Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Applied Materials, Inc. ( AMAT ) isn’t one of my favorite stocks, as I always find either the performance of the stock or the valuation not right for me to open a position there. As a result, I rated the stock twice as a Hold, even though I was quite bullish on the semiconductor industry, rating as a Buy companies like TSMC ( TSM ),...
Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Applied Materials, Inc. ( AMAT ) isn’t one of my favorite stocks, as I always find either the performance of the stock or the valuation not right for me to open a position there. As a result, I rated the stock twice as a Hold, even though I was quite bullish on the semiconductor industry, rating as a Buy companies like TSMC ( TSM ), Micron ( MU ), and Marvell ( MRVL ). Previous Coverage The main reason I haven’t been bullish is the slower growth than its semiconductor peers, which was disrupted even more by the trade wars between the U.S. and China in 2025, which is a huge market for Applied Materials. Another reason was the fact that the stock always lagged behind its peers in performance, and I even said in my previous breakdown that I’m doubtful it will suddenly start majorly outperforming. Well, as we can see today, half a year later, I was wrong, and the stock has indeed gone on a rally, outperforming both TSM and MRVL, not falling too far behind Micron. Data by YCharts At the same time, I still have a hard time seeing the appeal of this stock from an investor standpoint, as fundamentals don’t match this optimism. To me, it looks like the company soars mostly on sentiment, which is a fragile position to be in. The company reports in the middle of May, and analysts are confident that the results will come ahead of the estimates with 26 positive EPS revisions in the last 90 days, and 0 negative revisions, but I, once again, am not ready to buy this stock ahead of the earnings on May 14th . Upcoming Quarter's Earnings Premium For What? Taking a look at the earnings presentation and transcript , I immediately remembered why I decided to stay aside and not buy shares of Applied Materials. At the beginning of every report, we first get a lecture about how well the semiconductor industry will be doing in the next few years, driven by the brutal memory shortage and a rapid data center buildout for AI-com...
alacatr/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis My bullish call on CoreWeave, Inc. ( CRWV ) last year rested on a simple premise: a neo-cloud that found an opening in the strained relationship between Nvidia ( NVDA ) and its four major hyperscaler customers: Amazon ( AMZN ), Microsoft ( MSFT ), Meta ( META ), and Alphabet ( GOOGL ). CRWV ended up having priority access to the world's most sought...
alacatr/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis My bullish call on CoreWeave, Inc. ( CRWV ) last year rested on a simple premise: a neo-cloud that found an opening in the strained relationship between Nvidia ( NVDA ) and its four major hyperscaler customers: Amazon ( AMZN ), Microsoft ( MSFT ), Meta ( META ), and Alphabet ( GOOGL ). CRWV ended up having priority access to the world's most sought-after GPUs, shifting its business model from a crypto miner into an aspiring, AI-focused public cloud provider. This was followed by multi-billion-dollar deals with these hyperscalers. However, recent financial results suggest that CRWV might have signed unprofitable contracts with hyperscalers. Its losses can't be explained by R&D or the temporary construction ramp. Even management's explanation - a time gap between revenue & expenses - doesn't hold scrutiny. Reinforcing this conclusion is that CRWV isn't alone but part of a pattern. Multiple neocloud providers are suffering from persistent and unexplained losses subsequent to signing eye-watering multi-billion-dollar contracts with hyperscalers. This raises doubts that the contracts are structurally unprofitable. My hypothesis is that CRWV is accepting unprofitable raw compute contracts as a means to scale its physical footprint while reducing funding burden, all for the ultimate goal of potentially becoming a high-margin full-stack hyperscaler. Its customers are agreeing to support a potential competitor in return for cheap access to raw compute. The Real Bet You're Making To become a full-stack hyperscaler, CRWV needs to build data centers in different geographies. That's a standard practice to accommodate redundancies, disaster recovery, latency, etc. CRWV For funding, the company had two options. They could raise equity & debt, build the data centers (and cloud software services), and wait for customers to come. Or they could sell raw compute to hyperscalers, even at low margins, and use the money to build the physic...
