IREN Limited is pivoting from Bitcoin mining to AI infrastructure, securing an 800MW data center campus in Australia and a $3.65 billion Microsoft-backed financing facility.
IREN Limited is pivoting from Bitcoin mining to AI infrastructure, securing an 800MW data center campus in Australia and a $3.65 billion Microsoft-backed financing facility.
New U.S. rules aimed at strengthening oversight of undersea internet infrastructure could make it easier for trusted tech companies such as Meta Platforms, Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google to expand global cable networks while tightening restrictions on Chinese-linked equipment. FCC...
New U.S. rules aimed at strengthening oversight of undersea internet infrastructure could make it easier for trusted tech companies such as Meta Platforms, Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google to expand global cable networks while tightening restrictions on Chinese-linked equipment. FCC...
imaginima/E+ via Getty Images IDT Corporation ( IDT ) is a diversified communications and financial technology company. Its business includes traditional telecom operations and faster-growing platforms in retail technology, money transfer, and cloud communications. Traditional communications is still the segment that generates more revenue, but NRS, BOSS Money, and net2phone are other higher growt...
imaginima/E+ via Getty Images IDT Corporation ( IDT ) is a diversified communications and financial technology company. Its business includes traditional telecom operations and faster-growing platforms in retail technology, money transfer, and cloud communications. Traditional communications is still the segment that generates more revenue, but NRS, BOSS Money, and net2phone are other higher growth segments with better margins. These businesses give IDT exposure to independent retail point-of-sale (POS) systems, digital remittances, and cloud-based business communications. Overall, it’s a relatively promising stock in this sector, and its valuation still has room to run in my opinion, so I rate them a “Buy” at these levels for long-term investors. Legacy Cash Flow, Newer Growth Engines IDT Corporation is essentially a fintech and communications company. They have a mature business with traditional telecom assets that still produces large revenues. These cash flows help them finance new developments with interesting growth potential, such as retail technology (NRS), remittances (BOSS Money), and cloud communications (net2phone). IDT was founded back in 1990 and is currently headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. The stock has also appreciated nicely from its 2025 lows, and they recently reported quarterly results, so I thought it was worthwhile covering this otherwise underfollowed name. Source: Seeking Alpha. As a quick overview, IDT reports four segments : 1) NRS, 2) Fintech, 3) net2phone, and 4) Traditional Communications. In fiscal 2025, their total revenue reached $1.2 billion . Traditional Communications still represented the majority of revenue at 69.8%, while Fintech contributed 12.6%, NRS 10.5%, and net2phone 7.1%. To give you an idea, IDT’s Traditional Communications includes IDT Digital Payments, BOSS Revolution, and IDT Global. IDT Digital Payments sells prepaid mobile services, digital gift cards, and eSIMs. BOSS Revolution is an international long-distanc...
Christian Rummel Adobe ( ADBE ) shares have slid nearly 30% since the beginning of the year, largely on concerns that AI will undermine its business model. We asked Seeking Alpha analysts David Desjardins, Louis Gerard, and Luca Socci if they thought Adobe could thrive in the age of AI. David Desjardins : Not only do I believe that Adobe ( ADBE ) can thrive in the age of AI, but I also think that ...
