US forces have redirected 100 commercial vessels during its six-week-long blockade of Iran’s ports, Central Command said. The mission, supported by more than 200 aircraft and warships including two carrier strike groups and multiple guided-missile destroyers, started enforcing the blockade on April 13 “against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including ...
US forces have redirected 100 commercial vessels during its six-week-long blockade of Iran’s ports, Central Command said. The mission, supported by more than 200 aircraft and warships including two carrier strike groups and multiple guided-missile destroyers, started enforcing the blockade on April 13 “against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM said in a post on X Saturday. The mission has “squeezed Iran economically,” CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said. The blockade also disabled four ships and allowed 26 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to pass, it added. Commercial shipping passing through the vital Strait of Hormuz chokepoint has been largely halted since hostilities started. Only a few ships per day — mainly Iran-linked vessels — have recently made it through the waterway, which lies to the west of the US blockade, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Iran-linked vessels entering or leaving the Gulf may be switching off automated signals to avoid detection, making it harder to track flows in real time. Read More (May 8): How the Strait of Hormuz Has Become a Weapon of War: Explainer
Key Points American Express is the second-largest stock in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio. The conglomerate has owned the credit card payment company for decades. American Express benefits from a strong brand that attracts high-spend customers. 10 stocks we like better than American Express › Every quarter, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires institutional investors with over $10...
Key Points American Express is the second-largest stock in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio. The conglomerate has owned the credit card payment company for decades. American Express benefits from a strong brand that attracts high-spend customers. 10 stocks we like better than American Express › Every quarter, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires institutional investors with over $100 million in assets to list exactly what U.S. publicly traded stocks they own, how many shares they hold, and the total dollar amount of those positions. One company that investors follow religiously is Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA)(NYSE: BRKB). Investors have finally caught a glimpse of what Berkshire bought and sold during the first quarter. The conglomerate trimmed several stocks from its portfolio, but its top three holdings remained steady: Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), American Express (NYSE: AXP), and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » American Express is a quintessential Warren Buffett investment that Berkshire Hathaway has owned for decades, and there's one major reason why it remains a top holding after all these years. American Express boasts a strong economic moat In Q1, Berkshire Hathaway sold its entire stake in both Visa and Mastercard but continued to hold American Express. What separates American Express from its competitors is that it operates a closed-loop payments network, meaning it is the card issuer and network processor, and also holds and services its own credit card loans. This enables American Express to earn both network fees from transactions and interest income on its loans. Another advantage for American Express is its successful branding targeted toward high-net-worth, high-spend individuals. The company positions itself as a luxury card and off...
fengdr Uber ( UBER ) and DoorDash ( DASH ) have held preliminary talks with investors of Delivery Hero SE ( DELHY ) ahead of a potential buyout proposal for the German food delivery group, The Financial Times reported on Saturday. According to three people familiar with the matter, the U.S. companies have conducted exploratory talks to acquire multiple stakes of Delivery Hero ( DLVHF ) investors i...
