Getty Images Investment Thesis The next earnings report from Alphabet ( GOOGL ) is due on April 29, 2026, with expectations running high. One of the main questions on investors’ minds is how to assess the cost of maintaining leadership during a period of aggressive growth in the AI industry. With the company’s management planning to spend up to $185 billion on capital expenditures in 2026, a number of investors have doubts about the wisdom of such investments. While I believe the risks of declining business margins are higher than before, these risks are entirely offset by the opportunities emerging around GOOGL. One feature of the company’s current strategy is the development of a new vertically integrated system, including not only an agency cloud but also in-house chip manufacturing. I will discuss the key questions that the company’s management is likely to address in its upcoming earnings report. Not only will I outline each question, however, but we will also explore the most likely outcomes of what we’ll see in the report. Please forgive the spoiler, yet in my view, it is likely that the market will be in for another "bullish" surprise. Capital Expenditures vs. Margins My recent analysis of Microsoft ( MSFT ) pointed out the main risk facing the software giant, namely the return on investment. The company has no guarantee that the massive capital expenditures allocated to building AI infrastructure will pay off as originally planned. On the other hand, the situation with GOOGL is different, though the risk is equally significant, since it could affect the company’s profitability. When compared to MSFT, for example, Alphabet has an advantage in adapting its business for further improvement through the development of AI capabilities. This is because GOOGL does not require an aggressive transformation of its business model, whereas its computing infrastructure has a higher probability of being 100% loaded with highly efficient products for customers. CapEx. Sour...

Rasi Bhadramani Brent oil prices ( CO1:COM ) surged more than 3% to over $107 per barrel after Israeli broadcaster N12 reported that Iran’s top negotiator with the U.S. has resigned. WTI Crude ( CL1:COM ) also jumped more than 3% to over $98 per barrel. According to the N12 statement , Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stepped down as Tehran’s lead negotiator due to interference from the country’s Revolutionary Guard. While the report remains unconfirmed, possible intervention by the Revolutionary Guard raises market concerns that Tehran will take a harder line during negotiations with the U.S. Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains very low as the U.S. and Iran try to enforce competing blockades during the ceasefire. U.S. President Donald Trump announced he ordered the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill” any vessel found placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that there will be "no hesitation." Previously, he said negotiation could take place once again as soon as Friday , according to The New York Post. Iran continues to demand that ships receive its permission to cross the strait, while President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that the U.S. has “total control” over the sea lane and that vessels must receive authorization from the U.S. Navy to transit. The U.S. has been enforcing a blockade of Iran’s ports since April 13. More on Crude Oil Futures, Brent Futures Oil Up, S&P 500 Up WTI Crude Oil At Risk Of Mean Reversion Decline Below $102.25 After 5% Spike Commodities: Oil Moves Higher As Peace Talks Look Shaky The longer oil prices remain elevated, the longer stocks will correct – Fidelity’s Jurrien Timmer Trump instructs to ‘shoot and kill’ any boat putting mines in the Strait of Hormuz

生物医药是以生物技术为核心，开发用于疾病治疗、诊断、预防及康复的药品、医疗器械等产品的战略性新兴产业。经过多年技术积累与产业升级，我国生物医药产业正在从“规模扩张”向“创新驱动”跨越，迎来高质量发展的新机遇。（央视新闻）

美东时间4月23日下午，美国总统特朗普在社交媒体发文称，他“并不急于结束与伊朗的战争”，可是“伊朗没时间了”。特朗普批评《纽约时报》和CNN等媒体缺乏公信力，称看这些“假新闻”的人认为他“急于结束与伊朗的战争”，但他“可能是身处这个位置上压力最小的人了”。特朗普称，“我有的是时间，但伊朗没有——时钟正在嘀嗒作响！时间不在他们那边！而协议只有当对美国及其盟友有利时才会达成。”（央视新闻）

