Tariffs, inflation, and oil prices seem to have receded into the distance for the market, even if they still present obstacles to the economy. The S&P 500 continues to rise, up 9% this year, as investors remain buoyant about opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI). In a thriving bull market, growth stocks are always in demand. Amazon (AMZN 1.39%) and MercadoLibre (MELI 0.81%) are top growth ...
Tariffs, inflation, and oil prices seem to have receded into the distance for the market, even if they still present obstacles to the economy. The S&P 500 continues to rise, up 9% this year, as investors remain buoyant about opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI). In a thriving bull market, growth stocks are always in demand. Amazon (AMZN 1.39%) and MercadoLibre (MELI 0.81%) are top growth stocks with many similarities. Let's see how they compare and which one might be the better growth stock today. The case for Amazon: AI and more Amazon, as a brand, kind of speaks for itself. It's a global e-commerce and cloud giant with many revenue streams and the ultimate growth segment today: artificial intelligence (AI). E-commerce remains Amazon's engine, and investors shouldn't overlook its growth and opportunities. The company has made a huge push into grocery, and it's now the second-largest grocer in the U.S. It serves 2,300 cities with same-day delivery and plans to keep expanding. It also leads to a positive cycle of growth, since grocery customers buy almost three times as many items and spend 80% more than non-grocery customers. AI, however, is where the major opportunity is right now. "We have never seen a technology grow as rapidly as AI," CEO Andy Jassy said in the first-quarter earnings report, and there were multiple signs of this rapid growth. Expand NASDAQ : AMZN Amazon Today's Change ( -1.39 %) $ -3.70 Current Price $ 262.62 Key Data Points Market Cap $2.9T Day's Range $ 262.07 - $ 269.26 52wk Range $ 196.00 - $ 278.56 Volume 1.1M Avg Vol 45.2M Gross Margin 50.60 % Its signature AI platform, Bedrock, is used by 80% of Fortune 100 companies, and customer spend on Bedrock increased 170% year over year in the first quarter. Amazon's AI agent creation product, Strands Agents, has been downloaded 25 million times, including a 200% quarter-over-quarter increase in the first quarter. Its agent deployment product, AgentCore, deploys an agent as frequently as e...
Key Points Massive artificial intelligence (AI) investments may have spooked Amazon shareholders. The rise in bad loan expenses has contributed to MercadoLibre's slowing stock price growth. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI) rose to prominence by pioneering e-commerce in their respective regions. Those enterprises also spawned businesses in...
Key Points Massive artificial intelligence (AI) investments may have spooked Amazon shareholders. The rise in bad loan expenses has contributed to MercadoLibre's slowing stock price growth. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI) rose to prominence by pioneering e-commerce in their respective regions. Those enterprises also spawned businesses in logistics and other industries: cloud computing in Amazon's case, and a fintech business under MercadoLibre's umbrella. Unfortunately, those non-e-commerce enterprises have brought difficulties to both companies, leading to slower stock price growth over the last year. Amid such challenges, is Amazon or MercadoLibre the better buy for investors right now? Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » Business challenges In Amazon's case, its cloud computing arm AWS has become Amazon's main profit source. It drives the majority of the company's operating income despite making up just 18% of the company's revenue in 2025. AWS has also helped spawn Amazon's artificial intelligence (AI). Unfortunately, the cost of competing in AI appears to have spooked Amazon stock investors. In its Q4 earnings report, the company announced that it would allocate $200 billion to capital expenditures (capex) this year after spending $132 billion in 2025. MercadoLibre faces a different issue with its fintech business. Thanks in part to Latin America's transition from a cash-based to a fintech-oriented society, the company's fintech arm, Mercado Pago, has become a key growth driver for the company. However, it now faces issues with non-performing loans. In the first nine months of 2025, the provision for doubtful accounts surged 58% to more than $2.1 billion, dramatically slowing MercadoLibre's profit growth. Company growth paths Fortunately, both companies can probably wea...
Earnings Call Insights: CSW Industrials (CSW) Q4 fiscal 2026 Management View "Our team delivered record fiscal fourth quarter revenue highlighted by both organic and inorganic growth, record adjusted EBITDA and record adjusted earnings per diluted share." (Chairman, President & CEO Joseph Armes) "We crossed the $1 billion mark in annual revenue during fiscal 2026... delivering 15% revenue compound...
