jittawit.21/iStock via Getty Images By James Picerno Private credit has gone from a niche backwater to an increasingly mainstream allocation, but investors are discovering that its headline attraction - lofty yields - may come with real, often underappreciated, risk. Minds have become more focused on the risk aspect lately as questions about the viability of the market come under critical scrutiny...
jittawit.21/iStock via Getty Images By James Picerno Private credit has gone from a niche backwater to an increasingly mainstream allocation, but investors are discovering that its headline attraction - lofty yields - may come with real, often underappreciated, risk. Minds have become more focused on the risk aspect lately as questions about the viability of the market come under critical scrutiny. In years past, worries about private credit could be ignored by most investors, but the industry for lending by private equity firms has boomed, especially in the post-pandemic years. Critics are now asking whether this former backwater is becoming too big to fail and poses a threat to the wider economy. The value of debt financing beyond conventional borrowing channels (banks and the bond market) in the US was $1.34 trillion in 2024, roughly five times higher than in 2009, according to the Federal Reserve . Some estimates now peg the figure above $3 trillion-plus in 2026. A Boom That’s Finally Drawing Scrutiny Few observers saw the growth of alternative lending sources as a problem until recently, when investor redemptions began rising sharply, persuading some managers to limit withdrawals. One trigger for turning cautious on private credit is the industry’s hefty lending to software companies, which have come under pressure lately on the view that Artificial Intelligence threatens their business models. Right or wrong, a more cautious view on the outlook for software firms is reverberating back into private credit. The fear is that a stress-driven correction in private credit, given its breadth and depth in the financial ecosystem, could create a liquidity shock on Wall Street and beyond. Some analysts point to rising stress signals, such as an increasing default rate among US private credit borrowers. But in a sign that the worst may have passed, Fitch Ratings estimates that the default rate in US private credit declined to 5.4% in February, down from January’s 5.8%, t...
Truemed, the leading HSA/FSA marketplace for top preventive health products, today announced it has partnered with Meta to enable HSA and FSA purchases of the Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta AI glasses for prescriptions.
Truemed, the leading HSA/FSA marketplace for top preventive health products, today announced it has partnered with Meta to enable HSA and FSA purchases of the Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta AI glasses for prescriptions.
International Business Machines expands Illinois partnership to advance quantum-centric supercomputing, integrating AI, quantum and HPC to tackle problems beyond current systems.
International Business Machines expands Illinois partnership to advance quantum-centric supercomputing, integrating AI, quantum and HPC to tackle problems beyond current systems.
Brent crude drops and markets rise amid hopes Donald Trump will succeed in reaching deal with Tehran Business live – latest updates Oil and gas prices fell sharply on Friday after Iran said the strait of Hormuz is open to commercial shipping, potentially clearing the way for tankers holding millions of barrels of oil and gas to reach the global market. Iran’s foreign minister said vessels would be...
Brent crude drops and markets rise amid hopes Donald Trump will succeed in reaching deal with Tehran Business live – latest updates Oil and gas prices fell sharply on Friday after Iran said the strait of Hormuz is open to commercial shipping, potentially clearing the way for tankers holding millions of barrels of oil and gas to reach the global market. Iran’s foreign minister said vessels would be free to transit the strait of Hormuz for the duration of the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, struck on Thursday. Continue reading...
The Strait of Hormuz is open for business! That's good news for many investors, and the S&P 500 is up 1.2% as of 11:15 a.m. ET. It's less good news for Chevron (NYSE: CVX) stock, however. Shares of the oil giant fell 7% through 11:15 a.m. ET, as investors began pricing in the prospect of lower oil prices . Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
The Strait of Hormuz is open for business! That's good news for many investors, and the S&P 500 is up 1.2% as of 11:15 a.m. ET. It's less good news for Chevron (NYSE: CVX) stock, however. Shares of the oil giant fell 7% through 11:15 a.m. ET, as investors began pricing in the prospect of lower oil prices . Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Catherine Delahaye/DigitalVision via Getty Images Once Upon a Farm ( OFRM ) is now eligible for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits in California, making the company’s organic food and snacks available to the 1.3M individuals who qualify for WIC benefits in the state. Once Upon a Farm ( OFRM ) is now WIC-authorized in 20 states. The Special Supple...
