse than the broader market index: Performance Since HA's Last Article on NVDA (Seeking Alpha, HA's Last Article on NVDA) Thesis I continue to maintain a balanced view on Nvidia: Major customers are investing in their own chips A trillion-dollar demand pipeline directionally indicates continued high revenue growth Valuations are attractive Technicals point toward another 5% correction Major customers are investing in their own chips Nvidia's top hyperscaler customers, such as Alphabet ( GOOGL ) ( GOOG ), Amazon ( AMZN ), and Meta ( META ) are becoming more focused on developing their own, in-house chips in an effort to mitigate reliance on Nvidia. Companies such as Google, Amazon, and Meta are aggressively focused on developing proprietary ASICs as a cost-efficient alternative to chips manufactured by companies like NVIDIA. - Wedbush Securities As this narrative picks up, I expect this to lead to a subsequent deceleration in future-revenue indicators such as remaining performance obligations [RPOs]: RPO YoY (Company Filings, HA Analysis) Interestingly, in the automotive sector, active substitution trends are playing out to a larger degree as key players such as Volkswagen ( VWAGY ) ( VLKAF ) ( VWAPY ) are finding Chinese technologies to be more cost effective alternatives to Nvidia's chips: With advanced tech from local Chinese players, for us, there is no reason to stick [to] Nvidia... - Thomas Ulbrich, CTO of Volkswagen Group, China Notice the very sharp drop-off in automotive revenue growth already in the latest quarter: Automotive revenue YoY (Company Filings, HA Analysis) Now Nvidia's data center customers would probably value chip performance over pricing a lot more than automotive customers. Still, I believe the deceleration in revenue growth in the automotive sector could foreshadow...
More than 160 people have been injured in Iranian strikes on southern Israel, emergency services have said. Ballistic missiles hit the towns of Arad and Dimona, which are close to a nuclear facility, on Saturday evening. Iranian state TV earlier said the strikes were in response to an attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. The BBC's Sebastian Usher reports from Dimona in southern Israel. Read m...
More than 160 people have been injured in Iranian strikes on southern Israel, emergency services have said. Ballistic missiles hit the towns of Arad and Dimona, which are close to a nuclear facility, on Saturday evening. Iranian state TV earlier said the strikes were in response to an attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. The BBC's Sebastian Usher reports from Dimona in southern Israel. Read more on this story.
Key Points I began saving for retirement when I was 20 -- giving me an early start on my goals. These early contributions will remain invested for several decades before I have to use them. This means I can save less each month and still reach my retirement goal. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Mistakes are a natural part of retirement planning. Maybe you save...
Key Points I began saving for retirement when I was 20 -- giving me an early start on my goals. These early contributions will remain invested for several decades before I have to use them. This means I can save less each month and still reach my retirement goal. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Mistakes are a natural part of retirement planning. Maybe you save in the wrong type of account and miss key tax advantages, or you forget to claim your 401(k) match, forcing you to save more on your own. Those mistakes are frustrating, but they're often not disastrous. You can usually make up for them with a few careful choices. There's one thing in particular that I did years ago that more than makes up for some of the smaller retirement planning mistakes I've made along the way. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Starting early makes reaching your savings goals much easier I began saving for retirement at 20, and while I wasn't contributing a ton of money at that time, those earliest contributions will likely prove to be some of my most valuable. They'll remain invested the longest, which means they'll probably appreciate the most over time. It might not seem like a few years will make that much difference, but it matters more than you'd think. Consider $1,000 invested for 40 years with an 8% average annual return. It would be worth about $21,725. After being invested for 41 years, that $1,000 investment would be worth about $23,462 -- over $1,700 more. Obviously, if you set aside more money, your retirement savings will grow even faster. You'll usually have to invest far less of your own money to retire comfortably when you start early than you would if you'd waited until later in life. Say you wanted to retire with $1 million in savings. If you earned ...