Tesla acquires AI hardware company amid AI, robotics efforts Yahoo Finance

Earnings Call Insights: Blackstone (BX) Q1 2026 Management View Stephen Schwarzman said Blackstone delivered “outstanding results in the first quarter,” citing “inflows reached $69 billion” and “total assets under management grew 12% year-over-year to a new record level of more than $1.3 trillion,” while highlighting that “nearly all of our flagship strategies reported positive appreciation in the quarter compared to declines in major equity and credit indices, led by exceptional strength in infrastructure.” Stephen Schwarzman positioned AI infrastructure as a central strategic driver, saying, “we believe Blackstone has become the largest investor in AI-related infrastructure in the world,” and specifying, “our total portfolio now consists of over $150 billion of data centers globally, including facilities under construction, and it continues to grow rapidly with an additional $160 billion in prospective pipeline development.” Stephen Schwarzman described pressure on private credit fundraising in parts of wealth, saying “the dissemination have negatively impacted capital flows in the wealth channel to private credit strategies, including to our flagship vehicle in the space, BCRED,” while adding, “we remain highly confident in our ability to continue to achieve a premium return to liquid markets over time.” CFO Michael Chae said the quarter showed broad operating leverage, stating, “fee-related earnings grew 23% year-over-year to $1.5 billion or $1.26 per share,” and “fee revenues increased 20% year-over-year to $2.6 billion,” alongside “distributable earnings increased 25% year-over-year to $1.8 billion in the first quarter or $1.36 per share.” Outlook Management did not provide formal EPS or revenue guidance in the transcript; commentary on forward activity focused on realizations and markets. Michael Chae said, “the significant recent market volatility and broader uncertainty has had the effect of pushing out exit pipelines and slowing realization activity in the...

Source: Bloomberg, 0:00

Bloomberg's Brian Platt joins Scarlet Fu on "Bloomberg Markets." Alberta is looking at three options for a new oil pipeline to ship 1 million barrels a day through northern British Columbia, according to people familiar with the matter, as Canadian officials make plans to sharply increase energy exports to Asia. (Source: Bloomberg)

The cuts, which employees had been expecting for weeks, will be Meta's largest layoff since 2023.

格隆汇4月24日｜恒指期货夜盘收跌0.46%，报25802点，低水113点。

Rachel Bronson, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, senior advisor at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and author of "Thicker than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia" joins Scarlet Fu on "Bloomberg Markets." (Source: Bloomberg)

格隆汇4月24日｜据一名美国官员和一名知情人士透露，伊朗革命卫队海军本周在霍尔木兹海峡布设了更多水雷。在听取了有关最新进展的汇报后，特朗普总统周四在社媒上命令美国海军毫不迟疑地击沉任何布雷的伊朗船只。海峡中的新水雷可能会加剧国际能源署（IEA）所称的全球市场历史上最大的石油供应中断——其规模甚至超过了1970年代的石油危机。这是自战争爆发以来伊朗第二次在该海峡布雷。目前尚不清楚第一轮布设的所有水雷是否已被发现和清除。消息人士称，美军探测到了伊朗的布雷行动并一直在密切跟踪。美国官员表示，美国知道伊朗布设了多少新水雷，但拒绝透露具体数字。白宫拒绝就情报问题置评。

Shares of Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) are down roughly 7% in Thursday afternoon trading, changing hands near $142 after starting the session at $152.62. The slide comes despite a fresh $300 million contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a new Buy initiation from DZ Bank. The pullback is striking given the backdrop. Palantir’s year-to-date ... Palantir Drops 7% Despite $300M USDA Win: Is the Dip a Buying Opportunity?

Palantir Drops 7% Despite $300M USDA Win: Is the Dip a Buying Opportunity? Yahoo Finance

Palantir Drops 7% Despite $300M USDA Win: Is the Dip a Buying Opportunity? 24/7 Wall St.