fengdr Uber ( UBER ) and DoorDash ( DASH ) have held preliminary talks with investors of Delivery Hero SE ( DELHY ) ahead of a potential buyout proposal for the German food delivery group, The Financial Times reported on Saturday. According to three people familiar with the matter, the U.S. companies have conducted exploratory talks to acquire multiple stakes of Delivery Hero ( DLVHF ) investors in recent days as part of separate bids to acquire the Berlin-based e-commerce firm. Some investors have indicated a price tag above €40 ($46) per share, implying a 19% premium to the company’s closing price on Friday and a market cap of roughly €13B ($15B). It is not immediately clear what the ultimate price or terms of a finalized deal could be. Uber ( UBER ) shares fell on Friday after Bloomberg reported that the ride-hailing service provider was considering options for a full takeover of Delivery Hero ( DLVHF ). During a visit to Oslo this week to meet Kristin Skogen Lund, the chair of Delivery Hero’s ( DLVHF ) supervisory board, Uber ( UBER ) CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is said to have indicated a €33 per-share bid, which was rejected, according to the people. Uber ( UBER ), which disclosed a 19.5% stake in Delivery Hero ( DLVHF ) and another 5.6% in derivatives on Monday, is working with Morgan Stanley ( MS ) for its bid, the people said. In regulatory filings on Friday, the U.S. bank disclosed a 27% interest in Delivery Hero ( DLVHF ) primarily via equity swaps. According to the people, Delivery Hero ( DLVHF ) is considering an outright sale or a series of transactions that would separate its units in the Middle East and Korea. DoorDash ( DASH ) CEO Tony Xu is also said to have contacted Lund. The company is mainly interested in adding the group’s Middle East operations and its Turkish arm. However, DoorDash ( DASH ) hasn’t ruled out a complete takeover. Still, both companies could give up their takeover attempts, and any deal could face regulatory hurdles, the people said....
French police have temporarily suspended extra EU border checks at the port of Dover as thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays in the hot weather. Wait times of more than two hours were reported at the terminal in Kent for the cross-Channel ferry to France. The delays come a month after the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), which replaces passport stamps with a digital registration, became fully...
French police have temporarily suspended extra EU border checks at the port of Dover as thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays in the hot weather. Wait times of more than two hours were reported at the terminal in Kent for the cross-Channel ferry to France. The delays come a month after the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), which replaces passport stamps with a digital registration, became fully operational. The port of Dover said Saturday marked the “first peak period” since the new procedures were introduced. Describing the situation as “challenging”, the port of Dover posted on X: “We are pleased that Police Aux Frontières (PAF) have responded positively by invoking the article 9 clause of the EES regulations.” This allows for checks to be temporarily relaxed. “While conventional border checks will still be undertaken, this will now enable PAF to significantly reduce the border processing time,” the statement added. “We will be working with PAF and all our partners to get customers into and through the port as swiftly as possible and keep the roads clear for our local community.” Temperatures were expected to reach up to 29C in parts of England on Saturday. Images at Dover showed long queues of cars at the congested terminal, which is the departure point for ferries to Calais in northern France, a popular route for British tourists, especially at the start of the half-term school holidays. The port said passengers who missed their ferry crossing as a result of waiting times would be able to travel on the next available crossing. It warned drivers to stay in their cars and treat its staff with “kindness and respect”, adding that “unacceptable behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated”. EasyJet has called on EU countries – with a particular focus on Spain – to drop the new rules over fears that holidaymakers could lengthy delays, with the company’s chief executive, Kenton Jarvis, saying the additional checks would “put [holidaymakers] off” travelling. The EES...
For the sixth straight quarter, Home Depot (HD 0.23%) squeezed out positive U.S. same-store sales when it reported its fiscal first-quarter results on May 19. That follows a period in which the company saw its U.S. same-store sales decline for eight consecutive quarters. In a bit of irony, the stock held up very well during this tough sales stretch, but more recently, the share price is down nearl...