In this article AAPL AMZN SPOT Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT The Spotify music app is seen on a phone in New York City on June 4, 2024. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images Streaming music apps have been nudging users into the artificial intelligence era with a limited track record of success. But AI-based recommendation tools from Apple, Amazon and pure-play streaming company Spot...
In this article AAPL AMZN SPOT Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT The Spotify music app is seen on a phone in New York City on June 4, 2024. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images Streaming music apps have been nudging users into the artificial intelligence era with a limited track record of success. But AI-based recommendation tools from Apple, Amazon and pure-play streaming company Spotify are moving ahead, with Spotify's latest approach to the future of personal music discovery leaning into the AI prompt in multiple formats. Experts say these tech investments may be critical to Spotify's ability to build a moat around its business as the core input, music, becomes commoditized across the streaming apps. A new ChatGPT integration rolled out recently by Spotify allows users to connect their accounts directly to OpenAI's generative AI chatbot. The launch is good for OpenAI in its broader effort to turn ChatGPT into a platform for third-party apps that function inside conversations. For Spotify, it's a bet that personalized music and podcast recommendations will be improved through the now-familiar format of chatting with an AI and letting it know what you want. Spotify users can ask for songs, artists, albums, playlists or podcast episodes by mood, genre or topic. Results surface inside ChatGPT and open in the Spotify app for playback. Users can interact with the recommendation, and offer specificity beyond what is possible with a classic "like/dislike" feedback option. According to a Spotify spokesperson, the prompts are "an opportunity to uncover new tracks or revisit old favorites, or extend a ChatGPT conversation with a soundtrack that fits the moment." Spotify said the integration is opt-in and that users can disconnect at any time. It also said it will not share music or podcast content with OpenAI for training purposes — addressing industry concerns around AI and copyrighted material. Spotify also recently rolled out its Prompted Playlist feature ins...
Brighton and Liverpool both went agonisingly close to snatching victory late on as they provided a tense finish to their goalless stalemate, but both sides had to settle for a draw that edges Liverpool slightly further away from the drop zone. In a game that was low on final-third quality and one where the highlights reel would probably begin in the 89th minute, the closest both sides came to winn...
Brighton and Liverpool both went agonisingly close to snatching victory late on as they provided a tense finish to their goalless stalemate, but both sides had to settle for a draw that edges Liverpool slightly further away from the drop zone. In a game that was low on final-third quality and one where the highlights reel would probably begin in the 89th minute, the closest both sides came to winning it came in the final moments of the contest. Firstly, as the clock approached 90, the Liverpool goalkeeper Jennifer Falk did very well to touch Manuela Vanegas’s late header on to the crossbar as the home thought they might take all the points. At the other end a quick Liverpool throw-in, Aurélie Csillag’s low shot was saved by Chiamaka Nnadozie and trickled narrowly wide. From the resulting corner, Maelys Mpomé cleared the ball off the line to save the hosts. The result extended Liverpool’s winless run on the road to 10 away WSL matches – having not won an away WSL contest since a trip to Brighton last season – but their general upturn in form continued as they gained a valuable point, having won three of their previous five league games to move away from the foot of the table. Brighton have failed to win any of their past eight WSL games against Liverpool, who are now five points clear of the bottom side Leicester, who face Aston Villa later on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Tottenham defender Clare Hunt is to undergo surgery on her right knee, the club have confirmed, after she suffered the injury during the Women’s Asian Cup while representing Australia, who finished as the runners-up. It is not yet been disclosed what type of knee injury the 27-year-old has suffered.
aluxum/iStock via Getty Images Local-currency bonds in emerging markets have quickly turned from a favored trade into a source of losses as global risk sentiment deteriorates, Bloomberg News reported Sunday. After benefiting earlier this year from a weaker dollar and easing inflation, the asset class has dropped more than 4.5% since the Iran conflict began, underperforming dollar-denominated EM de...
