A Pakistan-flagged tanker that entered the Persian Gulf over the weekend has become the first carrier to exit through the Strait of Hormuz with a crude cargo since a US blockade began on Monday, underscoring just how limited traffic through the vital chokepoint remains. The Shalamar sailed just south of Iran’s Larak island and out into the Gulf of Oman late Thursday with around 450,000 barrels of ...
A Pakistan-flagged tanker that entered the Persian Gulf over the weekend has become the first carrier to exit through the Strait of Hormuz with a crude cargo since a US blockade began on Monday, underscoring just how limited traffic through the vital chokepoint remains. The Shalamar sailed just south of Iran’s Larak island and out into the Gulf of Oman late Thursday with around 450,000 barrels of crude loaded at Das Island in the United Arab Emirates, according to ship-tracking data. The Aframax tanker, only half full, is signaling Karachi as its destination. Transits through the narrow waterway have been mostly in single digits since US and Israeli strikes began at the end of February and, after a weekend spike , they have returned to those low levels. A US Navy blockade now requires shipowners to clear both Iranian and American authorities in order to move oil and other goods from the Persian Gulf to the world. Though a trio of supertankers laden with non-Iranian crude made it out last week, few others with such cargoes have crossed Hormuz over the past seven weeks, even before US warships closed in. Even with apparent clearance from Iran for some Pakistan vessels, that makes the Shalamar’s crossing — after just days in the Gulf — even more unusual. Until the latest US maneuver, Iran’s own fleet had continued to trickle through, transporting nearly 1.7 million barrels per day of crude exports in March. That flow has now largely stopped as both sides consider a fresh round of negotiations. Shalamar first attempted to cross Hormuz into the Persian Gulf on Sunday, but it u-turned as peace talks between Iran and the US broke down. It made the passage a few hours later, headed for the UAE’s Das Island. Then came a US blockade of Iran’s coastline — announced by President Donald Trump and in effect from Monday — leaving shipowners to reassess the risks of any crossing. Shalamar began to head east on Thursday and is currently in Gulf of Oman heading into the Arabian Sea. ...
Earnings Call Insights: Lakeland Industries (LAKE) Q4 fiscal 2026 Management view “For the full year, net sales increased $25.4 million or 15.2% to $192.6 million, driven by continued strength in fire services,” and “we grew revenue at a strong rate, but we did not convert that growth into the earnings we expected,” said (President, CEO & Executive Chairman James Jenkins), adding, “we view this as...
Earnings Call Insights: Lakeland Industries (LAKE) Q4 fiscal 2026 Management view “For the full year, net sales increased $25.4 million or 15.2% to $192.6 million, driven by continued strength in fire services,” and “we grew revenue at a strong rate, but we did not convert that growth into the earnings we expected,” said (President, CEO & Executive Chairman James Jenkins), adding, “we view this as an execution issue, not a demand issue.” Jenkins highlighted balance-sheet and portfolio actions, including, “Subsequent to the fiscal year-end, we completed the divestiture of our HP and high dense product lines into national safety apparel, generating approximately $14 million of cash proceeds,” and said the company is also “working to further strengthen liquidity and flexibility through our pending ABL facility, which we expect to close soon although there can be no assurance.” Jenkins positioned NFPA certifications as a commercial catalyst, saying, “we achieved a significant milestone with numerous NFPA 1970:2025 certifications across our brand portfolio,” which “enable customers to order from a complete head-to-toe NFPA certified range of products across Lakeland's brands.” (CFO & Secretary J. Swinea) said Q4 results included “net loss was $6.2 million or $0.61 per diluted share,” “adjusted gross margin was 33.5% in Q4 compared to 42.4%,” and “Adjusted EBITDA, excluding FX, was approximately $1.3 million,” while emphasizing the driver: “The key driver of the year-over-year adjusted EBITDA decline was gross profit compression not expense growth.” (Chief Revenue Officer – Fire Barry Phillips) called out scale and mix shift in Fire, saying, “For the full year, fire service revenue grew $30.6 million or 48.6% to $93.6 million,” and “we have the strongest backlog in Lakeland Fire's history.” Outlook Jenkins provided fiscal 2027 “goalposts,” stating, “we believe fiscal 2027 will see high single-digit revenue growth and a clear line of sight to positive cash flow from operat...
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons, a key executor of President Donald Trump's mass deportations agenda, will resign at the end of May, federal officials announced. (Image credit: Tom Brenner)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons, a key executor of President Donald Trump's mass deportations agenda, will resign at the end of May, federal officials announced. (Image credit: Tom Brenner)
MOZCO Mateusz Szymanski/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I may have underestimated Uber ( UBER ) and its long-term profit potential. The stock has not been immune to recent AI-driven volatility, yet I expect it to be a big AI winner. The company is already driving strong operating leverage, and I expect further strength as AI rapidly improves. I remain of the view that autonomous vehicles represe...