For the sixth straight quarter, Home Depot (HD 0.23%) squeezed out positive U.S. same-store sales when it reported its fiscal first-quarter results on May 19. That follows a period in which the company saw its U.S. same-store sales decline for eight consecutive quarters. In a bit of irony, the stock held up very well during this tough sales stretch, but more recently, the share price is down nearly 30% from its highs despite turning the corner on the sales front. Let's take a closer look at the home improvement retailer's fiscal Q1 report and prospects to see if now is a good time to buy the stock. Expand NYSE : HD Home Depot Today's Change ( -0.23 %) $ -0.71 Current Price $ 313.07 Key Data Points Market Cap $312B Day's Range $ 311.46 - $ 314.96 52wk Range $ 289.10 - $ 426.75 Volume 3M Avg Vol 4.4M Gross Margin 31.14 % Dividend Yield 2.95 % Same-store sales continue to edge higher Home Depot saw its global comparable-store sales edge up 0.6% higher in fiscal Q1, marking its fourth straight quarter of positive growth. Meanwhile, U.S. same-store sales growth increased by 0.4%. While it hasn't seen robust growth over the past year, it's been a steady improvement compared to the prior two years, as seen in the table below. Quarter/Year Same-Store Sales Growth (Decline) U.S. Same-Store Sales Growth (Decline) Q3 2022 4.3% 4.5% Q4 2022 (0.3%) (0.3%) Q1 2023 (4.5%) (4.6%) Q2 2023 (2%) (0.2%) Q3 2023 (3.1%) (3.5%) Q4 2023 (3.5%) (4%) Q1 2024 (2.8%) (3.2%) Q2 2024 (3.3%) (3.6%) Q3 2024 (1.3%) (1.2%) Q4 2024 0.8% 1.3% Q1 2025 (0.3%) 0.2% Q2 2025 1% 1.4% Q3 2025 0.2% 0.1% Q4 2025 0.4% 0.3% Q1 2026 0.6% 0.4% The same-store sales growth in Q1 was led by a 2.2% increase in average ticket size, while transactions declined by 1.3%. Big-ticket items, which the company defines as those costing $1,000 or more, rose 0.8%, while pro sales outperformed do-it-yourself buyers. Overall, nine of Home Depot's 16 product categories recorded positive same-store sales growth. Home Depot's total r...
In recent days, Astera Labs reported strong quarterly results driven by demand for its PCIe 6 connectivity and Scorpio AI data center switches, alongside high-profile presentations at J.P. Morgan’s Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference showcasing its newest AI networking solutions. These developments highlight how deeply Astera Labs’ hardware and software are embedded in global AI...
In recent days, Astera Labs reported strong quarterly results driven by demand for its PCIe 6 connectivity and Scorpio AI data center switches, alongside high-profile presentations at J.P. Morgan’s Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference showcasing its newest AI networking solutions. These developments highlight how deeply Astera Labs’ hardware and software are embedded in global AI computing servers and large-scale cloud infrastructure buildouts, underscoring its role in addressing performance bottlenecks inside modern data centers. Next, we’ll examine how this surge in AI infrastructure demand and Scorpio switch momentum could reshape Astera Labs’ existing investment narrative. Capitalize on the AI infrastructure supercycle with our selection of the converting record-breaking demand into massive cash flow. Advertisement Astera Labs Investment Narrative Recap To own Astera Labs, you need to believe AI data center spending stays healthy enough for its PCIe 6 and Scorpio switches to remain central to next generation racks, and that it can manage customer concentration and intensifying competition from larger chipmakers. The latest earnings beat and upbeat guidance reinforce the near term catalyst of Scorpio ramping across AI clusters, while the flood of analyst upgrades does little to reduce the key risk around dependence on a handful of hyperscalers. The clearest link to this story is management’s disclosure that Astera’s hardware and software now sit inside nearly 90% of global AI computing servers, alongside Q1 FY26 revenue of US$308.4 million and 93% year over year growth driven by Scorpio and PCIe 6 demand. That level of embeddedness directly supports the thesis that Scorpio P and X switches can materially raise Astera’s dollar content per rack as AI infrastructure deployments scale. Yet against this momentum, investors should also be aware that customer concentration remains high and that a shift to in house silicon or alternative fabrics could.....
Key Points A Roth conversion doesn't make sense if you expect to land in a lower tax bracket. Be careful with doing a conversion if it's likely to trigger a big tax bill. You may not want to do a Roth conversion if you want to donate your savings to charity. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › There's a big downside to saving for retirement in a traditional IRA or...