aluxum/iStock via Getty Images Local-currency bonds in emerging markets have quickly turned from a favored trade into a source of losses as global risk sentiment deteriorates, Bloomberg News reported Sunday. After benefiting earlier this year from a weaker dollar and easing inflation, the asset class has dropped more than 4.5% since the Iran conflict began, underperforming dollar-denominated EM debt. Currency weakness has compounded the decline, with far fewer emerging-market currencies now gaining against the dollar. Rising oil and gas prices are a key driver, pushing inflation expectations higher and forcing central banks to reconsider rate cuts. In some cases, policymakers are signaling that rates may need to stay elevated or even rise, adding pressure to local debt markets. Losses have been particularly steep in countries like South Africa and Hungary, where currencies have weakened sharply. Other markets, including Mexico and Indonesia, have yet to stabilize. Investors are adjusting strategies in response. Some are reducing exposure to more volatile currencies and shifting toward regions seen as more resilient, particularly parts of Asia where central banks may be better positioned to manage inflation and currency pressures. Others are favoring interest-rate trades over currency bets, seeking more defensive positioning as uncertainty rises. Not all markets have struggled equally. In Colombia, where expectations for tighter policy were already priced in, local bonds have held up better than peers. Overall, the shift highlights how quickly investor sentiment can reverse in emerging markets when global conditions change. More on Invesco Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt ETF, Vanguard Emerging Markets Govt Bd Idx ETF, etc. VWOB: Commodity Strength Supports EM Credit EMB: Solid Emerging Market Bond ETF, But Stronger, Cheaper Choices In The Market EMHY: Good High-Yield Bond ETF, But Expenses Are Too High To Buy Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Invesco Emerging Markets S...
Iran has said it will “irreversibly destroy” essential infrastructure across the Middle East if the US attacks its energy sites, hours after Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” the country’s power plants if the strait of Hormuz was not opened within two days. As Iranian missiles struck two southern Israeli cities overnight, injuring dozens and shattering apartment buildings, the developments s...
Iran has said it will “irreversibly destroy” essential infrastructure across the Middle East if the US attacks its energy sites, hours after Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” the country’s power plants if the strait of Hormuz was not opened within two days. As Iranian missiles struck two southern Israeli cities overnight, injuring dozens and shattering apartment buildings, the developments signalled a dangerous potential escalation of the war in the Middle East, which is now in its fourth week. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, said on Sunday that “vital infrastructure as well as energy and oil infrastructure” across the region would become “legitimate targets” as soon as his country’s own was attacked. A statement on state media cited an Iranian military spokesperson as saying any strike on Iran’s energy facilities would prompt attacks on US and Israeli energy and assets across the region, specifically information technology and desalination facilities. View image in fullscreen A billboard featuring a portrait of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Sunday. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images On Saturday, the US president gave Iran 48 hours – until shortly before midnight GMT on Monday – to open the strait of Hormuz, a vital pathway for the oil flows, or the US would “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants “starting with the biggest one first”. Ali Mousavi, Iran’s representative to the International Maritime Organisation, said on Sunday the strait was open to all shipping except vessels linked to “Iran’s enemies”, with passage possible by coordinating security arrangements with Tehran. Iranian attacks have effectively closed the narrow strait, which carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, causing the world’s worst oil crisis since the 1970s and sending European gas prices surging as much as 35% last week. More than 2,000 people have been killed since 28 February when the US and I...
gorodenkoff Super Micro Computer's ( SMCI ) 33% single-day collapse left a trail of destruction across its options chain — but the data tells a more nuanced story than it might first appear. Super Micro Computer shares closed at $20.53 on Friday, down 33% on the session, after overnight news that individuals linked to the company, including a co-founder, were charged with assisting in the smugglin...