In trading on Monday, water utilities shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 3.1%. Leading the group were shares of Middlesex Water, up about 5.3% and shares of Consolidated Water up about 4.8% on the day. Also showing relative strength are television & radio
In trading on Monday, water utilities shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 3.1%. Leading the group were shares of Middlesex Water, up about 5.3% and shares of Consolidated Water up about 4.8% on the day. Also showing relative strength are television & radio
In trading on Monday, precious metals shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.4%. Helping drag down the group were shares of Silvercorp Metals, down about 6.5% and shares of Avino Silver & Gold Mines down about 4.3% on the day. Also lagging the market Mon
In trading on Monday, precious metals shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.4%. Helping drag down the group were shares of Silvercorp Metals, down about 6.5% and shares of Avino Silver & Gold Mines down about 4.3% on the day. Also lagging the market Mon
The latest tally of analyst opinions from the major brokerage houses shows that among the components of the S&P 500 index, Idexx Laboratories is now the #113 analyst pick, moving up by 1 spot. This rank is formed by averaging the analyst opinions for each component
The latest tally of analyst opinions from the major brokerage houses shows that among the components of the S&P 500 index, Idexx Laboratories is now the #113 analyst pick, moving up by 1 spot. This rank is formed by averaging the analyst opinions for each component
primeimages/E+ via Getty Images Market review The cautious optimism that characterized the beginning of 1Q26 quickly succumbed to the escalating geopolitical tensions and widespread market disruption that unfolded as the period progressed. Global markets began the year with positive performance, building on the previous year's strength in international equities. Emerging markets led gains, support...
primeimages/E+ via Getty Images Market review The cautious optimism that characterized the beginning of 1Q26 quickly succumbed to the escalating geopolitical tensions and widespread market disruption that unfolded as the period progressed. Global markets began the year with positive performance, building on the previous year's strength in international equities. Emerging markets led gains, supported by the continued weakness of the dollar, which dropped to a four-year low, as well as rising commodity prices. Investors retreated from mega-cap companies as artificial intelligence (AI) companies faced earnings scrutiny and turned to global real assets, which were among top performers. Kevin Warsh's nomination as US Federal Reserve chairman provided reassurance about central bank independence, helping unwind the "debasement trade" and triggering dramatic reversals in gold and silver. February was dominated by mounting skepticism over AI sector valuations and escalating Middle East tensions. New agentic AI technologies, with potential for widespread industry automation, drove down software, insurance, and consulting stocks. Despite strong earnings from companies like NVIDIA Corp. ( NVDA ), investor skepticism persisted. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn reciprocal tariffs, followed by President Trump's announcement of new universal tariffs, created additional uncertainty. US equity markets posted negative returns, while international and emerging market equities delivered solid gains, particularly in Japan following Prime Minister Takaichi's decisive electoral victory. The Iran conflict's full impact materialized in March as Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted energy flows, sending shockwaves across all major asset classes. Asia, heavily dependent on regional energy supply, and Europe, as a net energy importer, suffered heavily. Crude oil surged approximately 50% due to the closure combined with Gulf energy-infrastructure damage. While Asian equity m...
Dividends are a powerful wealth creation tool if you let them compound. For example, $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 1960 would have grown to over $982,000 by the end of 2024. However, that same investment would have grown to nearly $6.4 million by reinvesting dividends, according to Morningstar and Hartford Funds data. When it comes to paying dividends, Ares Capital (NASDAQ: ARCC) stands out w...
Dividends are a powerful wealth creation tool if you let them compound. For example, $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 1960 would have grown to over $982,000 by the end of 2024. However, that same investment would have grown to nearly $6.4 million by reinvesting dividends, according to Morningstar and Hartford Funds data. When it comes to paying dividends, Ares Capital (NASDAQ: ARCC) stands out with a 10% yield (the S&P 500 currently yields around 1.1%). Here's a look at whether the high-yielding business development company (BDC) can make you rich through the power of compounding. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
FBI Director Kash Patel Files $250 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against The Atlantic, Reporter FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit Monday against The Atlantic magazine and its national-security reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, escalating a high-profile clash over a Friday article that alleged Patel's "erratic behavior,” excessive drinking, and unexplained absences have alarmed...
FBI Director Kash Patel Files $250 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against The Atlantic, Reporter FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit Monday against The Atlantic magazine and its national-security reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, escalating a high-profile clash over a Friday article that alleged Patel's "erratic behavior,” excessive drinking, and unexplained absences have alarmed colleagues and raised national-security concerns. FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice on Dec. 4, 2025. Daniel Heuer/AFP In the complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Patel accuses the publication and Fitzpatrick of publishing the story "with actual malice” despite being "expressly warned, hours before publication, that the central allegations were categorically false,” having access to "abundant publicly available information contradicting those allegations,” and ignoring "obvious and fatal defects in their own sourcing," CNN reports . The Atlantic article , titled "The FBI Director Is MIA,” relied on more than two dozen anonymous sources - including current and former FBI officials, members of Congress, and hospitality-industry workers - to portray Patel's leadership as a "management failure” and his personal conduct as a potential vulnerability. It detailed claims of " bouts of excessive drinking” at venues such as the private club Ned's in Washington, D.C ., and the Poodle Room in Las Vegas, rescheduled meetings due to late-night drinking, and incidents in which Patel's security detail allegedly struggled to wake him and once requested breaching equipment to access a locked room. The piece also suggested Patel is deeply paranoid about being fired and that President Trump has privately expressed displeasure over his behavior, including a viral video of him chugging beer with the U.S. men's hockey team. Patel's attorney, Jesse R. Binnall, sent a detailed pre-publication letter to The Atlanti...