Key Points A Roth conversion doesn't make sense if you expect to land in a lower tax bracket. Be careful with doing a conversion if it's likely to trigger a big tax bill. You may not want to do a Roth conversion if you want to donate your savings to charity. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › There's a big downside to saving for retirement in a traditional IRA or 401(k): These accounts eventually force retirees to take required minimum distributions, or RMDs. If you don't like the idea of that, you may be considering a Roth conversion. With a Roth conversion, you move money from a traditional retirement account into a Roth IRA. From that point onward, your money gets to grow tax-free, you don't pay taxes on withdrawals, and you won't have to take RMDs. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Roth conversions can be a smart strategy for a lot of people. But that doesn't guarantee they make sense for you. Here are three signs that they may be the wrong move. 1. You expect to be in a lower tax bracket in retirement One of the biggest reasons to do a Roth conversion is to enjoy tax-free withdrawals at a time when your income and tax bracket may be higher. But if you expect your income and tax bracket to be lower in retirement, a Roth conversion doesn't make sense. Your goal should be to pay the least amount of tax on your savings. If a Roth conversion doesn't make sense for you, it doesn't do you much good. 2. Your conversion could trigger a huge tax bill When you do a Roth conversion, it's a taxable event. Any money you move from a traditional retirement account to a Roth IRA is taxed that same year. But if you don't have an opportunity to do a Roth conversion when your income is low, you could end up paying a lot of taxes on that money due to your conversio...
Key Points Annaly Capital and AGNC Investment are both mortgage real estate investment trusts. AGNC Investment has a yield of 13.9%, while Annaly Capital's yield is 12.9%. Both mREITs have complex dividend histories and may not be appropriate for many dividend investors, but they could be valuable additions for the right investor. 10 stocks we like better than Annaly Capital Management › Dividend ...
Key Points Annaly Capital and AGNC Investment are both mortgage real estate investment trusts. AGNC Investment has a yield of 13.9%, while Annaly Capital's yield is 12.9%. Both mREITs have complex dividend histories and may not be appropriate for many dividend investors, but they could be valuable additions for the right investor. 10 stocks we like better than Annaly Capital Management › Dividend investors often start their search for stocks by looking at dividend yields. That's a logical move given their income focus, but there's a risk that yield becomes more important than other factors that can also have a material impact on an investor's long-term results. Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY) and AGNC Investment (NASDAQ: AGNC), with their huge double-digit yields, need extra careful vetting. For reference, the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) is yielding roughly 1.1% today. The average financial stock yields 1.5%. The average real estate investment trust (REIT) yields 3.6%. Mortgage REITs Annaly and AGNC yield 12.9% and 13.9%, respectively. Here are some key things to consider before buying either of these two mortgage REITs, and why you might prefer one over the other. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » What do mortgage REITs do? A property-owning REIT buys physical assets, such as office buildings, and then leases them to tenants. The core business of mortgage REITs like Annaly and AGNC is owning mortgage securities that have been pooled together into bond-like investments. In some ways, a mortgage REIT, which manages a portfolio of mortgage securities, is similar to a bond fund. Notably, both Annaly and AGNC highlight total return as a key goal. This is important for dividend lovers. While most property-owning REITs focus on providing reliable, and often steadily growing, dividends, the ...
Former Executive Director of the USAID COVID-19 Task Force Jeremy Konyndyk joined Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Konyndyk explains to hosts David Gura and Christina Ruffini the negative impact of the US withdrawal from the WHO in January and the dismantling of USAID on the public health response. (Source: Bloomberg)
Former Executive Director of the USAID COVID-19 Task Force Jeremy Konyndyk joined Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Konyndyk explains to hosts David Gura and Christina Ruffini the negative impact of the US withdrawal from the WHO in January and the dismantling of USAID on the public health response. (Source: Bloomberg)
hh5800/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis Perhaps, Nvidia’s ( NVDA ) latest earnings represented the point where the narrative around AI completely changed. For years, investors were thinking of Nvidia as primarily benefiting from hyperscaler AI spending and the growth in demand for its GPUs. What these earnings quietly showed, however, is that Nvidia has evolved into the foundational infra...
