Hong Kong authorities will offer sweeteners of about HK$22 billion (US$2.8 billion) to residents and businesses, up from HK$7.8 billion last year, as public coffers are set to pivot from a deficit to a surplus. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Wednesday announced a raft of tax concessions and allowances in his annual budget, almost three times what was offered last year. “Hong Kong’s economy...
Hong Kong authorities will offer sweeteners of about HK$22 billion (US$2.8 billion) to residents and businesses, up from HK$7.8 billion last year, as public coffers are set to pivot from a deficit to a surplus. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Wednesday announced a raft of tax concessions and allowances in his annual budget, almost three times what was offered last year. “Hong Kong’s economy shows steady and stable progress, but there are still imbalances and insufficiencies during...
Details emerge after struggling carmaker reports pre-tax losses of £363.9m for 2025 The luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda is to cut its workforce by 20% as it looks to save about £40m after reporting widening losses. The group, which said earlier this month it was consulting on the latest redundancy programme, said it would reduce its workforce by up to a fifth after action at the start of last...
Details emerge after struggling carmaker reports pre-tax losses of £363.9m for 2025 The luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda is to cut its workforce by 20% as it looks to save about £40m after reporting widening losses. The group, which said earlier this month it was consulting on the latest redundancy programme, said it would reduce its workforce by up to a fifth after action at the start of last year that cut 170 jobs. Continue reading...
Sakkawokkie/iStock Editorial via Getty Images As the stock market continues to digest the "SaaSpocalypse" and sharply sells off all stocks that are tech-related, investors continue to seek "AI-proof" companies to invest in. But despite being a relatively low-tech and arguably very enduring business, shares of Planet Fitness ( PLNT ) have also declined sharply this year. Down ~25% since the start o...
Sakkawokkie/iStock Editorial via Getty Images As the stock market continues to digest the "SaaSpocalypse" and sharply sells off all stocks that are tech-related, investors continue to seek "AI-proof" companies to invest in. But despite being a relatively low-tech and arguably very enduring business, shares of Planet Fitness ( PLNT ) have also declined sharply this year. Down ~25% since the start of January alone despite strong quarterly results, it's a great time for investors to review the bull case in this company, especially after the company's latest Q4 results brought the stock down ~10%. Data by YCharts I last wrote a buy article on Planet Fitness in November, when the stock was trading around $110 per share. While I certainly acknowledge that the timing of my buy call was premature, I see no immediate red flags that warrant a huge selloff at all in the stock. Given the company's recent announcement of an enlarged and accelerated buyback program and an even more reasonable valuation against 2026 targets, I'm reiterating my buy rating on this name. In my view, there are a number of bullish catalysts here that investors may be missing when it comes to Planet Fitness. To me, the core reasons to remain long on the company are: Planet Fitness' same-club sales growth is healthy, driven by price increases. Last year's price increase on the Classic membership (from $10 to $15 per month) not only boosted average membership dues but also pushed more people into the higher-tier Black Card membership. This year, Planet Fitness is planning a price increase on its Black Card, further fueling same-club sales growth. Strong retention rates. Even amid price increases, the company has noted very strong membership retention, in part due to new features that the company is rolling out for its Black Card members (such as the Black Card Spa that is now live in many Planet Fitness gyms). Highly profitable equipment sales. As a reminder, franchisees are required to purchase equipment...
FREDERICA ABAN/iStock via Getty Images Investment objective The fund seeks capital appreciation. Click to enlarge Fund facts Fund AUM ($M) 11,435.84 Click to enlarge Portfolio managers Mani Govil, Benjamin Ram Click to enlarge Manager perspective and outlook US equities advanced in the fourth quarter despite renewed volatility amid economic crosscurrents and seemingly mixed investor sentiment towa...
FREDERICA ABAN/iStock via Getty Images Investment objective The fund seeks capital appreciation. Click to enlarge Fund facts Fund AUM ($M) 11,435.84 Click to enlarge Portfolio managers Mani Govil, Benjamin Ram Click to enlarge Manager perspective and outlook US equities advanced in the fourth quarter despite renewed volatility amid economic crosscurrents and seemingly mixed investor sentiment toward artificial intelligence (AI) valuations. The US government shutdown appeared to weigh on confidence as key economic data releases were delayed. Once released, the initial third quarter GDP estimate showed robust 4.3% growth. Labor market conditions softened as November’s jobs report showed weaker non-farm payrolls and unemployment rose to 4.6%, a four-year high. Consumer spending remained resilient but showed strain among lower income households. Inflation moderated but November’s 2.7% headline CPI remained above the Fed’s 2% target. The Fed cut the federal funds rate twice during the quarter, signaling a cautious shift toward easing while emphasizing its commitment to balance inflation pressures with growing labor market risks. Despite the mid-quarter volatility spike, strong corporate earnings and Fed rate cuts fueled equity gains. The S&P 500 Index returned 2.66% for the quarter. The health care and communication services sectors outperformed, while real estate and utilities lagged. Regardless of market sentiment and near-term economic trends, our investment process favors better-managed companies with strong competitive positioning. We seek to outperform through stock selection while keeping top-down macro, factor and sector exposures similar to the index. Top issuers (% of total market value) Fund Index NVIDIA Corp ( NVDA ) 8.90 7.76 Microsoft Corp ( MSFT ) 7.70 6.15 Alphabet Inc ( GOOGL ) 6.90 5.61 Apple Inc ( AAPL ) 6.56 6.87 Amazon.com Inc ( AMZN ) 4.66 3.84 Meta Platforms Inc ( META ) 3.99 2.46 Broadcom Inc ( AVGO ) 3.35 2.80 JPMorgan Chase & Co ( JPM ) 2.97 1.5...
Is Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) stock a buy? Crunching the numbers last month, I concluded that Rigetti stock probably is not a buy , at least not in the short term, because a lack of new sales announcements of quantum computing systems implies the stock probably missed earnings in the fourth quarter. (We'll find out whether I was right about that in just a couple of weeks, when Rigetti report...
Is Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) stock a buy? Crunching the numbers last month, I concluded that Rigetti stock probably is not a buy , at least not in the short term, because a lack of new sales announcements of quantum computing systems implies the stock probably missed earnings in the fourth quarter. (We'll find out whether I was right about that in just a couple of weeks, when Rigetti reports its Q4 results on March 4.) Continue reading