Earnings Call Insights: CSW Industrials (CSW) Q4 fiscal 2026 Management View "Our team delivered record fiscal fourth quarter revenue highlighted by both organic and inorganic growth, record adjusted EBITDA and record adjusted earnings per diluted share." (Chairman, President & CEO Joseph Armes) "We crossed the $1 billion mark in annual revenue during fiscal 2026... delivering 15% revenue compound annual growth rate over 10 years, while allocating over $1.7 billion to accretive acquisitions." (Chairman, President & CEO Armes) "During the year, we completed five highly synergistic cash flow accretive acquisitions and made an incremental minority investment in an HVAC/R controls technology company." (Chairman, President & CEO Armes) "We ended the fiscal year at a net debt-to-EBITDA of 2.55x, which is comfortably inside our target leverage range of 1 to 3x." (Chairman, President & CEO Armes) "Revenue was a record $309 million... along with consolidated organic revenue growth of 2.8%." (Executive VP & CFO James Perry) "The fiscal fourth quarter included... expense related to impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets... connected with a planned strategic exit and disposition of the Greco business line." (Executive VP & CFO Perry) Outlook "Overall, we expect all segments to show revenue growth versus the prior year. In the EBS segment, that growth excludes the impact of exiting the Greco businesses." (Executive VP & CFO Perry) "At a consolidated level, we expect to see significant adjusted EPS growth in fiscal 2027." (Executive VP & CFO Perry) "We expect strong free cash flow generation in fiscal 2027 with significant growth from the fiscal 2026 level." (Executive VP & CFO Perry) "We currently estimate fiscal 2027 interest expense of approximately $46 million" and "we now expect amortization of intangible assets to be approximately $61 million for fiscal 2027." (Executive VP & CFO Perry) "We currently forecast our fiscal year 2027 GAAP tax rate...
"We're going through a period of very rapid warming, particularly western Europe… so if the same weather events we had in, say, the 1970s [happened again], it will not only be slightly warmer, but it will simply smash the record," said Prof Fischer.
"We're going through a period of very rapid warming, particularly western Europe… so if the same weather events we had in, say, the 1970s [happened again], it will not only be slightly warmer, but it will simply smash the record," said Prof Fischer.
Looking at options trading activity among components of the S&P 500 index, there is noteworthy activity today in CrowdStrike Holdings Inc (Symbol: CRWD), where a total volume of 20,292 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 2.0 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works ou...
Looking at options trading activity among components of the S&P 500 index, there is noteworthy activity today in CrowdStrike Holdings Inc (Symbol: CRWD), where a total volume of 20,292 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 2.0 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 67% of CRWD's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 3.0 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $240 strike put option expiring June 18, 2026 , with 634 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 63,400 underlying shares of CRWD. Below is a chart showing CRWD's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $240 strike highlighted in orange: Adobe Inc (Symbol: ADBE) saw options trading volume of 26,930 contracts, representing approximately 2.7 million underlying shares or approximately 59.5% of ADBE's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 4.5 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $260 strike call option expiring May 29, 2026, with 1,593 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 159,300 underlying shares of ADBE. Below is a chart showing ADBE's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $260 strike highlighted in orange: And Royal Caribbean Group (Symbol: RCL) options are showing a volume of 17,933 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 1.8 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 58.5% of RCL's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 3.1 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $250 strike put option expiring September 18, 2026, with 5,317 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 531,700 underlying shares of RCL. Below is a chart showing RCL's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $250 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expiration...
Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Western Digital Corp (Symbol: WDC), where a total of 46,251 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 4.6 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 57.8% of WDC's average daily trading volume over the past month of 8.0 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for t...
Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Western Digital Corp (Symbol: WDC), where a total of 46,251 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 4.6 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 57.8% of WDC's average daily trading volume over the past month of 8.0 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $600 strike call option expiring June 05, 2026 , with 1,860 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 186,000 underlying shares of WDC. Below is a chart showing WDC's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $600 strike highlighted in orange: GE Vernova Inc (Symbol: GEV) saw options trading volume of 13,038 contracts, representing approximately 1.3 million underlying shares or approximately 52.9% of GEV's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.5 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $1750 strike call option expiring June 18, 2026, with 885 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 88,500 underlying shares of GEV. Below is a chart showing GEV's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $1750 strike highlighted in orange: And Alphabet Inc (Symbol: GOOG) options are showing a volume of 98,418 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 9.8 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 50.7% of GOOG's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 19.4 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $400 strike call option expiring May 29, 2026, with 10,050 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 1.0 million underlying shares of GOOG. Below is a chart showing GOOG's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $400 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for WDC options, GEV options, or GOOG options, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P ...