hh5800/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis Perhaps, Nvidia’s ( NVDA ) latest earnings represented the point where the narrative around AI completely changed. For years, investors were thinking of Nvidia as primarily benefiting from hyperscaler AI spending and the growth in demand for its GPUs. What these earnings quietly showed, however, is that Nvidia has evolved into the foundational infrastructure layer in the world of AI. It is not only selling the chips anymore. The company started to monetize the entire AI factory stack that involves compute, networking, orchestration, sovereign AI deployments and even CPUs. Since my last coverage , NVDA is up 8% but it still hasn’t experienced the kind of explosive rerating many smaller AI stocks have seen this year. Considering that the annualized revenue run rate is reaching a staggering $400 billion, sovereign AI growth is already exceeding 80% and agentic AI is significantly boosting compute intensity per interaction, I think that there may be an element of misunderstanding how structurally big Nvidia’s opportunity truly becomes over the next decade. Data by YCharts How Nvidia’s Q1 Earnings Quietly Changed The AI Narrative If anything, Nvidia’s latest earnings showed that the company became something way more important than a provider of high-performance GPUs to hyperscalers. This time, Nvidia posted revenues up by 85% year over year to $82 billion with guidance for next quarter suggesting the company’s annualized revenue run rate reaching a whopping $364 billion ( $91 billion *4). It is important to note, though, that this earnings report has shown us quite a few other things. First off, the growth in the ACIE segment was much bigger than in hyperscaler revenue, where the latter came at $38 billion and the former at $37 billion. ACIE grew 31% over a quarter, whereas hyperscalers declined 14%. This quiet signals how much of a risk it might be to continue thinking of Nvidia as an undiversified vendor of chips depende...
Yau Ming Low/iStock Editorial via Getty Images If there’s one phrase that really captures what’s going on in QSR Pizza right now, it’s probably ' winner takes all .' And in a lot of markets around the world, Domino's Pizza ( DPZ ) really did take all the traffic they could get—even if that 'all' still isn't all that impressive. At the end of the day, this is still a price war. Seeking Alpha Even s...
Yau Ming Low/iStock Editorial via Getty Images If there’s one phrase that really captures what’s going on in QSR Pizza right now, it’s probably ' winner takes all .' And in a lot of markets around the world, Domino's Pizza ( DPZ ) really did take all the traffic they could get—even if that 'all' still isn't all that impressive. At the end of the day, this is still a price war. Seeking Alpha Even so, it looks like my gut feeling that Domino's Pizza Group ( DPUKY ) was getting hit a little too hard ended up being right on the money. Since I said this master franchisee looked dirt-cheap around ~$4.80 (with downside of only about ~3.7% if dividends merely stayed flat forever under the Gordon Model) Domino's UK has bounced back and already delivered close to a 10% total return, versus a bit over 7% for the S&P. We're still below the ~$6 target I had in mind, and the last time I checked, the dividend was still covered by FCF by about 2.1x. So, I think the question all the lads (notice I didn't use the traditional 'folks' this time) are asking themselves is whether this cash machine still has room to run from here. It's the same story as other chains I cover, like Dine Brands ( DIN ) and MTY Food Group ( MTY:CA ). Sometimes Mr. Market only looks at same-store sales but forgets about long-term shareholder returns. Just to give you a quick look at what still matters a lot going into FY 2026: QSR Pizza is resilient during recessions/downturns and highly promotion-driven. Franchisees may even see a dip in margins, but Domino's can gain market share by running value promotions as it is doing in the U.S. and Canada ('Best Deal Ever') and the UK ('Price Slice'). New modular stores are protecting franchisee economies (only 720 sq ft costing £200,000 to £250,000, with a payback of just 2 years) and allowing them to expand inland along roads away from urban centers. Despite increasing SKUs along with in-store complexity, Domino's UK launched Chick ’N’ Dip and is already running it w...