gorodenkoff Super Micro Computer's ( SMCI ) 33% single-day collapse left a trail of destruction across its options chain — but the data tells a more nuanced story than it might first appear. Super Micro Computer shares closed at $20.53 on Friday, down 33% on the session, after overnight news that individuals linked to the company, including a co-founder, were charged with assisting in the smuggling of at least $2.5B worth of AI technology to China. The options chain for the March 27 expiration lays bare the carnage — but reading it carefully reveals two very distinct groups of traders: those who were positioned before the news broke, and those who scrambled to react once it had. The bulls who never saw it coming The most telling evidence of pre-existing bullish positioning sits in the call side's open interest figures. The $31 call carried 21,470 contracts in open interest heading into Friday, while the $33 call had 23,853 — both strikes now sitting so far above the stock price as to be essentially worthless. These were not positions built on Friday. They represent accumulated bullish conviction established over previous sessions, by traders who had no reason to expect what was coming. Friday's session wiped them out almost entirely — the $22 call lost 89% of its value, the $23 call 92%, the $24 call 94%. The puts that look prescient but probably aren't At first glance, the put side appears to tell a more concerning story. The $20 put saw 63,531 contracts traded on Friday, with percentage gains running into four figures across multiple strikes — the $22.50 put gained 5,140%, the $23 put 5,900%. Numbers like that can raise uncomfortable questions about who knew what and when. But a closer look at the data offers a more straightforward explanation. The $20 put shows 63,531 contracts traded against open interest of only 12,340 — a ratio suggesting the overwhelming majority of that volume was opened on Friday itself, after the charges were already public knowledge. This...
imagedepotpro/iStock via Getty Images Co-authored with Hidden Opportunities The financial markets never run out of reasons to stay worried. Through 2025, we have been bombarded with headlines about AI-driven layoffs, the SaaS-pocalypse, evolving trade uncertainties between major economies, and inflation, interest rates, and oil prices. The rapid growth of AI models has created a lot of excitement ...
imagedepotpro/iStock via Getty Images Co-authored with Hidden Opportunities The financial markets never run out of reasons to stay worried. Through 2025, we have been bombarded with headlines about AI-driven layoffs, the SaaS-pocalypse, evolving trade uncertainties between major economies, and inflation, interest rates, and oil prices. The rapid growth of AI models has created a lot of excitement about productivity, but it has also created anxiety about disruption across entire industries. It is not that uncommon to hear the words “AI will eliminate this job.” Despite these concerns taking center stage, something has been quietly happening in the background that deeply benefits income investors. According to a recent analysis by Capital Group, dividend payments (from ~1,600 global companies studied) rose 7% YoY to a record $2.1 trillion. This demonstrates the resilience of corporate cash flows through a rapidly transforming economic environment. The biggest drivers for dividend growth were tech, finance, telecom, infrastructure, real estate, industrials, and pharma, as these companies grew earnings and shared those profits with shareholders. Capital Group For income-focused investors, this highlights an important truth: market narratives may change every few months, and the media will switch to focus on more entertaining topics. These don’t affect the underlying ability of strong businesses to produce cash and pay dividends. And looking ahead to 2026, the outlook remains constructive. Capital Group expects a 5.7% YoY growth to $2.2 trillion, as a result of strengthened balance sheets, improved operational efficiency, and potentially lower interest rates. Today, we will highlight two investments that exemplify the stability of cash flows. Pick #1: VZ – Yield 5.7% Verizon Communications Inc. ( VZ ) is the world’s largest telecom company, with $138.2 billion in total operating revenues in 2025 and 146.7 million total wireless retail connections. The company maintains a...
Sandwish/iStock via Getty Images Overview 2026 has been off to a rough start with market indices declining. Technology stocks are selling off, and volatility is elevated because of rising tensions with Iran, uncertainty around interest rates, and rising unemployment. Historically, debt investments were able to serve as a hedge against periods of market uncertainty. However, the elevated interest r...