John M. Chase/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Virginia-based TowneBank ( TOWN ) released its Q1 2026 financial results after the closing bell on April 22. The company fell short of expectations on both its top and bottom lines. Adjusted earnings per share of $0.74 were $0.01 shy of analysts’ predictions. Revenue of $246.5 million missed the mark by $6.3 million. TOWN has lost about 2.3% of its value today on an overall down day for the market. This analysis is my second for TowneBank on Seeking Alpha, having first written about the company in December of 2025 . At that time, I rated its stock as a Hold based on its valuation and expectations for FY 2026. TOWN has been quite busy in the mergers and acquisitions space over the last year, with its most recent deal for Dogwood State Bank closing on January 12 . This followed two other deals from 2025 that I discussed in my first article. The pace of acquisition activity for TowneBank factored into my rating for its stock as well. After looking through the company’s most recent earnings report , I do not see a significant reason to change my assessment of TowneBank’s prospects for this year. I do think the company has assembled a very attractive geographic footprint in Virginia and the Carolinas. However, I think most of the positives for TOWN are currently reflected in its price. Company Snapshot Founded in 1999, TowneBank offers a full range of banking and other financial services with over 70 branch locations in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. TOWN also operates one branch in Northeast Tennessee that was acquired from Dogwood State Bank earlier this year. The company also controls a number of financial subsidiaries that include Towne Wealth Management, Towne Insurance Agency, Towne Benefits, TowneBank Mortgage, and TowneBank Commercial Mortgage. The company owned Towne Vacations , a resort property management firm, up until April 6 of this year, when it was sold to another company for $250 million. Fo...

Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, in trading on Thursday, shares of General Dynamics Corp (Symbol: GD) were yielding above the 2% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $6.36), with the stock changing hands as low as $315.54 on the day.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) Stock Price Today MEXC Exchange

TSLA Price Today: Tesla, Inc. Stock Price, Quote & Chart | MEXC MEXC Exchange

Amazon.Com Inc. (AMZN) Stock Price Today MEXC Exchange

Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) Stock Price Today MEXC Exchange

Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, in trading on Thursday, shares of HP Inc (Symbol: HPQ) were yielding above the 6% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.2), with the stock changing hands as low as $19.86 on the day. Dividends are

如果凯文·沃什最终获得确认成为下一任美联储主席，他准备在从通胀框架到资产负债表管理等关键领域推行深刻的改革。这位前美联储理事在4月21日的参议院确认听证会上清晰地勾勒出与前任截然不同的施政蓝图。 摒弃“前瞻性指引”，重构通胀治理框架 沃什在长达两小时的听证会上多次强调，美联储需要进行“彻底的体制改革”。他严厉批评了美联储在2021年至2022年期间的通胀误判，称其为“致命的政策错误”，并认为美国经济仍在为此付出代价。他主张建立一个“全新的通胀框架”，核心在于改变与市场的沟通方式。他明确批评现行的“前瞻性指引”是“相当无益的”，认为官员过早透露利率路径会使政策制定在面对经济变化时陷入僵化。他倾向于在美联储内部进行更“混乱”、更具争议性的公开辩论，允许真实的异议存在，而非形成内部一致的共识。 推动“缩表”与“降息”双线并行 在货币政策工具的选择上，沃什主张回归传统。他认为美联储应主要依赖利率工具来实现政策目标，而非依赖庞大的资产负债表。他指出，庞大的资产负债表不公平地偏袒了持有金融资产的富人，而利率工具对整体经济的影响则更为公平。他主张“渐进且有序”地缩减资产负债表，使其回归货币政策本位，退出类似财政机构的职能。 值得注意的是，分析人士指出，沃什的“降息”倾向与其“缩表”主张并不矛盾——通过缩减资产负债表释放政策空间，同时依靠人工智能等技术进步带来的生产率提升作为降息的理由，这构成了其“双线并行”的核心政策逻辑。 捍卫独立性，力回应“去政治化” 面对多位参议员关于其是否会沦为总统“提线木偶”的直接质问，沃什给出了斩钉截铁的回应：“绝对不是。”他作证称，总统“从未要求我承诺任何特定的利率决定”，即便总统施压，他也“绝不会同意”。他提出了一种务实且带有现实主义色彩的观点：“美联储的独立性取决于美联储自身”，需要通过实现低通胀的业绩来赢得独立。 若沃什成功接管美联储，这将意味着一个重大转向：美联储将不再被视为激进的“救市者”，而更像一个严守本分的“监管者”——专注于通胀，剥离财政职能，并减少对市场的“保姆式”口头干预。而这究竟是开启一个繁荣新时代，还是引发与市场的摩擦，将取决于他如何在“体制改革”与维护金融稳定之间寻找平衡。 责任编辑：张俊 SF065

