Agnico Eagle Mines Limited AEM and Newmont Corporation NEM are two prominent players in the gold mining space with global operations and diversified portfolios. Although gold prices have retreated sharply from their January 2026 peak, they continue to remain at supportive levels. Against this backdrop, comparing the two industry giants is particularly relevant for investors seeking exposure to the...
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited AEM and Newmont Corporation NEM are two prominent players in the gold mining space with global operations and diversified portfolios. Although gold prices have retreated sharply from their January 2026 peak, they continue to remain at supportive levels. Against this backdrop, comparing the two industry giants is particularly relevant for investors seeking exposure to the precious metals sector. Heightened geopolitical tensions, a weaker U.S. dollar, tariff-related concerns and concerns surrounding the Federal Reserve’s independence had driven bullion to a record high of nearly $5,600 per ounce in late January. Since then gold has pulled back sharply due to rising inflation concerns triggered by a surge in crude oil prices amid persistent Middle East tensions and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, with prices falling to $4,500 per ounce last week. Bullion has recovered toward $4,600 per ounce lately on prospects of a U.S.-Iran deal. Let’s dive deep and closely compare the fundamentals of these two mining giants to determine which one is a better investment now. The Case for Agnico Eagle Agnico Eagle is focused on executing projects that are expected to provide additional growth in production and cash flows. It is advancing its key value drivers and pipeline projects, including the Odyssey project in the Canadian Malartic Complex, Detour Lake, Hope Bay, Upper Beaver and San Nicolas. The merger with Kirkland Lake Gold established Agnico Eagle as the industry's highest-quality senior gold producer. The integrated entity now has an extensive pipeline of development and exploration projects to drive sustainable growth. It also has the financial flexibility to fund a strong pipeline of growth projects. AEM has a robust liquidity position and generates substantial cash flows, which enable it to maintain a strong exploration budget, finance a strong pipeline of growth projects, pay down debt and drive shareholder value. Its operating cash flow f...
U.S. natural gas prices struggled to hold above the key $3 level last week as traders weighed rising storage levels against uneven weather-driven demand. Cooler forecasts heading into early June reduced expectations for stronger power-sector consumption, even as liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) exports remained active. At this time, investors may want to keep a close watch on natural gas-focused comp...
U.S. natural gas prices struggled to hold above the key $3 level last week as traders weighed rising storage levels against uneven weather-driven demand. Cooler forecasts heading into early June reduced expectations for stronger power-sector consumption, even as liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) exports remained active. At this time, investors may want to keep a close watch on natural gas-focused companies such as Antero Resources AR, Expand Energy EXE and Cheniere Energy LNG as the market moves into the critical summer demand season. Storage Growth Keeps Prices in Check The biggest pressure point for natural gas last week came from another large inventory build. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a 101 billion cubic feet (Bcf) storage injection for the week ending May 15. That was above market expectations and also higher than the five-year average injection for the same period. Working gas inventories climbed to 2,391 Bcf, leaving storage levels about 7% above the five-year average. Strong supply growth has kept the market comfortably supplied, limiting bullish momentum despite periods of hotter weather. U.S. dry gas production also stayed resilient above 103 Bcf per day. That steady output has made it difficult for prices to sustain rallies. Natural Gas Prices Swing Through the Week Natural gas futures experienced sharp swings throughout the week before ending under pressure. Prices began the week with strong momentum as hotter temperatures across parts of the eastern United States lifted cooling demand expectations. June futures climbed above $3 and briefly reached a seven-week high near $3.11 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). However, sentiment weakened later in the week after cooler forecasts emerged and the larger-than-expected storage build reinforced oversupply concerns. By Thursday and Friday, futures slipped back below the important $3 level, with June gas settling near $2.91 per MMBtu. Overall, natural gas posted a weekly loss as tr...
近年来，AI公司一直试图改造电商，但始终停留在「帮用户推荐商品」的阶段。直到近日，两家全球电商巨头几乎同时迈出了关键一步。 618前夕，5月11日阿里宣布千问与淘宝全面打通，用户可直接通过AI完成选品、比价、下单与售后。两天后，亚马逊也宣布升级AI购物体系，推出新的购物助手Alexa for Shopping，强化从搜索到交易的闭环能力。 这并非一次简单的「AI导购升级」。越来越多科技公司开始意识...
近年来，AI公司一直试图改造电商，但始终停留在「帮用户推荐商品」的阶段。直到近日，两家全球电商巨头几乎同时迈出了关键一步。 618前夕，5月11日阿里宣布千问与淘宝全面打通，用户可直接通过AI完成选品、比价、下单与售后。两天后，亚马逊也宣布升级AI购物体系，推出新的购物助手Alexa for Shopping，强化从搜索到交易的闭环能力。 这并非一次简单的「AI导购升级」。越来越多科技公司开始意识到，谁掌握AI入口，谁就可能重新定义下一代电商的流量分发体系。 过去两年，全球科技公司围绕「AI能否接管购物入口」展开了激烈角逐：OpenAI、谷歌等AI原生公司试图以聊天机器人重构消费决策；以亚马逊为首的传统电商平台，则希望把AI能力嵌入自身生态，避免用户入口被AI截流。 电商，正在成为AI Agent的下一个核心战场。 AI购物，走向三个阵营 电商在经过近三十年的发展之后，虽然用户的购物路径，从单一搜索演变为搜索+推荐，但是此后浏览商品、反复比价，再完成下单，这套人工操作本质没有变化。面对海量商品供给，用户往往需要耗费大量时间筛选信息、确认需求，甚至通过多次退换货才能找到真正合适的商品。 AI试图改变的，正是这一过程。 相比传统搜索，AI能够理解模糊需求、整合商品信息，并基于用户偏好自动完成筛选、推荐与比价。从「帮用户找商品」，到进一步接管交易流程，AI正在重新定义电商的入口形态。 由于商业模式与技术能力的差异，全球科技公司逐渐形成了三个不同的阵营。 第一个阵营是以亚马逊为首的传统电商公司。它们通常将自研AI助手嵌入平台，基于自身庞大的商品数据库提供从搜索到下单的所有必要功能，但其大模型推理能力普遍被认为不及AI原生公司。 以亚马逊的首个AI助手Rufus为例。Rufus仅限亚马逊网站和App内使用，能够对话、比价、查评价，2025年累计服务超3亿用户。但媒体测评认为，Rufus经常「答非所问」；在复杂商品比较场景下，也常常「抓不住重点」。 5月13日，亚马逊宣布将Rufus整合进Alexa+体系，推出Alexa for Shopping。这款新的AI购物助手将购物场景拓展到亚马逊旗下的Echo Show等智能设备，不仅支持智能搜索、降价提醒、商品对比、自动复购，还能帮用户在亚马逊之外的网站选购商品、跟踪物流。 这样一来，原本分散的搜索、筛选、比价、下单等动作被收束进亚...
For New Zealand – Suzie Bates replaced the beleagured Georgia Plimmer who has made two consecutive golden ducks. Rosemary Mair is back in for Leah Tahuhu. 14m ago 14.18 BST New Zealand win the toss and will bat first Melie Kerr calls the coin correctly and decides to have first use of a sun baked pitch. “We’ll try and have a better start than last time,” she says after her side were tottering at 1...
For New Zealand – Suzie Bates replaced the beleagured Georgia Plimmer who has made two consecutive golden ducks. Rosemary Mair is back in for Leah Tahuhu. 14m ago 14.18 BST New Zealand win the toss and will bat first Melie Kerr calls the coin correctly and decides to have first use of a sun baked pitch. “We’ll try and have a better start than last time,” she says after her side were tottering at 11-4 in the previous match in Canterbury. The still managed to win though, largely thanks to the experienced hands of Sophie Devine who made an assured 87 with support from a half century scoring Maddy Green. An all round bowling effort then restricted England’s chase and saw them fall 14 runs short. Today it is winner takes all.
Higher-earning immigrants are less likely to remain in the UK long-term and could be further deterred from staying by the government’s planned crackdown on settlement rights, analysis has revealed. A report from the Migration Advisory Committee’s , Who Stays, Who Leaves?, follows about 900,000 journeys between 2014 and 2024. The research is intended to help understanding of long-term migration pat...
Higher-earning immigrants are less likely to remain in the UK long-term and could be further deterred from staying by the government’s planned crackdown on settlement rights, analysis has revealed. A report from the Migration Advisory Committee’s , Who Stays, Who Leaves?, follows about 900,000 journeys between 2014 and 2024. The research is intended to help understanding of long-term migration patterns and the possible effects of policy changes on labour shortages, population forecasts and the public finances. The MAC report said: “Our analysis suggests migrants earning the lowest wages are the most likely to remain in the UK long term, while there is some evidence that those with the highest salaries (£125,000+) are the most likely income group to leave. “These [higher-paid] migrants may benefit from more global opportunities and lower financial barriers to moving elsewhere, reducing the incentives to remain in the UK longer-term.” Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, proposes raising the baseline qualifying period for settled status in the UK from five years to 10. The proposals say those who meet certain criteria, including higher-rate taxpayers, could qualify for discounts that would reduce the wait for indefinite leave to remain back down to five years. However, MAC’s report warns that stricter rules could discourage higher earners from remaining in Britain. It said: “Evidence on the role of settlement policy in shaping the countries’ attractiveness to prospective migrants is limited, however we may speculate that groups with lower stay rates under the current policy – such as higher earners and people working in higher education – could be more susceptible to being deterred by a less generous settlement offer (or may be more likely to leave if they are already in the UK and are moved to a longer path to settlement).” The report did not provide the percentage of higher-earning migrants who left the UK over the period. The analysis found the UK is retaining youn...
The pitch behind GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF (NASDAQ:NVDL) is elegantly simple. You want more NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) than your account can hold, so NVDL gives you two dollars of exposure for every dollar invested, recalibrated each morning. The mechanic that makes that possible is also the mechanic that gutted holders during the early 2025 ... NVDL Lost 67 Percent in Early 2025 While NVIDIA...
The pitch behind GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF (NASDAQ:NVDL) is elegantly simple. You want more NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) than your account can hold, so NVDL gives you two dollars of exposure for every dollar invested, recalibrated each morning. The mechanic that makes that possible is also the mechanic that gutted holders during the early 2025 ... NVDL Lost 67 Percent in Early 2025 While NVIDIA Fell Far Less, And the Daily Reset Did Most of It
Big Tech’s $2 trillion AI gold rush is hiding a structural flaw. Critics say the giants are quietly paying themselves through their own cloud bills, igniting fresh AI bubble fears that increasingly echo the dot-com era. Latest corporate filings show OpenAI and Anthropic alone anchor over half of the roughly $2 trillion in future cloud commitments held by Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Oracle. This...
Big Tech’s $2 trillion AI gold rush is hiding a structural flaw. Critics say the giants are quietly paying themselves through their own cloud bills, igniting fresh AI bubble fears that increasingly echo the dot-com era. Latest corporate filings show OpenAI and Anthropic alone anchor over half of the roughly $2 trillion in future cloud commitments held by Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Oracle. This leaves four trillion-dollar companies leaning on two unprofitable startups. The Cloud Loop That Pays Itself Critics call the mechanism a round-trip funding loop. A tech giant writes a billion-dollar check to an AI startup. The contract then forces that same money straight back, in the form of cloud rent. The cash never leaves the building. Dot-com bubble 🤝 AI bubble "Bro just buy my servers with the money I invested in you." — Bull Theory (@BullTheoryio) May 23, 2026 Microsoft’s $13 billion stake in OpenAI is the textbook case. The investment landed largely as Azure cloud credits. OpenAI fed those credits into training models, and Microsoft turned around and booked the consumption as fresh commercial revenue. OpenAI’s annual cloud bill has reportedly ballooned past $60 billion. The company’s actual revenue sits closer to $25 billion. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights Anthropic plays the same hand with Amazon. The Claude developer spent $2.66 billion on Amazon Web Services in nine months, roughly every dollar it earned. “The entire AI boom might be built on fake revenue,” remarked analyst Bull Theory. The pattern echoes 2001, when Global Crossing and Qwest Communications swapped fiber-optic capacity to fabricate sales. Qwest eventually erased $1.4 billion in fictitious income, and Global Crossing went bankrupt. The 2026 version stays fully legal under current accounting rules. Paper Profits Are Doing the Heavy Lifting The second leg of the loop sits on the income statement. Every fresh funding round for an AI startup l...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Most asset classes are richly valued. The AI boom and increasing dominance of technology names have rendered the S&P 500 ( SPY ) and the Nasdaq-100 ( QQQ ) very expensive. Growth names such as Micron Technology ( MU ), Palantir Technologies ( PLTR ), and Nebius Group N.V. ( NBIS ) are trading at astronomical multiples. The flight-to-safety dynamic has pushe...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Most asset classes are richly valued. The AI boom and increasing dominance of technology names have rendered the S&P 500 ( SPY ) and the Nasdaq-100 ( QQQ ) very expensive. Growth names such as Micron Technology ( MU ), Palantir Technologies ( PLTR ), and Nebius Group N.V. ( NBIS ) are trading at astronomical multiples. The flight-to-safety dynamic has pushed many defensive, yield-oriented areas of the market higher. Think of MLPs ( AMLP ), REITs ( VNQ ), and infrastructure ( UTF ). All these segments are up by at least 10% on a YTD basis. Income growth segment - Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF ( SCHD ) - has recently experienced a massive rally as well. The same could be said about blue-chip household names like Altria Group ( MO ), Walmart Inc. ( WMT ), the Coca-Cola Company ( KO ), etc. The only areas that are attractive from a valuation (and yield) point of view are where the odds of stepping on a landmine are very high. I would include here BDCs ( BIZD ), software names ( IGV ), and speculative CLO credit ( OXLC ). It is possible to find value (especially in the BDC complex), but it takes very nuanced effort and a careful approach. The only segment of the total investable asset universe where I see attractive opportunities that have been formed by unjustified pressures is the "long duration" segment. The fact that high-duration (interest rate-sensitive) assets have experienced unfavorable repricing is a byproduct of a strengthening of a higher-for-longer scenario. The underlying cash flows or credit risk profiles remain unchanged, providing income investors with more interesting entry opportunities. Let me share my two favorite "buy the dip" situations where we can lock in enticing yields that have been recently sent higher due to duration dynamics. Two 9%+ Yielding Bargains The two 9%+ yielding instruments I have noticed as being punished almost purely because of their inherent high duration characteristics are Virtus Infr...
MicroStockHub/iStock via Getty Images As a value investor, I like beaten-down sectors that the market has left behind. Examples include the oil industry in 2020 and in 2025, when many names in the sector traded at rock-bottom valuations. The same dynamic today can be found in unloved consumer staples companies. This brings me to McCormick & Company, Incorporated ( MKC ), which I last covered back ...
MicroStockHub/iStock via Getty Images As a value investor, I like beaten-down sectors that the market has left behind. Examples include the oil industry in 2020 and in 2025, when many names in the sector traded at rock-bottom valuations. The same dynamic today can be found in unloved consumer staples companies. This brings me to McCormick & Company, Incorporated ( MKC ), which I last covered back in January, highlighting its volume growth and steady market share gains, alongside margin pressures. Volume pressures remain a challenge for the industry, and this is reflected by MKC’s stock price. At $47.80, MKC trades near the bottom of its 52-week range with a 4% dividend yield, as shown below. MKC Stock 1-Yr Trend (Seeking Alpha) In this article, I revisit MKC, including recent business results , and discuss why this beaten-down name is attractive at present for income and value investors, so let’s dig in! Why MKC? McCormick is a global leader in flavor that manufactures and markets spices, seasonings, and condiments across 150 countries. It generates $7 billion in annual sales and has a large number of household brands like its own namesake, French’s, Frank’s RedHot, Stubb’s, OLD Bay, Lawry’s, and Cholula, to name a few. Like its peers, MKC is navigating a challenging consumer environment that includes cost inflation. However, its brands are proving to be resilient as price increases have more than offset volume declines. This is supported by MKC’s innovation engine that’s been effective in pushing premium offerings. This is reflected by MKC’s organic sales growth of 1.2% YoY and adjusted EPS growth of 10% YoY to $0.66 during Q1 2026. Sales growth was driven by a price increase of 1.9%, partially offset by a 0.7% decline in volume. The consumer segment led with 1.8% organic sales growth. As shown below, EMEA and APAC both saw volume and price growth, while the Americas saw a mixed bag with price growth offsetting a volume decline. Investor Presentation One of the dri...
The oil shortages in the 1970s were terrible, predominantly caused by Middle Eastern countries curtailing deliveries to the United States. It was an ugly time, with gasoline lines and high energy prices (for the time period). Chevron (CVX +0.26%) CEO Mike Wirth just described the current energy market as similar to the one in the 1970s. That could be a big problem for retailers. Tipping the econom...
The oil shortages in the 1970s were terrible, predominantly caused by Middle Eastern countries curtailing deliveries to the United States. It was an ugly time, with gasoline lines and high energy prices (for the time period). Chevron (CVX +0.26%) CEO Mike Wirth just described the current energy market as similar to the one in the 1970s. That could be a big problem for retailers. Tipping the economy in the wrong direction To be fair, the United States isn't as reliant on Middle Eastern oil today as it was in the 1970s. So the direct impact on the U.S. market won't be the same. However, countries like Japan, which import a lot of oil from the Middle East, could see a 1970s-style hit, including gasoline lines, if supply disruptions from the ongoing geopolitical conflict in the region continue. But the United States can't entirely avoid the impact, since oil is a commodity. There are fears that high energy prices alone could push the United States and the world into a recession. That's not unreasonable, noting that retailers like Dollar Tree (DLTR 0.76%) and Walmart (WMT 0.82%) are already benefiting from wealthier customers trading down to lower-price stores. For example, Dollar Tree's sales rose 9% in the fiscal fourth quarter, with same-store sales increasing 5%. By comparison, Target (TGT 0.40%), which is positioned to offer a higher-quality shopping experience, just ended a year-long stretch of weak performance, marked by falling same-store sales. While first-quarter 2026 same-store sales jumped 4.4%, the comparison was relatively easy. And management highlighted that "much more work in front of us" and it highlighted the still "uncertain operating environment." Expand NYSE : TGT Target Today's Change ( -0.40 %) $ -0.51 Current Price $ 125.64 Key Data Points Market Cap $57B Day's Range $ 125.12 - $ 127.83 52wk Range $ 83.44 - $ 133.10 Volume 172.8K Avg Vol 5.9M Gross Margin 25.65 % Dividend Yield 3.63 % If there's a recession, it wouldn't be surprising to see Targe...
It was billed as the great cheese-off; a helter-skelter, bone-jarring downhill race between the all-time champ and a young upstart. After the hype and hyperbole, youth won out, as the 24-year-old German YouTuber Tom Kopke beat 38-year-old local hero Chris Anderson at the annual cheese-rolling event in the English West Country. In his post-race interviews at the foot of Cooper’s Hill in Gloucesters...
It was billed as the great cheese-off; a helter-skelter, bone-jarring downhill race between the all-time champ and a young upstart. After the hype and hyperbole, youth won out, as the 24-year-old German YouTuber Tom Kopke beat 38-year-old local hero Chris Anderson at the annual cheese-rolling event in the English West Country. In his post-race interviews at the foot of Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, Kopke declared: “If that hill is hell, I’m the devil.” Anderson, tempted out of retirement by the challenge from Kopke, had taken the lead at first, but Kopke said: “I thought: ‘I’m going to get his ass.’” He duly did, winning his third roll in three years, his prize the round of double Gloucester that he and his fellow competitors had chased down the horribly steep hill. Asked how he had prepared, he said: “Shut off your brain and go for it.” The pair embraced at the bottom and Anderson, who came second, admitted he had felt a little scared at the top and knew the game was up when he glimpsed Kopke haring past him. View image in fullscreen Kopke with his prize after the downhill. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters View image in fullscreen Anderson with his Guinness World Records certificate for most wins overall. Photograph: Jacob King/PA The origins of the event are lost in the mists of time. There are written records of it going back almost 200 years – but Anderson, a ground worker who grew up in the village of Brockworth, home to the event, and has won 23 times, thinks it may have started about 600 years ago. “Perhaps it was an old pagan ritual to bring good luck for the harvest,” he said. Anderson’s tip for success is to not sacrifice control for speed. “Obviously you need to be fast but overall it’s better to stay in control rather than going flat out.” The event used to be a local affair but in recent years has morphed into something more global. Competitors travel from across the world and YouTubers and influencers attract millions of views by throwing themse...