A record number of 11 candidates in Portugal’s coming presidential election kicked off their campaigns on Sunday. The official two-week campaign period preceding the January 18 election will see the contenders competing to capture voters’ support. However, the broad field makes it unlikely that any candidate will capture more than 50 per cent of the vote, leaving the two top candidates to compete ...
A record number of 11 candidates in Portugal’s coming presidential election kicked off their campaigns on Sunday. The official two-week campaign period preceding the January 18 election will see the contenders competing to capture voters’ support. However, the broad field makes it unlikely that any candidate will capture more than 50 per cent of the vote, leaving the two top candidates to compete in a run-off ballot on February 8. Among the front runners, according to recent opinion polls, are the candidates from the country’s two main parties that have alternated in power for the past 50 years – Luís Marques Mendes from the centre-right Social Democratic Party, currently in government, and António José Seguro of the centre-left Socialist Party. Advertisement They are expected to face strong challenges from André Ventura, the leader of the populist anti-immigration Chega party, whose surge in support made it the second largest party in Portugal’s Parliament last year, and Henrique Gouveia e Melo, a retired rear admiral running as an independent who won public acclaim for overseeing the speedy roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. In Portugal, the president is largely a figurehead with no executive power. Mostly, the head of state aims to stand above the political fray, refereeing disputes to defuse tensions. However, the president also possesses powerful tools, being able to veto legislation from Parliament, although the veto can be overturned, as well as dissolve Parliament and call for snap elections. Advertisement After Portugal’s third general election in three years in May, its worst spell of political instability for decades, the next head of state is likely to encourage compromises. But the next occupant of the president’s riverside “pink palace” in Lisbon is likely to have to rule on some hot-button matters.
Sandisk led the S&P 500 higher last year as the artificial intelligence boom drove strong demand for data storage solutions. Sandisk (SNDK +15.95%) led the S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.19%) higher in 2025. Its share price increased 559% following its spin-off from Western Digital (WDC +8.96%) during the first quarter. Interestingly, Western Digital and Micron Technology (MU +10.52%) ranked second and third, ...
Sandisk led the S&P 500 higher last year as the artificial intelligence boom drove strong demand for data storage solutions. Sandisk (SNDK +15.95%) led the S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.19%) higher in 2025. Its share price increased 559% following its spin-off from Western Digital (WDC +8.96%) during the first quarter. Interestingly, Western Digital and Micron Technology (MU +10.52%) ranked second and third, their shares increasing 282% and 239%, respectively. The common thread is artificial intelligence. All three companies provide data storage and memory products, and demand has been quite robust due to the buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure. History says Sandisk could have another big year in 2026. Here's what investors should know. History says Sandisk could soar in 2026 Interestingly, the top-performing stock in the S&P 500 in any given year has often generated strong returns in the next year too. For instance, Palantir Technologies stock led the S&P 500 in 2024 with its 341% gain, and it followed that with a 135% gain in 2025. The chart below lists the top-performing stock in the S&P 500 in each of the last 10 years, and it details how those stocks performed in the next year. Advertisement Year Top S&P 500 Stock Return (Next Year) 2015 Netflix 8% 2016 Nvidia 81% 2017 NRG Energy 39% 2018 AMD 148% 2019 AMD 100% 2020 Tesla 50% 2021 Devon Energy 40% 2022 Occidental Petroleum (5%) 2023 Nvidia 180% 2024 Palantir 135% Average 78% As shown above, the top stock in the S&P 500 in any given year has returned an average of 78% in the next year. In other words, based on the last decade, history says Sandisk stock will advance 78% in 2026. Of course, how the stock actually performs depends on financial fundamentals and market sentiment. Expand NASDAQ : SNDK Sandisk Today's Change ( 15.95 %) $ 37.86 Current Price $ 275.24 Key Data Points Market Cap $40B Day's Range $ 244.00 - $ 275.80 52wk Range $ 27.89 - $ 284.76 Volume 11M Avg Vol 11M Gross Margin 29.33 % Sandisk is ga...