格隆汇4月24日｜对于美国总统特朗普一而再再而三地称“伊朗内部分裂争斗”，当地时间4月23日晚，伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬、议长卡利巴夫及司法总监埃杰伊通过社交媒体共同发布信息指出，“在伊朗，不存在所谓的‘强硬派’或‘温和派’。我们都是‘伊朗人’，都是‘革命者’。凭借人民与政府之间坚如钢铁的团结，以及对最高领袖的完全服从，我们将让侵略者追悔莫及。”特朗普当天早些时候曾通过社交媒体发帖称，“伊朗正极其艰难地试图弄清楚谁才是他们的领导人，他们根本不知道。‘强硬派’在战场上输得一败涂地，‘温和派’其实一点都不温和，但正赢得尊重，双方之间的内斗简直疯狂。”

QuantumScape (NYSE:QS), the pre-revenue solid-state battery developer, used its Q4 2025 report to pair a narrow earnings beat with a strategic pivot: chasing AI data centers, robotics, aviation and defense as new markets for a battery that has yet to power a single commercial electric vehicle. Q1 EPS of -$0.16 eased past the -$0.18 consensus. ... No Products and No Revenue, but QuantumScape Is Ready to Take On the AI Boom

美国运通周四公布的第一季度财报显示，受高端客户强劲消费推动，公司盈利超出市场预期，持卡人消费增速创下三年新高。 核心业绩全面超预期 财报显示，截至3月31日的一季度，美国运通净利润同比增长15%至29.7亿美元，每股收益为4.28美元，较上年同期的3.64美元显著提升，高于分析师普遍预期的4.00美元。扣除利息支出后的营收增长11%至189.1亿美元，同样高于市场预期的186.1亿美元。 持卡人消费增速是本次财报的最大亮点。经汇率调整后的持卡人支出增长9%，达到4280亿美元，为近三年来最高季度增幅。其中零售支出增长11%，奢侈品零售支出更是飙升18%。 高端客群成增长引擎 公司首席执行官在财报电话会议上表示：“我们继续看到高端产品在整个客户群中保持强劲需求。”去年推出的美国白金卡产品更新后，持卡人消费增速加快，同时保持了极高的客户留存率。 千禧一代和Z世代年轻客户群体表现尤为突出——Z世代支出增长38%，千禧一代增长13%，且这群客户的信用指标优于公司整体水平。 业务板块全面增长 分业务看，美国消费者服务部门营收增长10.6%至91.2亿美元；国际卡服务部门受益于二十个季度连续双位数增长，营收跃升20.3%至35.3亿美元；商业服务部门增长7.1%至43.2亿美元。 净卡费收入增长18%至27.5亿美元，净利息收入增长12%，均成为营收增长的重要驱动力。 中东冲突影响有限 公司首席财务官表示，尽管中东冲突导致部分航班中断和退款请求，但航空支出仍实现了8%的增长，显示高端消费者支出的韧性。 信用质量保持优异 在信贷方面，公司一季度计提信贷损失准备金13亿美元，略高于去年同期的12亿美元。净核销率为2.0%，低于上年同期的2.1%。 重申全年指引 展望未来，公司重申2026年全年业绩指引，预计营收增长9%至10%，每股收益在17.30至17.90美元之间。 尽管业绩亮眼，美国运通股价周四下跌约4.6%至317.76美元。分析人士指出，股价回调可能与前期涨幅较大以及投资者对高运营支出的担忧有关。 责任编辑：张俊 SF065

Dylan Patel, founder and chief analyst at SemiAnalysis, laid out a blunt thesis on the Invest Like the Best podcast (EP.468): “People are like, oh, the memory story is overplayed. Everyone gets it. And it’s like, no, no, no, you don’t get it. DRAM will double or triple from here still, because that’s how much ... ‘DRAM Will Double or Triple From Here’ as AI Demand Outpaces Supply Chain Capacity

‘DRAM Will Double or Triple From Here’ as AI Demand Outpaces Supply Chain Capacity 24/7 Wall St.