Christian Rummel Adobe ( ADBE ) shares have slid nearly 30% since the beginning of the year, largely on concerns that AI will undermine its business model. We asked Seeking Alpha analysts David Desjardins, Louis Gerard, and Luca Socci if they thought Adobe could thrive in the age of AI. David Desjardins : Not only do I believe that Adobe ( ADBE ) can thrive in the age of AI, but I also think that the company’s competitive advantages may even be strengthened in such an environment. Similar to what other enterprise software companies like ServiceNow ( NOW ), Intuit ( INTU ), and Salesforce ( CRM ) are doing, Adobe is incorporating artificial intelligence across its entire product offering, with tools like Adobe Firefly being specifically designed to work in parallel with generative AI. The notion that marketing professionals at large agencies like WPP ( WPP ), Publicis Groupe ( PUBGY ), or Omnicom ( OMC ) will simply abandon a product like Photoshop and move to a general-purpose large-language model like Anthropic's ( ANTHRO ) Claude or OpenAI's ( OPENAI ) ChatGPT does not make sense to me. In my view, artificial intelligence will be deployed on top of software rather than replacing it. This is when the relationship between software and artificial intelligence becomes more symbiotic than competitive. Now that Adobe’s stock is up by more than 20% from the last low reached on April 10th, this is what market participants may be starting to realize after they panic sold over the last few months. Moreover, Adobe ( ADBE ) has also started adapting its pricing model, moving to a consumption model for some products rather than the typical seat-based model. It is precisely through an ecosystem like Adobe’s Creative Cloud that the efficiency gains associated with AI can be harnessed. In such an environment, the company’s products may become even more important than ever. Louis Gerard : I certainly believe that Adobe ( ADBE ) can thrive in the age of AI. Despite the continuous d...
Co-hosts’ government adamant Zocalo event will go ahead 100,000 expected at official Fifa Fan Fest for kick-off Mexico is planning to increase the police and security presence around Zocalo plaza in Mexico City to ensure the World Cup Fan Fest can go ahead amid growing social unrest and public protests. Much of the city’s historic centre, including the Catedral Metropolitana and Aztec ruin Templo ...
Co-hosts’ government adamant Zocalo event will go ahead 100,000 expected at official Fifa Fan Fest for kick-off Mexico is planning to increase the police and security presence around Zocalo plaza in Mexico City to ensure the World Cup Fan Fest can go ahead amid growing social unrest and public protests. Much of the city’s historic centre, including the Catedral Metropolitana and Aztec ruin Templo Mayor, is locked down, but the president Claudia Sheinbaum’s government is adamant that Zocalo will remain open throughout the tournament. Continue reading...
Can you go undefeated? | Screenshot: The Verge 82-0 marries the stat nerd fun of fantasy basketball with instant gratification and a bit of dumb luck. The goal is to draft a team of players that could (theoretically) have a perfect 82-0 season. Obviously, if you just had free rein to pick whoever you wanted from throughout history, there would be little challenge. The twist is that the site random...
Can you go undefeated? | Screenshot: The Verge 82-0 marries the stat nerd fun of fantasy basketball with instant gratification and a bit of dumb luck. The goal is to draft a team of players that could (theoretically) have a perfect 82-0 season. Obviously, if you just had free rein to pick whoever you wanted from throughout history, there would be little challenge. The twist is that the site randomly selects a team and an era, and then you pick a single player. So, for example, if you pulled the Knicks and 2020s, you might pick Jalen Brunson as your point guard, then you'd get a new team and era to select your center from. You can reshuffle the team once, and the era once, if you don' … Read the full story at The Verge.
UK Government Plots Digital ID Lockdown On Every Phone In Lockstep With Big Tech Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity , The Labour government in Britain is accelerating its assault on digital privacy under the well-worn banner of child protection. Fresh plans leaked to the press reveal ministers intend to compel Apple, Google and other tech firms to restrict smartphones so thoroughly that a digi...
UK Government Plots Digital ID Lockdown On Every Phone In Lockstep With Big Tech Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity , The Labour government in Britain is accelerating its assault on digital privacy under the well-worn banner of child protection. Fresh plans leaked to the press reveal ministers intend to compel Apple, Google and other tech firms to restrict smartphones so thoroughly that a digital ID will be needed to use them with unfettered access. The mechanism comes in the form of expanded age verification that effectively demands digital identification for device setup and use. What is sold as safeguarding the young is shaping up as a backdoor mandate for every adult in Britain to submit ID just to operate a phone or go online. This development lands alongside Google's confirmation that it will soon bring digital IDs to Android devices in the UK via Google Wallet. Users will record a short video selfie and scan a government-issued ID to add a digital version of their passport or other documents. Google is bringing Digital IDs to the UK 'soon' to bolster age checks on Android phones https://t.co/H9wSASduQe - GB News (@GBNEWS) June 4, 2026 The feature, already rolling out in select EU countries this summer, is explicitly tied to the UK's Online Safety Act requirements for age checks on content involving self-harm, eating disorders, bullying and pornography. Google is exploring certification under the government's digital identity trust framework, which could extend its use to everyday purchases such as alcohol. Apple has already implemented similar restrictions on iOS devices in Britain, forcing age confirmation or locking users into limited "child mode." Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo has been blunt about where this leads. "Protecting children online is vital, but these are outrageous plans that will fail to address the underlying causes of online harm. This will only result in population-wide ID checks for all of us to use our phones, tablets and la...
tommasolizzul/iStock via Getty Images Co-authored with Beyond Saving You're packing for a trip; what do you pack? The answer is - it depends. If you're headed out to the corporate office for an important meeting, you're going to pack formal wear, your laptop, and other business things. If you're packing for a stay at an all-inclusive resort, you're going to bring a lot of comfortable, informal clo...
tommasolizzul/iStock via Getty Images Co-authored with Beyond Saving You're packing for a trip; what do you pack? The answer is - it depends. If you're headed out to the corporate office for an important meeting, you're going to pack formal wear, your laptop, and other business things. If you're packing for a stay at an all-inclusive resort, you're going to bring a lot of comfortable, informal clothes. If you're going skiing, you'll pack the thermal underwear, gloves, and jackets. My point is that you aren't going to pack the same way for every trip. When you're packing for a trip, you're going to think about the types of activities you plan on doing when selecting what to bring. Your plan informs your selection. Could you imagine trying to pack for a trip if you didn't know where you were going or what you might be doing? As we're picking out stocks in the market, we should have the same mindset. We should start with a goal and develop a plan to achieve that goal. When you approach the market without a plan, you might find yourself standing on a beach in snow pants. At least your legs won't get sunburned. Today, I want to talk about making sure that your portfolio plan is meeting your goals and how copying others might not be the best move because they might be taking a different trip. Learning From Others Often, I hear people talk about mimicking what other successful people are doing in the market. This is a sensible idea. Whenever you're learning something, it's a good idea to look at what people who are successful are doing. However, it's crucial to be aware that the person you're looking at likely has different goals and skills than you have. In the investing world, people often look to billionaires. This is very logical, and we can learn a lot of lessons from observing. However, we need to take into account that their goals, skills, and time will be different than ours. One example is that we routinely recommend that investors diversify with at least 42 diffe...
The "Magnificent Seven" are a group of seven mega-cap technology companies with enormous valuations that have a sizable influence on the stock market. Alphabet , Amazon , Apple , Meta Platforms , Microsoft , Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) , and Tesla make up the Magnificent Seven , and their earnings growth is expected to be significantly higher than the broader market over the next couple of years. It is ...
The "Magnificent Seven" are a group of seven mega-cap technology companies with enormous valuations that have a sizable influence on the stock market. Alphabet , Amazon , Apple , Meta Platforms , Microsoft , Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) , and Tesla make up the Magnificent Seven , and their earnings growth is expected to be significantly higher than the broader market over the next couple of years. It is worth noting that this group has been spending heavily to build artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are poised to spend a collective $725 billion on capital expenses this year, up by 77% from last year's record outlay. Meanwhile, Tesla's capital spending is expected to jump to more than $25 billion this year from $8.5 billion last year, driven by investments in humanoid robots and robotaxis. Though Apple has been conservative with capital spending, the iPhone maker has still spent a notable $4.3 billion on capex over the past couple of quarters. Continue reading
Comparing the Roundhill Investments Generative AI & Technology ETF (NYSEMKT:CHAT) and State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLK) involves weighing the high-growth potential of niche generative artificial intelligence stocks against established technology giants at a lower cost. Investors seeking technology exposure often choose between broad sector plays and targeted thematic fun...
Comparing the Roundhill Investments Generative AI & Technology ETF (NYSEMKT:CHAT) and State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLK) involves weighing the high-growth potential of niche generative artificial intelligence stocks against established technology giants at a lower cost. Investors seeking technology exposure often choose between broad sector plays and targeted thematic funds. CHAT offers an actively managed approach to the emerging generative artificial intelligence space, while XLK provides passive exposure to the largest technology companies within the S&P 500. This comparison highlights their divergent strategies and risk profiles. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The One-year return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Dividend yield is the trailing-12-month distribution yield. Continue reading
FIFA is offering assurances to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani that fans may bring water into World Cup stadiums — within certain rules. Mamdani raised concerns Thursday about reports that FIFA had banned fans from bringing bottles of water to World Cup matches, demanding answers from FIFA. Bloomberg Opinion Business of Sports Columnist Adam Minter joined David Gura and Christina Ruffini on Bloomber...
FIFA is offering assurances to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani that fans may bring water into World Cup stadiums — within certain rules. Mamdani raised concerns Thursday about reports that FIFA had banned fans from bringing bottles of water to World Cup matches, demanding answers from FIFA. Bloomberg Opinion Business of Sports Columnist Adam Minter joined David Gura and Christina Ruffini on Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss. (Source: Bloomberg)
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group Plc is considering a £500 million ($667 million) bid for Metrocentre, one of the UK’s biggest shopping centers, Sky News reports. Estate agents at Knight Frank are running a sale process for the center in Gateshead, with initial bids expected next month, according to the report . An update on Frasers’ property investments will be given when it reports full-year results ...
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group Plc is considering a £500 million ($667 million) bid for Metrocentre, one of the UK’s biggest shopping centers, Sky News reports. Estate agents at Knight Frank are running a sale process for the center in Gateshead, with initial bids expected next month, according to the report . An update on Frasers’ property investments will be given when it reports full-year results next month, a spokesperson told Sky. The group declined to comment to the outlet on its potential interest in Metrocentre. Frasers owns retail brands such as Sports Direct.
VIJ/iStock via Getty Images Torrid Holdings ( CURV ) just reported 1Q26 results . The results were still very challenging, in my opinion, with sales down on an absolute and comp basis, margins down, and adjusted EBITDA down almost $10 million. Although the price remains very reasonable from an FCF multiple perspective, in my opinion, the stock remains a falling knife in apparel retail. The cash yi...
VIJ/iStock via Getty Images Torrid Holdings ( CURV ) just reported 1Q26 results . The results were still very challenging, in my opinion, with sales down on an absolute and comp basis, margins down, and adjusted EBITDA down almost $10 million. Although the price remains very reasonable from an FCF multiple perspective, in my opinion, the stock remains a falling knife in apparel retail. The cash yield may look interesting, and there is a speculative case if second-half comps turn positive, but from a fundamental perspective, I do not think the risk/reward is attractive enough. I maintain a Hold rating. 1Q26 results Torrid posted net sales of $246 million in Q1, down ~7.5% from $266 million last year. Comps decline less, 1.7%, because a bunch of the lost sales come from closed stores, almost 27% from last year. The company's store count ended the quarter at 463, down from 632 last year. The comp figure is still challenging because last year the company also posted negative comps in 1Q25 , and even in 1Q24 . Management pointed out that excluding footwear, comparable sales would have been positive 1.2%. This is because the company paused the footwear business last year because of sourcing and tariff issues, creating a first-half comp headwind. Gross profit fell even more, from $101 million to $87 million. Gross margin declined almost 300bps, on top of a 300bps decline in 1Q25. Management attributed the decline to tariffs and promotions, but also noted (positively) that opening price points now account for 30% of apparel sales. This implies lower prices, which might be offset via lower quality on the merchandising side, but is probably also burdening margins. As commented in my last article, I do not see this as necessarily positive. Opening price points may help conversion and basket building, but they also signal that the customer needs a cheaper product to engage. That is not a good sign for pricing power. SG&A was better in dollar terms, falling from $70 million to $...