Looking at options trading activity among components of the S&P 500 index, there is noteworthy activity today in First Solar Inc (Symbol: FSLR), where a total volume of 24,307 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 2.4 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 90.4...
Looking at options trading activity among components of the S&P 500 index, there is noteworthy activity today in First Solar Inc (Symbol: FSLR), where a total volume of 24,307 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 2.4 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 90.4% of FSLR's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.7 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $300 strike call option expiring June 18, 2026 , with 2,684 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 268,400 underlying shares of FSLR. Below is a chart showing FSLR's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $300 strike highlighted in orange: Warner Bros Discovery Inc (Symbol: WBD) options are showing a volume of 131,118 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 13.1 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 84.2% of WBD's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 15.6 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $25 strike put option expiring October 16, 2026, with 46,002 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 4.6 million underlying shares of WBD. Below is a chart showing WBD's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $25 strike highlighted in orange: And Eli Lilly (Symbol: LLY) options are showing a volume of 27,644 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 2.8 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 80.1% of LLY's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 3.4 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $1100 strike call option expiring May 29, 2026, with 3,650 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 365,000 underlying shares of LLY. Below is a chart showing LLY's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $1100 strike highlighted in o...
Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in SanDisk Corp (Symbol: SNDK), where a total of 108,172 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 10.8 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 71.3% of SNDK's average daily trading volume over the past month of 15.2 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $1...
Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in SanDisk Corp (Symbol: SNDK), where a total of 108,172 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 10.8 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 71.3% of SNDK's average daily trading volume over the past month of 15.2 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $1800 strike call option expiring May 29, 2026 , with 3,535 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 353,500 underlying shares of SNDK. Below is a chart showing SNDK's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $1800 strike highlighted in orange: Oracle Corp (Symbol: ORCL) options are showing a volume of 146,752 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 14.7 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 68.4% of ORCL's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 21.5 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $210 strike call option expiring May 29, 2026, with 15,469 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 1.5 million underlying shares of ORCL. Below is a chart showing ORCL's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $210 strike highlighted in orange: And United Parcel Service Inc (Symbol: UPS) options are showing a volume of 44,955 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 4.5 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 68% of UPS's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 6.6 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $107 strike call option expiring May 29, 2026, with 24,749 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 2.5 million underlying shares of UPS. Below is a chart showing UPS's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $107 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for SNDK options, ORCL options, or UPS options, visit StockOptionsC...
juststock/iStock via Getty Images Key Takeaways Markets: Global equity markets, as measured by the MSCI World Index, fell in US dollar terms during the first quarter as fears about the impact spiking energy prices would have on the global economy following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz weighed on stocks. Additionally, parts of the market were weak on concerns about the impact artificial inte...
juststock/iStock via Getty Images Key Takeaways Markets: Global equity markets, as measured by the MSCI World Index, fell in US dollar terms during the first quarter as fears about the impact spiking energy prices would have on the global economy following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz weighed on stocks. Additionally, parts of the market were weak on concerns about the impact artificial intelligence may have on a range of businesses. Value-oriented sectors and regions which are less exposed to potential AI disruption performed more strongly. Contributors: Stock selection in communication services bolstered relative results. EOG Resources ( EOG ), Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ) and BP ( BP ) were among the individual contributors. Detractors: Security selection in industrials, consumer discretionary and consumer staples hampered relative returns. Among the detractors were Capgemini ( CAPMF ), Stellantis ( STLA ) and Adobe ( ADBE ). Outlook: We remain focused on identifying opportunities to acquire stocks at attractive valuations based upon our assessment of fundamental value. Our process of finding underappreciated and misunderstood companies with identifiable catalysts to unlock shareholder value may provide meaningful upside potential and possible downside risk management during turbulent periods. Performance Review The Fund (Class Z without sales charges)( MDISX ) underperformed its benchmark, the MSCI World Value Index, for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. IT services firm Capgemini curbed relative returns amid concerns about the impact artificial intelligence (AI) will have on its business. The company's fourth-quarter results were solid but did little to dispel concerns. Management acknowledged that AI in the enterprise is maturing, but said Capgemini would use its domain knowledge and its AI tools to enable enterprise-wide AI adoption. Auto maker Stellantis detracted from relative results, after it preannounced earnings due to a larger-than-expected cash...
Key Points The average tax refund this year is 11.5% higher than it was last year. If you got a refund, you could use the money to build savings and invest. Tackling debt is another smart move that could set you up for long-term success. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › If you spent the first half of April scrambling to gather tax documents and rushing to sched...
Key Points The average tax refund this year is 11.5% higher than it was last year. If you got a refund, you could use the money to build savings and invest. Tackling debt is another smart move that could set you up for long-term success. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › If you spent the first half of April scrambling to gather tax documents and rushing to schedule time with your accountant, you may now be making a mental note to do things differently in 2027. But if you managed to get your taxes filed on time and were due a refund, there's a good chance that money has hit your bank account by now. You may be wondering what the average 2026 tax refund looks like now that we're more than a month beyond the filing deadline. Here's what the IRS reports. 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 » The average tax refund is much higher this year than last As of May 8, the average 2026 tax refund was $3,276. That's an 11.5% increase from last year, when the typical refund was $2,939. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was a contributing factor to higher refunds in 2026. The bill included a number of tax changes that clearly put a lot of money back in taxpayers' pockets. If you're sitting on a tax refund, it's important to put that money to good use -- whether your refund is smaller than the average, greater than it, or on par with it. Here's how. 1. Boost your emergency savings Saving for retirement is important. But if you don't have cash in a savings account to cover three to six months of bills in the event of a layoff, you're putting your near-term finances at risk. If you don't have an emergency fund, stick your tax refund into a high-yield savings account. That way, you can earn some interest while that money serves as your safety net. 2. Save and invest for ret...
But Bezos' larger point was not really about teachers. It was about execution. Trending: What If Your Investment Income Didn't Rely Entirely on Market Swings? Some Investors Are Taking a Different Approach That idea closely mirrors the philosophy Bezos used to transform Amazon from an online bookstore operating out of a garage into one of the most dominant companies in modern business history. New...
But Bezos' larger point was not really about teachers. It was about execution. Trending: What If Your Investment Income Didn't Rely Entirely on Market Swings? Some Investors Are Taking a Different Approach That idea closely mirrors the philosophy Bezos used to transform Amazon from an online bookstore operating out of a garage into one of the most dominant companies in modern business history. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani responded to Bezos' comments. “I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ," he wrote in a post on X . "You could double the taxes I pay , and it's not going to help that teacher in Queens," Bezos said during the interview. Bezos argued that simply adding more money to systems already struggling with execution does not automatically improve outcomes. New York City's public school system has become a lightning rod in those debates because of its enormous budget. Recent figures place annual spending at roughly $44,000 per student , among the highest levels in the country. The comments came during a broader discussion about taxes, government spending and operational performance. Importantly, Bezos was not arguing against public education itself or criticizing teachers individually. His point centered on outcomes, efficiency and whether massive spending actually translates into better results for the people using the system. The remark quickly stood out not simply because it was sharp, but because it perfectly captured the management philosophy Bezos has spent decades building into Amazon. Small differences in withdrawal and tax strategy can significantly impact long-term retirement income — see where you stand today. "If we ran Amazon the way New York City runs their school system," he said, "your packages would take six weeks to arrive. We'd have to charge you a $100 delivery fee. And then when the package did finally arrive, it'd have the wrong item in it anyway." During an appearance on CNBC on May 20, Bezos used Amazon's delivery...
General Electric was an industrial empire dating back to the late 1800s. However, it isn't one massive conglomerate anymore. After some rocky years following the financial crisis, General Electric began a process in 2021 to split into three publicly traded entities. The healthcare business spun off first, as GE HealthCare Technologies in 2023, followed by GE Vernova (GEV +3.60%) in 2024. Only Gene...
General Electric was an industrial empire dating back to the late 1800s. However, it isn't one massive conglomerate anymore. After some rocky years following the financial crisis, General Electric began a process in 2021 to split into three publicly traded entities. The healthcare business spun off first, as GE HealthCare Technologies in 2023, followed by GE Vernova (GEV +3.60%) in 2024. Only General Electric's aerospace and aviation business remained after that, so General Electric kept its iconic ticker symbol but changed its name to GE Aerospace (GE +2.98%). The split has successfully unlocked significant value for shareholders over the past couple of years. Of the three entities, GE Vernova and GE Aerospace have each delivered gains of over 100% since April 2024. Here's why these two monster stocks are no-brainers for investors to buy and hold for the next decade and beyond. GE Vernova is the AI stock you didn't know you were missing When investors think of artificial intelligence (AI), chips and data centers get most of the attention. But an increasingly bright spotlight is shining on energy. Data centers are straining the country's electric grid, driving significant infrastructure investments to bring more power online. GE Vernova is one of the leaders in gas and steam turbines for power plants, wind turbines and blades, and electrical grid components. Its customers generate a quarter of the world's electricity. Energy demands are soaring, driving greater investment. The World Resources Institute estimates that global transmission and distribution infrastructure will need to double by 2050 to accommodate the world's power needs. GE Vernova's electrification business reflects this trend; its backlog has more than quadrupled since 2022. Expand NYSE : GEV GE Vernova Today's Change ( 3.60 %) $ 37.37 Current Price $ 1076.11 Key Data Points Market Cap $279B Day's Range $ 1045.51 - $ 1094.98 52wk Range $ 458.65 - $ 1181.95 Volume 57K Avg Vol 2.5M Gross Margin 20.16 %...
In this episode of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, Motley Fool contributors Tyler Crowe, Matt Frankel, and Lou Whiteman discuss: Home Depot’s earnings: The good and the “meh.” Home Depot stock: value investment or value trap? Are interest rates really the problem for housing? Where to invest in the “coiled spring” of home equity Mailbag: Reinvest dividends or put the money to work elsewhere? Ma...
In this episode of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, Motley Fool contributors Tyler Crowe, Matt Frankel, and Lou Whiteman discuss: Home Depot’s earnings: The good and the “meh.” Home Depot stock: value investment or value trap? Are interest rates really the problem for housing? Where to invest in the “coiled spring” of home equity Mailbag: Reinvest dividends or put the money to work elsewhere? Mailbag: Where to invest in green energy? To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you're ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy. 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 » A full transcript is below. Should you buy stock in Home Depot right now? Before you buy stock in Home Depot, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Home Depot wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $477,813!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,320,088!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 986% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 208% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 26, 2026. This podcast was recorded on May 19, 2026. Tyler Crowe: Home Depot and housing on today's Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing. Welcome to Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing. I’m yo...
Coinbase (NASDAQ: $COIN ) is pushing its Base network deeper into AI payments with a new tool that lets agents interact with onchain apps from chat. The company announced Base MCP on Tuesday, adding a Model Context Protocol server that connects a user’s Base Account to AI interfaces such as Claude, ChatGPT, Codex and Cursor. Once installed, the tool lets users ask an agent to check balances, view ...
Coinbase (NASDAQ: $COIN ) is pushing its Base network deeper into AI payments with a new tool that lets agents interact with onchain apps from chat. The company announced Base MCP on Tuesday, adding a Model Context Protocol server that connects a user’s Base Account to AI interfaces such as Claude, ChatGPT, Codex and Cursor. Once installed, the tool lets users ask an agent to check balances, view transaction history, send funds, swap tokens and use supported Base apps. The launch adds another layer to Coinbase’s broader effort to make Base a settlement and activity layer for agentic commerce. Base MCP arrives with skill plugins for Morpho, Moonwell, Aerodrome, Bankr, Avantis, Virtuals and Uniswap, giving agents access to lending markets, liquidity pools, swaps, perps and token activity across the Base ecosystem. Coinbase is also tying the rollout to x402, its payment standard for small internet transactions. Together, MCP-style communication and x402 payments are meant to support a new category of commerce built around microtransactions for research, data and online services. That market is still early. A recent Keyrock report put agent-based transactions at $73 million over the past year, a small figure compared with Visa’s $14.5 trillion in annual payment volume. The number shows how experimental the category remains, even as Coinbase, Stripe, Visa (NYSE: $V ) and Google (NASDAQ: $GOOGL ) continue building around AI-driven payments. Base’s design keeps the user in the approval loop. The agent can prepare a transaction, but the Base Account opens separately so the user can review asset changes and approve or reject the request before anything moves onchain. The Base MCP server also does not hold or access private keys. For Coinbase, the product extends a familiar strategy: make Base easier to use, pull more activity into the ecosystem and position crypto rails as infrastructure for AI-native payments. Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN) is currently trading at $184...
A woman fired by an Indiana university over her Facebook post criticizing far-right commentator Charlie Kirk after he was killed will receive $225,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused her former employer of violating her free speech rights, the woman’s attorneys said Tuesday. The American Civil Liberties Union announced the settlement in a federal lawsuit it filed last year on behalf of Suzanne Sw...
A woman fired by an Indiana university over her Facebook post criticizing far-right commentator Charlie Kirk after he was killed will receive $225,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused her former employer of violating her free speech rights, the woman’s attorneys said Tuesday. The American Civil Liberties Union announced the settlement in a federal lawsuit it filed last year on behalf of Suzanne Swierc against Ball State University president Geoffrey Mearns. Swierc worked as director of health promotion and advocacy at Ball State’s campus in Muncie, Indiana, before she was fired last September. Ball State cited Swierc’s private Facebook post about Kirk as the sole reason for her termination, saying it caused “significant disruption” to the campus. Swierc’s firing violated her constitutional rights because she was “speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public concern”, said Stevie Pactor, an ACLU attorney in Indiana. “The First Amendment does not allow government institutions to retaliate in those circumstances, and this settlement reflects that,” Pactor said in a statement. Mearns defended firing Swierc in a statement sent Tuesday to campus leaders, which a Ball State spokesperson shared with the Associated Press. Mearns said backlash over Swierc’s post threatened to harm the school’s student enrolment and fundraising. He said the settlement’s “modest monetary payment” to Swierc was substantially less than fighting her lawsuit would have cost. Kirk, founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was killed by a gunman on 10 September 2025 on the campus of a Utah university. Before his death, Kirk was credited with galvanizing the conservative youth vote to help Donald Trump win a second term. Others fired for Kirk posts have won six-figure settlements Swierc was among a wave of workers who lost their jobs in both the public and private sector after posting social media comments and memes about Kirk’s assassination. And she isn’t the first to win a...
Key Points Modine Manufacturing landed a monumental deal to provide data center cooling solutions to a hyperscale customer. The $4 billion deal will see Modine receive $165 million upfront and will run from 2027 to 2029. With a spinoff pending, Modine looks poised to become a growth stock again. 10 stocks we like better than Modine Manufacturing › Shares of leading thermal management solutions pro...
Key Points Modine Manufacturing landed a monumental deal to provide data center cooling solutions to a hyperscale customer. The $4 billion deal will see Modine receive $165 million upfront and will run from 2027 to 2029. With a spinoff pending, Modine looks poised to become a growth stock again. 10 stocks we like better than Modine Manufacturing › Shares of leading thermal management solutions provider Modine Manufacturing (NYSE: MOD) are 16% higher as of 1 p.m. ET today after the company announced a major $4 billion deal with a hyperscaler customer. The data center customer will use Modine's Airedale cooling solutions to support the incredible ongoing infrastructure build-out tied to the AI boom. The $4 billion will cover work scheduled for 2027 through 2029 and includes a $165 million upfront payment to help "support capacity investments and other expenditures needed to meet its commitments." I think the market's positive reaction to this news makes sense for a couple of reasons. First, the deal shows they're not only a leader in the climate solutions industry (HVAC and heat transfer solutions), but also in the booming data center space. It looks like a major vote of confidence from a big-time customer. Neil Brinker, Chief Executive Officer, explained, "This landmark agreement is a testament to the successful execution of our long-term strategy to grow our Data Centers business and validates our position as a technology leader." 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 » Second, the size of the deal is simply massive, considering that Modine's data center sales in 2025 were only about $700 million, and this deal will be somewhere around $1.3 billion annually starting in 2027. This data center unit just grew sales by 78% in Modine's most recent quarter, and management believed it would hit $...
Among Barchart’s top 200 bullish price surprises on Friday, there were only a handful of stocks that had standard deviations over 4.00. One of them was NetApp (NTAP), a data management and storage software company. NetApp’s stock gained over 12% on the day, bringing its gains for 2026 to 30.1% and over 80% for the past five years. While that might not match the gains of high-flying tech stocks lik...
Among Barchart’s top 200 bullish price surprises on Friday, there were only a handful of stocks that had standard deviations over 4.00. One of them was NetApp (NTAP), a data management and storage software company. NetApp’s stock gained over 12% on the day, bringing its gains for 2026 to 30.1% and over 80% for the past five years. While that might not match the gains of high-flying tech stocks like Micron Technology (MU) or Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), NTAP did hit a new 52-week high of $141.75 on Friday. If it maintains its current momentum, NTAP could soon challenge its October 16, 2000, all-time high of $152.75. Despite trading near an all-time high, the Silicon Valley tech company trades at a reasonable valuation relative to tech stocks in general and to the overall markets. While I can definitely say I’m not an expert on NetApp, or most tech stocks for that matter, I can see three reasons its stock should be on your watchlist. Free Cash Flow Rules the Roost NetApp’s trailing 12-month (TTM) free cash flow (FCF), as of Jan. 23, 2026, was $1.61 billion, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. That’s the highest it’s been in its 30-plus years as a public company. Based on TTM revenue of $6.71 billion, that’s an FCF margin of 24.0%. Between fiscal 2021 and 2025, NetApp's revenue and free cash flow grew by 14.5%. That’s significant growth, but it’s enough to keep its valuation moving higher. In Q3 2026, which it reported in February, its FCF declined by 19.8% to $271 million from $338 million a year earlier. That resulted in its FCF margin declining by 480 basis points to 15.8%. You shouldn’t be alarmed by this. Free cash flow will vary quarter to quarter, depending on sales timing, new customers, etc. For example, in Q3 2024, its free cash flow was $448 million, considerably higher than in Q3 2026. Based on Q4 2025’s FCF of $640 million, investors can expect NetApp’s Q4 2026 FCF to be $692 million or higher, assuming similar FCF margins. For the year, I expect...
Upstart (UPST +6.13%) and LendingClub (LC +2.56%) are fighting for dominance in the digital lending space. Both companies leverage technology to streamline personal loans, but their business models and risk profiles vary significantly. Upstart operates as an artificial intelligence marketplace that connects borrowers with various banking partners. LendingClub functions as a digital marketplace ban...
Upstart (UPST +6.13%) and LendingClub (LC +2.56%) are fighting for dominance in the digital lending space. Both companies leverage technology to streamline personal loans, but their business models and risk profiles vary significantly. Upstart operates as an artificial intelligence marketplace that connects borrowers with various banking partners. LendingClub functions as a digital marketplace bank, holding more loans on its own balance sheet after acquiring a banking charter. This difference in how they fund and hold loans defines their financial health and market perception. The case for Upstart Upstart uses proprietary models to evaluate credit-worthiness for personal, auto, and home equity loans. It primarily acts as a middleman, selling its technology services to more than 100 bank and credit union partners. Customer concentration like this adds a layer of risk to the business, as fees from its top three lending partners accounted for 61% of total revenue in 2025. In FY 2025, revenue reached approximately $1.1 billion, representing a significant revenue growth rate of nearly 58.9% over the previous year. The company reported a net income of close to $53.6 million, marking a return to profitability after substantial net losses in 2024. This recovery followed a challenging period of rising interest rates that temporarily slowed lending activity across the fintech sector. As of its December 2025 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio was roughly 2.3x, meaning the company uses more borrowed funds than its own capital. The current ratio, which measures the ability to pay short-term debts with current assets, stood at a strong 3.0x. Free cash flow, defined as cash from operations minus capital spending, was approximately negative $166.1 million for FY 2025. The case for LendingClub LendingClub operates a mobile-first platform that provides personal loans and deposit products to more than 5 million members. Unlike its pure-tech competitors, it uses its own bank chart...
Ferrari is breaking a lot of new ground with the Luce. It’s the luxury automaker’s first car with five seats, its first partnership with Apple’s former chief designer Jony Ive — who designed the iPhone, among other products — and the luxury automaker’s first electric vehicle. But Ferrari is taking a risk releasing the Luce when the market for luxury EVs is questionable. Must Read Porsche, for inst...
Ferrari is breaking a lot of new ground with the Luce. It’s the luxury automaker’s first car with five seats, its first partnership with Apple’s former chief designer Jony Ive — who designed the iPhone, among other products — and the luxury automaker’s first electric vehicle. But Ferrari is taking a risk releasing the Luce when the market for luxury EVs is questionable. Must Read Porsche, for instance, is considering scrapping (1) the 718 Boxster and Cayman EVs, citing rising expenses and development delays. Bentley delayed its electric-only goal from 2030 to 2035 — and then scrapped that entirely (2). Mercedes Benz EVs quietly disappeared (3) from U.S. dealers last year due to decreased demand (though they’re returning now). General Motors has indefinitely suspended (4) work on the Hummer EV (along with the Silverado and Sierra EVs) and slowed production (5) of electric Cadillacs. Still, Ferrari is betting on the power of its name and the passion of its customer base to succeed where competitors have failed to break through. That’s despite the Luce’s price tag. In development since 2021, the new EV retails for $640,000, making it one of the most expensive Ferraris that weren’t a limited production. Here’s what you get for that price, and whether Ferrari’s gamble will pay off. A different type of Ferrari The Luce (pronounced-loo-chay, Italian for ‘light’) looks considerably different than a typical Ferrari. Its upper half is made of glass (6), as are many fittings, filling it with light. It has an aluminum body (7) and sits lower to the ground than the Purosangue, Ferrari’s first four-door vehicle, released two-years ago. Its wheels are the largest ever on a Ferrari and the doors are center opening. Taillights glow through a black panel on the back of the car. The Luce can go from 0 to 60 in under 2.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 190 mph. Top Gear’s Jason Barlow reviewed (8) the car, noting that Ferrari had originally considered building on its F80 hybrid and ...
In this episode of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, Motley Fool contributors Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss: Google I/O Is this AI for normies? Downstream impacts for investors. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you're ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy. A full transcript is below. Th...
In this episode of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, Motley Fool contributors Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss: Google I/O Is this AI for normies? Downstream impacts for investors. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you're ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy. A full transcript is below. This podcast was recorded on May 20, 2026. Travis Hoium: Is Google back in the AI lead? Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing starts now. Welcome to Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing. I'm Travis Hoium, joined today by Rachel Warren and Lou Whiteman, and guys, the big news yesterday, in the market and the technology was Google had their I/O event. Lou, I'm sure you watched the whole thing, didn't you? Lou Whiteman: I/O. Travis Hoium: This was a very interesting presentation. They announced a whole bunch of different things, throwing spaghetti at the wall. That said, it seems like they are pushing forward with their really good models, depending on who you are, and then also changing their products a little bit. We thought, or a lot of people thought a few years ago, hey, 10 Bulinks are gonna be dead. Google's in real trouble. Now we're seeing some updates to Google itself, the Google website that's going to incorporate some of these AI tools. Their Flash 3.5 model is getting really good reviews. As long as you aren't a coder, we'll maybe talk about that in a moment. But when you looked at this, it seems they're playing a card that nobody else can play with their vertically integrated stack, with their consumer focus. Sure, they're not going to win where Anthropic is, but their prize may be even bigger in the end. Is that the right way to think about it? Lou Whiteman: From the top, we need to do a disclaimer here. These events are designed to impress. Maybe with the notable exception, if you're an investor, you should mostly ignore these. That day when Steve Jobs stood up on stage ...
In this episode of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, Motley Fool contributors Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss: Google I/O Is this AI for normies? Downstream impacts for investors. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you're ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy. Will AI create the world's fir...
In this episode of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, Motley Fool contributors Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss: Google I/O Is this AI for normies? Downstream impacts for investors. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you're ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy. 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 » A full transcript is below. Should you buy stock in Alphabet right now? Before you buy stock in Alphabet, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Alphabet wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $477,813!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,320,088!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 986% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 208% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 26, 2026. This podcast was recorded on May 20, 2026. Travis Hoium: Is Google back in the AI lead? Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing starts now. Welcome to Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing. I'm Travis Hoium, joined today by Rachel Warren and Lou Whiteman, and guys, the big news yesterday, in the market and the technology was Google had their I/O event. Lou, I'm sure you watched the whole thing, didn't you? Lou Whiteman: I/O. T...
This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chip Stock Just Joined Nvidia, Broadcom, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Samsung in the $1 Trillion Club. Is It a Buy Now? The Motley Fool
This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chip Stock Just Joined Nvidia, Broadcom, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Samsung in the $1 Trillion Club. Is It a Buy Now? The Motley Fool