Sandwish/iStock via Getty Images Overview 2026 has been off to a rough start with market indices declining. Technology stocks are selling off, and volatility is elevated because of rising tensions with Iran, uncertainty around interest rates, and rising unemployment. Historically, debt investments were able to serve as a hedge against periods of market uncertainty. However, the elevated interest rate environment has created uncertainty within the debt markets as well, causing further deterioration within business development companies. Unfortunately, Barings BDC ( BBDC ) is no exception to these headwinds. While BBDC has remained a bit more resilient than peers, I believe that there may still be downside risks for investors. With the deterioration of the debt markets, BBDC has fallen into the deeper end of its historical price-to-NAV range. BBDC now trades at a discount to NAV of 26.69%, which is much larger than the five-year average discount to NAV of 16.18%. Referring to the red line on the graph below, we can see that BBDC now trades at the more attractive end of its historical range. While this would traditionally be seen as an opportunity to accumulate shares at a discount, I believe the growing discount to NAV valuation is an indication of the challenges that BBDC's portfolio continues to face. CEF Data When I previously covered BBDC, I issued a hold rating due to the solid dividend coverage but lack of growth catalysts. BBDC recently reported its Q4 earnings to end its fiscal year, so I wanted to reassess the overall value proposition through the rest of 2026. The overall health of the portfolio remains strong, but growth potential is limited since interest rates remain elevated. A higher interest rate environment will continue to put pressure on management's ability to invest in new opportunities, which means that NAV growth may be limited. Q4 Earnings According to the latest portfolio overview , BBDC has investments at a fair value of $2.39B that are sprea...
As recently as Friday morning Eddie Howe talked about some results having “bigger consequences than others”. This was most definitely one of them. In completing a Premier League double against Newcastle, Régis Le Bris’s promoted Sunderland surely consigned Howe and his players to one of their most chastening afternoon’s at St James’ Park. Coming four days after their dissection in Barcelona and at...
As recently as Friday morning Eddie Howe talked about some results having “bigger consequences than others”. This was most definitely one of them. In completing a Premier League double against Newcastle, Régis Le Bris’s promoted Sunderland surely consigned Howe and his players to one of their most chastening afternoon’s at St James’ Park. Coming four days after their dissection in Barcelona and at the hands of a seriously under-strength Sunderland it is no exaggeration to say that one of Le Bris’s biggest triumphs of an outstanding season represented a disaster for Howe. “Welcome to the region’s capital,” declared a banner in the Gallowgate End but it did not take too long until Luke O’Nien’s visit to Tyneside took a turn for the worst. When O’Nien, operating at centre-half in place of the hamstrung Dan Ballard, attempted to play out from the back, he succeeded merely in passing straight to Nick Woltemade. The Germany striker, deployed, once again, in midfield here, responded by nudging the ball to Anthony Gordon whose eventual shot left Le Bris’s second choice goalkeeper, Melker Ellborg, with no hope of a save. View image in fullscreen Anthony Gordon takes advantage to slot home and open the scoring for Newcastle. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Ed Sykes/Apl/Sportsphoto With only nine minutes on the clock poor O’Nien had self destructed but, creditably, he and Sunderland galvanised themselves impressively. When Granit Xhaka’s pass bisected Howe’s backline Aaron Ramsdale did very well to tip Chemsdine Talbi’s swerving shot off it’s apparently inexorable course towards the top corner. If that was a fine save, Ellborg, had, bar picking the ball out of his net, relatively little to do. Given that two of Le Bris’s first choice defenders – the recently injured Nordi Mukiele and Reinildo – were judged only fit enough for the bench, the visitors were coping with Howe’s attack surprisingly well. Although Anthony Elanga directed a decent chance into the side netting,...
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said US-Israeli attacks on Iran are aimed at destroying its fortifications along the Strait of Hormuz while Iranian leaders face a Monday deadline from President Donald Trump to reopen the waterway. Trump will “take whatever steps it takes” to achieve stated US goals including destroying Iran’s air force and navy, denying it the ability to have nuclear weapons and ...