Hyundai Motor Co. plans to ramp up US production and cut expenses to shield the South Korean carmaker from tariffs that are eating into profit in its biggest market. “Tariffs are hurting,” Chief Executive Officer José Muñoz told reporters at an event in Milan on Monday. “In the short term, it is really tough.” Like the rest of the global auto industry, Hyundai has grappled with US tariffs, along w...
Hyundai Motor Co. plans to ramp up US production and cut expenses to shield the South Korean carmaker from tariffs that are eating into profit in its biggest market. “Tariffs are hurting,” Chief Executive Officer José Muñoz told reporters at an event in Milan on Monday. “In the short term, it is really tough.” Like the rest of the global auto industry, Hyundai has grappled with US tariffs, along with supply disruptions and uneven demand for electric vehicles, since Muñoz took over as CEO at the start of 2025. The South Korean company reported its lowest quarterly profit in more than three years during the fourth quarter. Increasing the number of cars Hyundai makes in the US will avoid extra costs, Muñoz said. The company currently makes about half of US-sold vehicles locally, importing the rest at an official tariff rate of 15%. “We need to make efforts to avoid minimize the cost,” he said. “One of the easiest and straightforward ways to do that is to accelerate localization.” Muñoz cautioned that localization “takes years,” and will force Hyundai to cut costs aggressively in the meantime, and adjust prices to offset the immediate financial blow. Muñoz has been pushing the premium Genesis brand, hybrids and sport utility vehicles to capture higher-margin sales. The company has continued to gain ground in the US, which he has described as a pillar of growth. The comments underscore the intensifying pressure on global carmakers to overhaul their supply chains as trade barriers threaten margins. The 60-year-old CEO said the war in Iran is creating a significant “hiccup” in the Middle East, Hyundai’s highest-margin market. Both demand and logistics are affected, forcing the company to shift more capacity to North America. “We’re trying to offset with other regions,” he said. “Because we are a little bit limited on capacity, I can tell you that there are many volunteers now that try to get those cars. One of the regions that can accommodate is the North America region.” ...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Eli Lilly and Company ( LLY ) has dropped over 13% since I last rated it a Sell back in January , and with the firm’s incoming quarter as well as the just-announced deal for Kelonia, I want to reassess if my rating still holds. Furthermore, I am still a shareholder in Novo Nordisk A/S ( NVO ), so I would like to see which one of the firms is...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Eli Lilly and Company ( LLY ) has dropped over 13% since I last rated it a Sell back in January , and with the firm’s incoming quarter as well as the just-announced deal for Kelonia, I want to reassess if my rating still holds. Furthermore, I am still a shareholder in Novo Nordisk A/S ( NVO ), so I would like to see which one of the firms is still in the lead in the weight loss industry. The Kelonia Therapeutics deal Eli Lilly was initially reported by the Wall Street Journal to be in advanced negotiations to acquire Kelonia Therapeutics for more than $2B, and the deal just closed for an amount that could be worth up to $7B in cash . This is a major stepping stone for Kelonia, as it was last publicly valued at slightly more than $100MM in April 2022. In all, $3.25B will be paid upfront and the rest based on milestones. But what’s more impressive would be the actual tech from the firm, which is the IGPS platform using modified lentiviral vectors to deliver CAR constructs directly into a patient’s T cells inside the body. This is potentially a major milestone, as it could erase the need for lymphodepleting chemotherapy. The lead candidate, KLN-1010, is an in vivo anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma currently in Phase 1. The data presented at ASH 2025 in December showed a 100% MRD-negative response rate across the first four patients with no Grade 3+ cytokine release syndrome and no ICANs. This clean safety profile is essentially the gatekeeper for moving CAR-T from late-line salvage therapy to earlier-line and potentially frontline, community-based treatment. On top of Kelonia, LLY also acquired Orna Therapeutics for up to $2.4B in February in yet another bet on in vivo CAR-T therapy, but this time for autoimmune conditions. Basically, Lilly is building a diversified in vivo cell therapy portfolio, delivering a platform to build on. Rivals using ex vivo CAR-T therapies, such as J...
Eoneren Biogen ( BIIB ) has reached a deal worth up to $850M with TJ Bio to acquire exclusive rights in Greater China for felzartamab, an antibody therapy designed to target various immune-mediated disorders, the companies announced on Monday. After the transaction, Biogen ( BIIB ) will own exclusive worldwide rights to felzartamab, which is currently under review by China’s National Medical Produ...