Key Points The changing of the calendar means that Social Security's 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) has gone into effect. Social Security's 2026 raise resulted in an event that hasn't been observed in almost three decades. However, rising expenses may offset some or all of this year's COLA for tens of millions of beneficiaries. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely over...
Key Points The changing of the calendar means that Social Security's 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) has gone into effect. Social Security's 2026 raise resulted in an event that hasn't been observed in almost three decades. However, rising expenses may offset some or all of this year's COLA for tens of millions of beneficiaries. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › For many of the more than 70 million Americans who receive a monthly Social Security benefit, their payout isn't a luxury -- it's a necessity. For 24 years, pollster Gallup has been surveying retirees annually to determine how reliant they are on the income they receive from Social Security. Gallup has consistently found that 80% to 90% of respondents require their Social Security payout, to some degree, to cover their expenses. Knowing how much they'll receive each month is vital to the financial well-being of aged beneficiaries. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » The good news for these traditional Social Security recipients -- retired workers, survivors of deceased workers, and workers with disabilities -- is that turning the page to a new year means a higher nominal monthly benefit check is headed their way. While this above-average increase is bound to put smiles on the faces of beneficiaries, the 2026 raise they're receiving is a double-edged sword for most recipients. Monthly Social Security benefits just increased in historic fashion On a near-annual basis, Social Security payouts are adjusted to account for the effects of inflation (rising prices) that beneficiaries are facing. This increase in benefits is known as the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Since 1975, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) has been the inflation measuring stick the Social Security Administration (SSA) has relied upon to calculate the program's...
The third year of the bull market on Wall Street didn't disappoint. The iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) , broad-based S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , and tech stock-dependent Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) , respectively gained 13% 16%, and 20%, with all three indexes notching several record-closing highs. Seeing the stock market deliver for investors is nothing new. Rough...
The third year of the bull market on Wall Street didn't disappoint. The iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) , broad-based S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , and tech stock-dependent Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) , respectively gained 13% 16%, and 20%, with all three indexes notching several record-closing highs. Seeing the stock market deliver for investors is nothing new. Roughly 15 of the last 16 years have been spent in a bull market, with stocks outperforming all other asset classes, in terms of annualized return, over the last century. But this doesn't guarantee that 2026 will lead to an encore performance for Wall Street's three major stock indexes. Headwinds have been mounting, ranging from valuation-based concerns to the potential impact of President Donald Trump's tariff and trade policy on America's economy. However, it's the stock market's historically stabilizing force, the Federal Reserve , that may prove to be Wall Street's ticking time bomb in the new year. Continue reading
此刻,我们在远方一起为梅京哀悼 梅京离去的地方Hospice House in Lincoln MA。 2026年1月4日清晨,我还在意大利的贝纳文托小镇盘桓,接到北京“发小”梅燕转来的微信:“梅京元旦清晨随飞雪去了远方。”“那里只有美好,没有病痛。愿他安息。”发信人是他的妻子黄频频。 早知梅京罹患前列腺癌而且久治未愈,我听噩耗并不很惊讶,反觉些许慰藉。许久,才有一种很深的悲哀漫上心来。 梅京是我...
此刻,我们在远方一起为梅京哀悼 梅京离去的地方Hospice House in Lincoln MA。 2026年1月4日清晨,我还在意大利的贝纳文托小镇盘桓,接到北京“发小”梅燕转来的微信:“梅京元旦清晨随飞雪去了远方。”“那里只有美好,没有病痛。愿他安息。”发信人是他的妻子黄频频。 早知梅京罹患前列腺癌而且久治未愈,我听噩耗并不很惊讶,反觉些许慰藉。许久,才有一种很深的悲哀漫上心来。 梅京是我的中学学长,相识已60年。他年少即有志,博学知史,在101中学校园里很有名。听说他12岁时就曾给吴晗写信,指出后者关于明史的一处错误。吴晗以为笔者一定是位老先生。后经与梅益打听,方得知是其尚读小学的幼子,大惊之下,破格吸收其为北京历史学会会员,并赠阅了一批自己主编、由中华书局出版的《中国历史小丛书》。