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said US-Israeli attacks on Iran are aimed at destroying its fortifications along the Strait of Hormuz while Iranian leaders face a Monday deadline from President Donald Trump to reopen the waterway. Trump will “take whatever steps it takes” to achieve stated US goals including destroying Iran’s air force and navy, denying it the ability to have nuclear weapons and “their ability to project power internationally,” Bessent said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. Bessent’s comments, combined with Trump’s demand Saturday that Iran “fully open, without threat” the strait, were a signal of resolve as spiking oil and gasoline prices put domestic pressure on the administration in a midterm election year. “There has been a campaign to the using military assets to soften up the Iranian fortifications along the strait that’s going to continue until they are completely demolished,” Bessent said. “Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate.” With the war in its fourth week, elevated crude prices are rippling through the economy. The average US price of a gallon of regular gasoline is 34% higher than a month ago, according to the American Automobile Association . United Airlines Holdings Inc. Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby warned last week of $175 oil prices that would dramatically drive up jet-fuel costs. Read More: Trump And Iran Trade War Threats With Hormuz Crisis Building Trump and his top aides argue that temporarily higher prices are worth the goal of eliminating the long-term threat from Iran. “Let’s just pick 50 days of temporary elevated prices,” Bessent told NBC. “Prices will come off on the other side for 50 years of not having an Iranian regime with a nuclear weapon.” Asked about the timeline for oil prices to recede, he clarified that “I don’t know whether it’s going to be 50 days. I don’t know whether it’s going to be a hundred days.”
da-kuk/E+ via Getty Images I have never been much of a fan of the automotive industry more broadly. However, I do think that some companies that cater to the space, such as those that offer aftermarket parts, are interesting and offer attractive opportunities. Case in point, we need only look at Standard Motor Products ( SMP ), an enterprise that offers certain aftermarket parts for vehicles, not ...
da-kuk/E+ via Getty Images I have never been much of a fan of the automotive industry more broadly. However, I do think that some companies that cater to the space, such as those that offer aftermarket parts, are interesting and offer attractive opportunities. Case in point, we need only look at Standard Motor Products ( SMP ), an enterprise that offers certain aftermarket parts for vehicles, not to mention other solutions. In the past, I have been bullish about the company, especially in light of how cheap the stock is. It does appear to be growing across the board, not only through acquisitions but through organic means as well. And since I last called it a ‘buy’ candidate back in December of last year, the stock has outperformed the market a bit, dipping only 1.1% while the S&P 500 is down 1.5%. Looking at the picture today, I see a business that continues to experience mixed financial performance. The good news is that at least revenue is rising consistently. Compared to other companies that have similarities to it, it is certainly cheap. And with broader economic conditions likely to deteriorate, not to mention a bit of a decline in used car inventories, I would say that the enterprise justifies maintaining the ‘buy’ rating that I assigned it. I’m Still on This Ride According to the management team at Standard Motor Products, the company is a player in the automotive aftermarket industry. It sells to its customer base a wide array of offerings under multiple brand names, including Standard, Blue Streak, LockSmart, Everco, Nissens, Hayden Automotive, and more. These products fall under the vehicle control, temperature control, and other similar categories. Plus, the company also resells, under private labels, certain vehicle control products such as NAPA Echlin and NAPA Belden. Author - SEC EDGAR Data Since my previous article about the company, investors have only been given data covering a single additional operating quarter. During that time , revenue for the...
The 1980s brought us so many terrific films, including director Russell Mulcahy's sword-and-sorcery fantasy action film Highlander , starring Christopher Lambert as an immortal Scotsman who must battle others like him to the death until just one remains. The film spawned two direct sequels and two TV series (one live action, one animated), and a planned reboot has been kicking around Hollywood sin...
The 1980s brought us so many terrific films, including director Russell Mulcahy's sword-and-sorcery fantasy action film Highlander , starring Christopher Lambert as an immortal Scotsman who must battle others like him to the death until just one remains. The film spawned two direct sequels and two TV series (one live action, one animated), and a planned reboot has been kicking around Hollywood since 2008. But the original still stands tall as the best of the bunch, 40 years later. (Spoilers below because it's been 40 years.) Screenwriter Gregory Widen was a college student at UCLA when he wrote the first draft of what would become Highlander for a screenwriting class. It was originally entitled Shadow Clan and partially inspired by Ridley Scott's 1977 film about two swordsmen engaged in a longstanding feud ( The Duelists ). Combine that with Widen's visits to Scotland and the Tower of London, with its impressive display of historical armor, and Widen had all he needed for his tale of dueling Immortals secretly living among us. He sold that first draft for $200,000—a princely sum for a college student—and a few revisions later, Highlander was ready for filming. Read full article Comments
Action cinema of the 1980s was a podium where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone fought over gold and silver position. Bronze belonged indisputably to Chuck Norris, who has died aged 86. The premature death of Bruce Lee in 1973 had left a vacancy for a martial arts movie superstar that was eventually filled to some extent by Norris, Lee’s friend and colleague. He had made an early screen...