MOZCO Mateusz Szymanski/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I may have underestimated Uber ( UBER ) and its long-term profit potential. The stock has not been immune to recent AI-driven volatility, yet I expect it to be a big AI winner. The company is already driving strong operating leverage, and I expect further strength as AI rapidly improves. I remain of the view that autonomous vehicles represent an important long-term threat, yet acknowledge that they may help increase the size of the market. I am upgrading UBER to a "B uy" rating. UBER Stock Price I last covered UBER in January , where I recommended avoiding the stock based on the valuation and my pessimistic view of the future of autonomous vehicles. The stock has fallen around 6% since. Data by YCharts The company’s continued strong results and lower valuation, as well as my growing anticipation of AI-driven efficiencies, have led to an upgrade. UBER Stock Key Metrics UBER is a ridesharing, or more specifically, delivery company. The company has built a sticky platform for ridesharing and food delivery from which it aims to expand its addressable markets. In the most recent quarter, UBER generated 19% YoY revenue growth to $14.4 billion. It is incredible that the company has been able to sustain such aggressive growth rates even this many years after the pandemic. At this point, it is clear that the gig economy is here to stay. 2025 Q4 Presentation The company generated 35% YoY growth in adjusted EBITDA as margins expanded 40 bps. 2025 Q4 Presentation The company was profitable on a GAAP basis for the quarter and full-year, generating an impressive 41.7% and 34.4% GAAP incremental operating margin for the quarter and year, respectively. 2025 Q4 Press Release Ridesharing remains a key part of the business and showed rapid growth in the quarter, with revenue jumping 18% YoY. 2025 Q4 Presentation Delivery grew at a faster 29% YoY rate but still has room to the upside in terms of profitability, with adjusted EBIT...
Artificial intelligence (AI) investors are notorious for seeking stocks with maximum upside potential. They want the best stocks possible to capitalize on this generational revolution, and there are several that appear to be set to make a fortune for investors. One of the more popular picks is SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) . It has huge upside potential for a few reasons, but it checks the most imp...
Artificial intelligence (AI) investors are notorious for seeking stocks with maximum upside potential. They want the best stocks possible to capitalize on this generational revolution, and there are several that appear to be set to make a fortune for investors. One of the more popular picks is SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) . It has huge upside potential for a few reasons, but it checks the most important box of all: size. It has a market cap of just $2.7 billion, so it could easily become a 10-bagger in a relatively short time frame if it sees serious top- and bottom-line growth. Is it the ultimate pick for maximum upside among AI stocks? Or should investors be worried about it, considering that it's down 70% from the all-time high it touched in December 2024? Continue reading
undefined China recorded a $53.2 billion net outflow in portfolio investment in March, the largest in eight months, as the U.S.-Iran conflict fueled global market volatility. The outflow, based on client transactions handled by domestic banks and compiled by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), underscores how Middle East tensions are rippling through Asian markets. China’s benchma...
undefined China recorded a $53.2 billion net outflow in portfolio investment in March, the largest in eight months, as the U.S.-Iran conflict fueled global market volatility. The outflow, based on client transactions handled by domestic banks and compiled by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), underscores how Middle East tensions are rippling through Asian markets. China’s benchmark CSI 300 Index fell more than 7% in March, while overseas investors’ holdings of yuan-denominated bonds dropped by $134.2 billion. China’s Biggest Net Portfolio Outflow in Eight Months A SAFE spokesperson said portfolio flows fluctuated with global market moves and have gradually stabilized since April.
filo Alcoa ( AA ) is in advanced talks to sell its inactive Messina East smelter location for a "data center project. During the company's latest earnings conference call , management indicated that while a final valuation has not been disclosed, the project is moving through the necessary public review channels. This divestiture is part of a broader effort by the aluminum giant to clean up its ba...
filo Alcoa ( AA ) is in advanced talks to sell its inactive Messina East smelter location for a "data center project. During the company's latest earnings conference call , management indicated that while a final valuation has not been disclosed, the project is moving through the necessary public review channels. This divestiture is part of a broader effort by the aluminum giant to clean up its balance sheet and capitalize on the high demand for data center land, with CEO William Oplinger noting that similar "progress" is being made on two other legacy properties. More on Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (AA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Alcoa Can See Tailwinds Driven By Geopolitical Risk Alcoa Has A Lot Going For It That Justifies Further Upside Alcoa anticipates $135M 2026 interest expense while environmental and ARO payments rise to about $360M Alcoa Non-GAAP EPS of $1.40 misses by $0.15, revenue of $3.19B misses by $80M