Catherine Delahaye/DigitalVision via Getty Images Once Upon a Farm ( OFRM ) is now eligible for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits in California, making the company’s organic food and snacks available to the 1.3M individuals who qualify for WIC benefits in the state. Once Upon a Farm ( OFRM ) is now WIC-authorized in 20 states. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children provides federal grants for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. Once Upon a Farm ( OFRM ) baby food bowls are the only organic, refrigerated food to be WIC-eligible. Source: Press Release More on Once Upon A Farm, PBC Once Upon A Farm, PBC (OFRM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Once Upon A Farm Looks Like A Good Consumer Packaged Goods Growth Stock Once Upon A Farm: Better For Kids, But What About Investors? Once Upon a Farm slides after its first post-IPO earnings report Once Upon A Farm, PBC GAAP EPS of $0.11 beats by $0.01, revenue of $64M beats by $1M
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) set out to disrupt, but the fund has sent tremors through the world of sport in a very different way this week.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) set out to disrupt, but the fund has sent tremors through the world of sport in a very different way this week.
Vladimir Razguliaev/iStock via Getty Images Zebra Technologies Corporation ( ZBRA ) announced the exit of its robotics and automation business, selling the segment to Skild AI for an undisclosed sum, which includes both cash and equity interest. Through the deal, Zebra and Skild AI will create a human + machine partnership that will leverage Zebra’s wearable devices so as to integrate with Skild A...
Vladimir Razguliaev/iStock via Getty Images Zebra Technologies Corporation ( ZBRA ) announced the exit of its robotics and automation business, selling the segment to Skild AI for an undisclosed sum, which includes both cash and equity interest. Through the deal, Zebra and Skild AI will create a human + machine partnership that will leverage Zebra’s wearable devices so as to integrate with Skild AI’s AI-enabled robotics fleets. With renewed life being brought into the robotics arm, Zebra may be in a position to gain associated market share as part of the integrated solution, potentially driving growth in warehousing and manufacturing environments. While the deal may provide an appealing opportunity for Zebra, the macroeconomic environment remains challenged overseas, with high energy prices causing concern for economic growth across the European Bloc and potentially in the Asian markets, leading me to lower my expectations for eFY26 growth. Nonetheless, ZBRA shares are trading at an appealing premium relative to the shares’ historical trading range at 12.12x EV/aEBITDA, making shares priced for entry; I am reiterating my Buy rating for ZBRA shares with a price target of $327/share at 12.05x eFY28 EV/aEBITDA. You can read my previous coverage of Zebra Technologies Corporation here . Zebra Technologies Corporation Operational Update Zebra’s biggest announcement for 2026 was the sale of its robotics automation business, announced on April 16, 2026 . While Zebra has not disclosed the sale price, this is a major pivotal shift away from the industrial robotics market that Zebra has been building for the last 5 years since its acquisition of Fetch Robotics in 2021. Zebra had initially announced its intentions of exiting the robotics automation solutions business back in Q4 ’25 . The challenge Zebra faced with the robotics business was that the market was undergoing a significant decline following years of robust growth during the C19 pandemic. While the market has been sho...
The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) and iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (NYSEMKT:IWO) differ most in market cap focus and sector allocation—QQQ leans into large-cap tech, while IWO broadens exposure to small-cap growth, with IWO charging a modestly higher expense ratio. Both QQQ and IWO offer exposure to U.S. growth equities, but their approaches diverge sharply: QQQ tracks the tech-heavy Nasdaq-10...
The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) and iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (NYSEMKT:IWO) differ most in market cap focus and sector allocation—QQQ leans into large-cap tech, while IWO broadens exposure to small-cap growth, with IWO charging a modestly higher expense ratio. Both QQQ and IWO offer exposure to U.S. growth equities, but their approaches diverge sharply: QQQ tracks the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 , favoring established giants, while IWO taps into the Russell 2000 Growth Index for small-cap growth opportunities. This comparison looks at cost, performance, risk, and portfolio makeup to help clarify which may appeal for different objectives. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Continue reading
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) today is up +1.28%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI ) (DIA ) is up +2.07%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) is up +1.326%. June E-mini S&P futures (ESM26 ) are up +1.35%, and June E-mini Nasdaq futures...
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) today is up +1.28%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI ) (DIA ) is up +2.07%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) is up +1.326%. June E-mini S&P futures (ESM26 ) are up +1.35%, and June E-mini Nasdaq futures...