Action cinema of the 1980s was a podium where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone fought over gold and silver position. Bronze belonged indisputably to Chuck Norris, who has died aged 86. The premature death of Bruce Lee in 1973 had left a vacancy for a martial arts movie superstar that was eventually filled to some extent by Norris, Lee’s friend and colleague. He had made an early screen appearance battling Lee in high-kicking combat sequences, which the pair choreographed together, in The Way of the Dragon (1972). Both men were trained fighters, so there was no call for stunt doubles or the obfuscating frenzy of quick cuts; their face-offs were filmed in medium and wide shots to preserve the sense of integrity. A six-time world middleweight karate champion who retired undefeated in 1974, Norris ran his own chain of karate schools. One of his celebrity pupils, the actor Steve McQueen, encouraged him to pursue a screen career. View image in fullscreen Norris, left, with Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon, 1972. Photograph: Screen Archives/Getty Images Norris developed a sizable following in the 80s as the star of gung-ho hits including Lone Wolf McQuade (1983), Missing in Action (1984) and Invasion USA (1985). Violent and explosive they may have been, but the star insisted on the philosophy behind them. “I don’t initiate violence, I retaliate,” he said. “In my films, I’m forced into a situation that I must cope with.” He saw himself as a one-man corrective to prevailing trends. “The movie industry is in dire need of this kind of image on screen after the antiheroes of the 1960s and 70s who were advocating the use of drugs and who were detrimental to society … I’ll never play a drug addict or an alcoholic.” Norris called himself “a real flag waver, a big Ronald Reagan fan”, and his movies mixed combat with conservatism. Missing in Action, one of numerous 80s movies that re-fought the Vietnam war after the fact, ends with the hero shaming politicians, who hav...
Alina Rudya/Bell Collective/DigitalVision via Getty Images Nvidia ( NVDA ) stock, which is down by -8.5% since my last analysis of the company, is operating within a market where participants are wondering, "Will this last forever?" Nothing lasts forever, but God, I have an inkling AI will last a very, very long time. Expecting Nvidia to become a non-cyclical investment definitively might be askin...
Alina Rudya/Bell Collective/DigitalVision via Getty Images Nvidia ( NVDA ) stock, which is down by -8.5% since my last analysis of the company, is operating within a market where participants are wondering, "Will this last forever?" Nothing lasts forever, but God, I have an inkling AI will last a very, very long time. Expecting Nvidia to become a non-cyclical investment definitively might be asking too much, but it's credible to believe that the AI supercycle will emerge in waves of overlapping intensity, rather than strict booms and busts. We all know AI demand is real; Nvidia posted data center revenue in FY26 of $193.7B, which is up +68% year-over-year, but the question keeping AI-semi valuations contained is just how durable this demand is. Why The Fear Is Misplaced Microsoft ( MSFT ) now runs 400+ data centers across 70 regions, while adding 2 GW of new capacity amid Azure surpassing $75B of revenue. Meta ( META ) spent $72.2B of capex in 2025, and is guiding for $115-135B for 2026. Alphabet ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) spent $91.4B of capex in 2025 and guides $175-185B in 2026. Amazon ( AMZN ) expects about $200B in 2026 capex. I admit, I've posited intensely whether AI is a bubble. Even the leaders at Big Tech companies have posited that AI could be a bubble: “This [AI] is a kind of industrial bubble.” — Jeff Bezos , Founder of Amazon “I think no company is going to be immune [from the AI bubble], including us.” — Sundar Pichai , CEO of Google But from first principles, I keep wondering to myself, "Is AI a bubble and gold a structural hedge, or is gold a bubble and AI a macroeconomic salve?" I think many portfolio managers are wondering the same thing, and many have opted to own both classes of assets "just in case." I also think Bezos and Pichai may have changed their minds since they made those statements months ago. I guess there's nothing wrong with having insurance. However, I wouldn't want a big bulk of my asset worth to be in insurance positions, especially if t...