Eoneren Biogen ( BIIB ) has reached a deal worth up to $850M with TJ Bio to acquire exclusive rights in Greater China for felzartamab, an antibody therapy designed to target various immune-mediated disorders, the companies announced on Monday. After the transaction, Biogen ( BIIB ) will own exclusive worldwide rights to felzartamab, which is currently under review by China’s National Medical Products Administration as a treatment for multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. Under the agreement, Hangzhou-based TJ Bio will receive $100M upfront, which Biogen ( BIIB ) intends to record as an acquired in-process research and development expense in its Q2 2026 results. The company is also entitled to receive up to $750M in additional payments, subject to commercial and sales milestones, in addition to a mid-single-digit to low-double-digit percentage of royalties based on net sales of felzartamab in China. The Massachusetts-based biotech acquired ex-China rights to felzartamab through its acquisition of HI-Bio, a privately held drug developer, for up to $1.8B in July 2024. Since then, Biogen ( BIIB ) has begun global Phase 3 trials for the CD38-directed antibody therapy in immune-related conditions, including IgA nephropathy and primary membranous nephropathy. More on Biogen Revisiting Eisai And Biogen's Leqembi Data For Alzheimer's Disease Biogen Inc. (BIIB) Discusses Proposed Acquisition of Apellis and Strategic Growth Objectives Transcript Biogen Inc. (BIIB) Discusses Proposed Acquisition of Apellis and Strategic Growth Objectives - Slideshow Notable analyst calls this week: Tesla, Qualcomm and Biogen among top picks Biogen raised to Overweight at Piper Sandler on Apellis buyout
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images Introduction When I wrote an earlier article, “ The U.S. Economy in Five Years ,” there were certain events that were not integrated into my views that have occurred since. The conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran is a case in point. There were also conflicting views on how tariffs would impact the economy, since the negotiated trade deals were yet to be comp...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images Introduction When I wrote an earlier article, “ The U.S. Economy in Five Years ,” there were certain events that were not integrated into my views that have occurred since. The conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran is a case in point. There were also conflicting views on how tariffs would impact the economy, since the negotiated trade deals were yet to be completed. And we did not know whether the tariffs would be deemed legal at the time either. Obviously, there are still issues remaining unanswered, but I thought that since I predicted much of what has come to pass accurately in that earlier piece, it would be worthwhile to share my expectations for the future in an updated version with an expanded view of how the global economy will react over time. I am in my late 70s, served in a combat role in the Army during the Vietnam War, and have lived through many geopolitical and economic upheavals over my lifetime. I am very observant, and since I have a degree in economics, I like to connect the dots in terms of how the economy actually reacts to events and various types of chaos that shape the future. Nobody is right on all points all the time, but I believe my track record has been more accurate on most points than those of most financial and economic pundits who have major platforms from which to deliver their predictions. Many are right at least on some issues, but most predictions of doom and gloom have been either way too early or way off base. I have no agenda, so I hope that my views of events and the economy are less biased than most. My Investing Philosophy I am a long-term investor, so I do not pay much attention to the current machinations of market swings or one-year forecasts. I prefer to look for quality companies that are currently priced at a discount to their potential growth prospects over the next five. Therefore, when I look at the macroeconomic picture, I am more interested in how I see things playing out a f...
Oil and gas prices have jumped again as shipping through the strait of Hormuz came to a virtual standstill after Iran closed the waterway over the US blockade and Donald Trump announced an Iranian cargo ship had been seized trying to get past. Tehran has accused Washington of violating the fragile ceasefire agreement. With uncertainty over a second round of peace talks, fears continue to grow abou...
Oil and gas prices have jumped again as shipping through the strait of Hormuz came to a virtual standstill after Iran closed the waterway over the US blockade and Donald Trump announced an Iranian cargo ship had been seized trying to get past. Tehran has accused Washington of violating the fragile ceasefire agreement. With uncertainty over a second round of peace talks, fears continue to grow about the scale of the energy shock caused by the war. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose Continue reading...
A White House Executive Order over the weekend has some healthcare company stocks soaring today. One big winner is Compass Pathways (NASDAQ: CMPS) . Shares of the biotechnology company rocketed more than 50% this morning and were still higher by 41.2% at noon ET. Compass is a leader in the development of a new approach to mental health treatment, concentrating on achieving results through the crea...
A White House Executive Order over the weekend has some healthcare company stocks soaring today. One big winner is Compass Pathways (NASDAQ: CMPS) . Shares of the biotechnology company rocketed more than 50% this morning and were still higher by 41.2% at noon ET. Compass is a leader in the development of a new approach to mental health treatment, concentrating on achieving results through the creation of a synthetic psilocybin therapy. Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain types of mushrooms, commonly referred to as "magic mushrooms." Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading