Exemptions being considered after March announcement of measures to support domestic steel production Ministers are expected to drop some planned tariffs on foreign steel after UK manufacturers warned the measures would significantly increase their costs. Representatives of the Department of Business and Trade are meeting leaders of steel trading business groups on Wednesday and Thursday with a vi...
Exemptions being considered after March announcement of measures to support domestic steel production Ministers are expected to drop some planned tariffs on foreign steel after UK manufacturers warned the measures would significantly increase their costs. Representatives of the Department of Business and Trade are meeting leaders of steel trading business groups on Wednesday and Thursday with a view to finalising details of a reprieve for certain industries. Continue reading...
Amazon.com (NasdaqGS:AMZN) has opened its less than truckload freight service to all U.S. businesses. The service offers nationwide door to door pallet shipping for third party warehouses, distribution centers, and retail locations. This move places Amazon in direct competition with traditional LTL carriers by using its existing logistics network. For investors watching Amazon, this expansion into...
Amazon.com (NasdaqGS:AMZN) has opened its less than truckload freight service to all U.S. businesses. The service offers nationwide door to door pallet shipping for third party warehouses, distribution centers, and retail locations. This move places Amazon in direct competition with traditional LTL carriers by using its existing logistics network. For investors watching Amazon, this expansion into LTL freight adds another piece to the broader logistics and services story around...
Images By Tang Ming Tung/DigitalVision via Getty Images Last week, market observers were provided with a hot payroll reading that came in more than double the expected totals, with a nearly 100K upward revision to the past month's data as well. Today, the Labor Department reported a headline inflation reading that came in above the 4% threshold for the first time since May 2023. In terms of intere...
Images By Tang Ming Tung/DigitalVision via Getty Images Last week, market observers were provided with a hot payroll reading that came in more than double the expected totals, with a nearly 100K upward revision to the past month's data as well. Today, the Labor Department reported a headline inflation reading that came in above the 4% threshold for the first time since May 2023. In terms of interest rate policy, I believe new Federal Reserve (“Fed”) Chairman Kevin Warsh has his work cut out for him. Ahead of today’s release , U.S. equity markets have continued to march higher, albeit with some recent volatility due to ongoing developments out of the Middle East. In the early pre-market hours just before the release, all three indexes were in the red, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index ( DJI ) and the NASDAQ Composite Index ( COMP:IND ) down more than 300 points. The S&P 500 Index ( SP500 ), meanwhile, was more flat. In addition to keeping keen eyes on the Middle East, I believe market observers will now have to pay closer attention to future interest rate policy. While the entry of new Chairman Kevin Warsh was initially expected to result in the possibility of looser Fed policy, I believe the recent economic data releases are hard to ignore as they relate to the considerations of higher interest rate policy in the periods ahead. Here’s everything else to know about the May CPI report. Where Did Prices Increase In May? To perhaps little surprise, overall inflation continues to be driven by higher gasoline prices. As I’ve reiterated a number of times in my regular updates on the CPI report, the American consumer doesn’t need a monthly CPI release to drive home the point that prices at the pump are painful. During May, gasoline prices rose 7%, and this adds to the 5.4% increase reported in April. With the May increase in the books, gasoline prices are now up a whopping 40.5% over the last twelve months. Again, this shouldn’t be surprising. What is more importa...
Warner Music Group ( WMG ) on Wednesday announced an agreement to acquire Sureel AI. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "The acquisition advances WMG's mission to ensure that artists, songwriters, and rightsholders benefit wherever and whenever their work is referenced in AI-generated works or in the training of AI models," the company said. Sureel's technology creates "AI DNA" for ev...
Warner Music Group ( WMG ) on Wednesday announced an agreement to acquire Sureel AI. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "The acquisition advances WMG's mission to ensure that artists, songwriters, and rightsholders benefit wherever and whenever their work is referenced in AI-generated works or in the training of AI models," the company said. Sureel's technology creates "AI DNA" for every work, breaking it into component parts and tracing how AI models use those elements. It also delivers intellectual property provenance, audit and compliance reporting, model optimization, AI business intelligence, and a growing NIL (name, image, and likeness) attribution suite that tracks how artist voices and performance identities are used in AI training. Sureel will continue to operate as a standalone platform, WMG said. More on Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. (WMG) Presents at J.P. Morgan 54th Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference Transcript Warner Music Group Corp. (WMG) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Warner Music Group: Even At 52-Week Lows, I Still Have Concerns Highest and lowest quant-rated Communication Services stocks above $10B cap after earnings season Warner Music projects fiscal 2026 margin expansion at the high end of 150-200 bps as it adds COO role for CFO Zerza
guteksk7/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis Coda Octopus Group ( CODA ) has begun to prove itself as a business capable of generating revenue growth, real income, and free cash flow, combined with a strong balance sheet. The core business industry is underwater technology, with the leading products being the 3D imaging sonar, Echoscope, and the Diver Augmented Vision Display, or DAVD. The c...
guteksk7/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis Coda Octopus Group ( CODA ) has begun to prove itself as a business capable of generating revenue growth, real income, and free cash flow, combined with a strong balance sheet. The core business industry is underwater technology, with the leading products being the 3D imaging sonar, Echoscope, and the Diver Augmented Vision Display, or DAVD. The cautious bullish thesis is straightforward: CODA is a small company with a collection of very valuable intellectual property, with the next 12-20 months determining whether its IP-protected technology becomes an even bigger part of a larger defense program story. The thesis relies on growth, and I believe the setup is attractive since the downside is partially protected by the balance sheet, and the upside is tied to identifiable growth levers. Business Overview Coda Octopus segregates its companies into three segments: Marine Technology, Acoustic Sensors and Materials, and Defense Engineering Services. The Marine Technology business is the core operation, in my opinion. The products under this segment are the Echoscope real-time sonar products and DAVID diving technology. The Echoscope is primarily used for underwater construction, obstacle avoidance, mapping, real-time 3D navigation, and a host of other underwater needs, all of which work in zero-visibility conditions. What I find interesting is that the newer Echoscope NANO Gen Series will expand the TAM into smaller underwater vehicles/robotics and AI-driven platforms. The differentiated moat for these devices is that they can image 3D moving objects in real time and in basically zero-visibility conditions, while traditional sonars are unable to offer that solution. Corporate Presentation The Defense Engineering Services segment is less crucial to the core thesis but is still a useful segment. This segment essentially is a subassembly which basically is building specialized electronics and computer parts piecemeal for de...
Getty Images By James Picerno At the start of the Iran conflict, many analysts expected US economic growth would stumble and recession risk would spike. It was a reasonable view at the time, although TMC Research noted a few days after the war started that our “Recession Probability Indicator (RPI) continues to reflect a low probability that an NBER-defined downturn has started or is imminent.” An...
Getty Images By James Picerno At the start of the Iran conflict, many analysts expected US economic growth would stumble and recession risk would spike. It was a reasonable view at the time, although TMC Research noted a few days after the war started that our “Recession Probability Indicator (RPI) continues to reflect a low probability that an NBER-defined downturn has started or is imminent.” An update of the numbers suggests more of the same. More than three months into the Middle East crisis, the American economy still looks resilient. Inflation is an ongoing threat, thanks to the supply-side energy shock that’s lifted prices. But growth has held up better than expected, and the odds appear low that the economy is on the precipice of a material slowdown, much less an outright contraction. The TMC Recession Probability Indicator is currently estimating that it’s highly unlikely the economy is shrinking or will soon slip over the edge. That doesn’t mean macro risks are absent – quite the opposite. Rather, RPI reports that the quantitative signals that usually flag elevated recession risk are subdued at the moment. (RPI aggregates and processes data from three business‑cycle indicators published by regional Fed banks — see here for details.) Last week’s release of payrolls data for May aligns with RPI’s growth bias. Hiring increased by 172,000 positions last month, beating expectations by a wide margin and marking the third straight month of relatively strong employment gains. Meanwhile, the jobless rate was unchanged at a low 4.3%. While hiring has remained relatively resilient, the majority of recent job creation has been concentrated in the healthcare and hospitality sectors, and many other industries continue to struggle. At the same time, consumer sentiment remained near record lows in May, signaling a considerable degree of unease among households. From a top-down perspective, however, the near-term outlook remains upbeat. For example, the Atlanta Fed’s GDP n...
Birchtech Corp. ( BCHT ) on Wednesday said it promoted Jim Trettel to chief operating officer, elevating the longtime executive who previously served as executive vice president of operations. Trettel, who joined the specialty activated carbon technology company in 2014, will oversee corporate operations, including financial, administrative, engineering, and field systems functions. He has more th...
Birchtech Corp. ( BCHT ) on Wednesday said it promoted Jim Trettel to chief operating officer, elevating the longtime executive who previously served as executive vice president of operations. Trettel, who joined the specialty activated carbon technology company in 2014, will oversee corporate operations, including financial, administrative, engineering, and field systems functions. He has more than 36 years of experience in the dry bulk material-handling industry. More on Birchtech Birchtech Corp. (BCHT) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Birchtech Corp. (BCHTD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Birchtech reports Q1 results Quant snapshot: Beachbody, Deutsche Telekom among top-rated names as IceCure Medical, Fold Holdings lag Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Birchtech
Inflation has surged to its highest level in more than three years since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran, triggering a surge in gasoline prices. (Image credit: Joe Raedle)
Inflation has surged to its highest level in more than three years since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran, triggering a surge in gasoline prices. (Image credit: Joe Raedle)
The London Company, an investment management company, released its first-quarter 2026 investor letter for its “The London Company Income Equity Strategy”. A copy of the letter is available to download here. In early 2026, US equities declined, with the Russell 3000 falling 4% and the S&P posting losses. The year began positively on a broad […]
The London Company, an investment management company, released its first-quarter 2026 investor letter for its “The London Company Income Equity Strategy”. A copy of the letter is available to download here. In early 2026, US equities declined, with the Russell 3000 falling 4% and the S&P posting losses. The year began positively on a broad […]
Decart is launching Oasis 3, a real-time world model that generates photorealistic driving environments for autonomous vehicle testing, now available via API for developers to build on.
Decart is launching Oasis 3, a real-time world model that generates photorealistic driving environments for autonomous vehicle testing, now available via API for developers to build on.
国医疗职业培训平台 Stepful 近日宣布完成 5500 万美元 C 轮融资，由 Oak HC/FT 领投。 过去两年，Stepful 先后完成 3150 万美元 B 轮融资和 5500 万美元 C 轮融资。相比教育科技行业中更受关注的 AI 工具、学习平台和企业培训公司，这家职业教育公司的业务并不复杂：培训医疗助理、药剂技术员和外科技术员。资本为什么会持续押注这样一家企业？ 320 万医疗人才...
国医疗职业培训平台 Stepful 近日宣布完成 5500 万美元 C 轮融资，由 Oak HC/FT 领投。 过去两年，Stepful 先后完成 3150 万美元 B 轮融资和 5500 万美元 C 轮融资。相比教育科技行业中更受关注的 AI 工具、学习平台和企业培训公司，这家职业教育公司的业务并不复杂：培训医疗助理、药剂技术员和外科技术员。资本为什么会持续押注这样一家企业？ 320 万医疗人才缺口，催生 5500 万美元融资 本轮融资由 Oak HC/FT 领投，Foresite Capital、Hearst Ventures、Citi Impact Fund 等机构参与投资。SemperVirens、Y Combinator、ECMC Education Impact Fund 和 Intermountain Health 等现有投资者继续跟投。 这是 Oak HC/FT 连续第二次领投 Stepful。2024 年，该机构曾领投 Stepful 3150 万美元 B 轮融资。 连续两轮融资背后，是美国医疗行业长期存在的人才短缺问题。 美国医院协会预计，到 2026 年，美国医疗体系将面临约 320 万名医疗相关从业人员缺口。与此同时，美国医疗机构每年用于合同工和临时人员的支出已经达到约 970 亿美元。 在需求持续增长的同时，医疗人才培养体系扩张速度相对有限。长期以来，美国大量医疗辅助岗位人才主要由职业学校和社区学院培养，但受招生规模、场地资源以及培训周期等因素影响，这些机构很难快速扩大供给。 对于医疗机构而言， 人才短缺带来的影响正在不断扩大。 一方面，医院需要持续招聘新的医疗从业人员；另一方面，为填补岗位空缺而增加的临时用工支出也在不断增长。 在这样的背景下，医疗人才培养逐渐成为投资机构关注的新方向。作为长期专注医疗健康领域的投资机构，Oak HC/FT 在融资公告中表示，Stepful 是其见过的少数能够将在线教育与人工智能结合，并规模化解决医疗人才供给问题的公司之一。 Stepful不卖课程而是向医院输送人才 与传统职业学校不同，Stepful 并不将自己定位为一家单纯提供课程的教育机构。 公司采用「School-as-a-Service (学校即服务)」模式， 将职业培训、资格认证、临床实践和就业输送整合在同一体系中。 相比以招生和授课为核心的传统...
Gizem Gecim/iStock via Getty Images Major Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds are seeking multibillion-dollar stakes in SpaceX's ( SPCX ) upcoming initial public offering, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The orders underscore the region's growing influence in financing the global artificial intelligence and technology sectors Saudi Arabia's Public Inves...
Gizem Gecim/iStock via Getty Images Major Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds are seeking multibillion-dollar stakes in SpaceX's ( SPCX ) upcoming initial public offering, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The orders underscore the region's growing influence in financing the global artificial intelligence and technology sectors Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Kuwait Investment Authority have each submitted orders valued between $1 billion and $5 billion. Qatar Investment Authority is also expected to participate with a sizable investment. The interest comes amid intense demand for the offering from institutional investors worldwide. Orders have reportedly exceeded the number of shares available, with some investors seeking allocations worth more than $10 billion. For investors, the strong appetite from Gulf sovereign wealth funds highlights both the scale of demand for the SpaceX ( SPCX ) IPO and the increasingly important role Middle Eastern capital plays in supporting leading technology and AI companies. The investments could also provide one of the first opportunities for Gulf funds to realize gains from years of backing AI-related ventures and infrastructure. Several Gulf investors already have exposure to SpaceX and Elon Musk's broader business empire through direct and indirect holdings. As a result, part of their participation in the IPO may be aimed at maintaining ownership stakes following the company's public debut. The offering is also viewed as a key test of the investment strategies pursued by Gulf states, which have deployed hundreds of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence, data centers, semiconductor infrastructure and emerging technology companies. Those investments have accelerated as countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar seek to diversify their economies beyond oil. Saudi Arabia's PIF, for example, gained additional exposure to SpaceX this year through a m...