Alina Rudya/Bell Collective/DigitalVision via Getty Images Nvidia ( NVDA ) stock, which is down by -8.5% since my last analysis of the company, is operating within a market where participants are wondering, "Will this last forever?" Nothing lasts forever, but God, I have an inkling AI will last a very, very long time. Expecting Nvidia to become a non-cyclical investment definitively might be askin...
Alina Rudya/Bell Collective/DigitalVision via Getty Images Nvidia ( NVDA ) stock, which is down by -8.5% since my last analysis of the company, is operating within a market where participants are wondering, "Will this last forever?" Nothing lasts forever, but God, I have an inkling AI will last a very, very long time. Expecting Nvidia to become a non-cyclical investment definitively might be asking too much, but it's credible to believe that the AI supercycle will emerge in waves of overlapping intensity, rather than strict booms and busts. We all know AI demand is real; Nvidia posted data center revenue in FY26 of $193.7B, which is up +68% year-over-year, but the question keeping AI-semi valuations contained is just how durable this demand is. Why The Fear Is Misplaced Microsoft ( MSFT ) now runs 400+ data centers across 70 regions, while adding 2 GW of new capacity amid Azure surpassing $75B of revenue. Meta ( META ) spent $72.2B of capex in 2025, and is guiding for $115-135B for 2026. Alphabet ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) spent $91.4B of capex in 2025 and guides $175-185B in 2026. Amazon ( AMZN ) expects about $200B in 2026 capex. I admit, I've posited intensely whether AI is a bubble. Even the leaders at Big Tech companies have posited that AI could be a bubble: “This [AI] is a kind of industrial bubble.” — Jeff Bezos , Founder of Amazon “I think no company is going to be immune [from the AI bubble], including us.” — Sundar Pichai , CEO of Google But from first principles, I keep wondering to myself, "Is AI a bubble and gold a structural hedge, or is gold a bubble and AI a macroeconomic salve?" I think many portfolio managers are wondering the same thing, and many have opted to own both classes of assets "just in case." I also think Bezos and Pichai may have changed their minds since they made those statements months ago. I guess there's nothing wrong with having insurance. However, I wouldn't want a big bulk of my asset worth to be in insurance positions, especially if t...
Newcastle's match with Sunderland was paused early in the second half because of reports of discriminatory abuse from the crowd towards Sunderland player Lutsharel Geertruida. Referee Anthony Taylor briefly stopped the Premier League match for three minutes in line with the competition's on-field anti-discrimination protocol., external In the 52nd minute, with play already stopped as Newcastle pla...
Newcastle's match with Sunderland was paused early in the second half because of reports of discriminatory abuse from the crowd towards Sunderland player Lutsharel Geertruida. Referee Anthony Taylor briefly stopped the Premier League match for three minutes in line with the competition's on-field anti-discrimination protocol., external In the 52nd minute, with play already stopped as Newcastle player Sven Botman was receiving treatment, Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka ran over to speak to Taylor. Moments later Taylor spoke to both sets of coaching staff, Geertruida and Xhaka before restarting the game. The Premier League has said the incident will be fully investigated. Sunderland boss Regis le Bris, said: "He [Lutsharel Geertruida] looks OK. It is unacceptable and important to report and manage the situation properly. He looks OK, but we need to support him." While Newcastle's Eddie Howe added: "We don't condone racism in any form and the club will investigate." The season-opening Premier League game between Liverpool and Bournemouth in August was stopped after then Cherries forward Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused by someone in the Anfield crowd. Newcastle were leading their Tyne-Wear rivals 1-0 at the time, although the match ultimately finished 2-1 to Sunderland thanks to Brian Brobbey's late winner.