WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a push to avoid a lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users, a decision that comes as social media companies increasingly face legal scrutiny. Parent company Meta Platforms Inc. appealed after Vermont’s highest court allowed a suit filed by its attorney general in 2023 to move forward. The company is facing similar lawsu...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a push to avoid a lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users, a decision that comes as social media companies increasingly face legal scrutiny. Parent company Meta Platforms Inc. appealed after Vermont’s highest court allowed a suit filed by its attorney general in 2023 to move forward. The company is facing similar lawsuits from states across the country, accusing it of knowingly designing addictive features. Meta had argued that it can’t be sued in Vermont court because neither the company nor the app design has specific ties to the state. Vermont countered that the sites’ large number of teen users gives its courts jurisdiction. Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in a brief, unexplained order, as is typical. The procedural decision comes after court losses for Meta and YouTube in social media addiction lawsuits in California and New Mexico. Vermont's lawsuit was filed after an investigation by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in several states. Newspaper reports based on Meta’s own research also found that the company knew about the harms Instagram can cause teenagers — especially teen girls — when it comes to mental health and body image issues. One internal study cited 13.5% of teen girls saying Instagram makes thoughts of suicide worse and 17% of teen girls saying it makes eating disorders worse. Almost all teens ages 13 to 17 in the U.S. report using a social media platform, with about a third saying they use social media “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center. Meta, for its part, has said that it has already introduced dozens of tools to support teens and their families and suggested it would have worked with the states on standards for youth social media use. Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark applauded the decision, saying it affirms “that companies that choose to do business in Vermont, like Meta, can be hel...
The police criminal inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal faces a five-year delay unless it is handed millions in extra funding and nearly 100 more staff, according to the chief officer in charge. The Metropolitan police commander Stephen Clayman said he needed to nearly double the number of investigators to 210 to meet a deadline of late next year or early 2028 for submitting files to p...
The police criminal inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal faces a five-year delay unless it is handed millions in extra funding and nearly 100 more staff, according to the chief officer in charge. The Metropolitan police commander Stephen Clayman said he needed to nearly double the number of investigators to 210 to meet a deadline of late next year or early 2028 for submitting files to prosecutors. The Home Office recently gave a special grant of £2.8m to the investigation but Clayman said its projected budget was up to £19.3m, leaving a £16.5m shortfall. More than 900 post office operators were prosecuted by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015 because of the faulty Horizon accounting software from the Japanese technology company Fujitsu that made it look as if they had committed fraud. The scandal has been described as the worst miscarriage of justice in British history, and was the subject of the acclaimed ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which aired in January 2024. Ministers introduced legislation later that year to exonerate people who had been wrongly prosecuted. The police investigation has previously been described as unprecedented in size and scale, and is the first to examine potential offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice by those who made key decisions on Post Office investigations. Police will await the full publication of the conclusions of Sir Wyn Williams’s two-year public inquiry into the Post Office and the Horizon IT scandal before moving to charging. Part one of the inquiry’s findings, which focused on the human impact and on financial redress, was published last year. No date has yet been set for the release of the second part, which is expected to focus on the Horizon system’s flaws, the culture within the Post Office and Fujitsu and how post office operators came to be wrongfully prosecuted. View image in fullscreen Met commander Stephen Clayman said his priority was to ‘deliver justice’ for victims and fam...
A Reform UK plan to cut the size of the civil service would involve sacking more planning officers than exist and getting rid of at least two-thirds of the psychologists who support prison officers’ welfare, it has emerged. The policy paper, led by the Reform MP Danny Kruger and published in December, promises to save more than £5bn a year by cutting civil service roles, with the full-time-equival...
A Reform UK plan to cut the size of the civil service would involve sacking more planning officers than exist and getting rid of at least two-thirds of the psychologists who support prison officers’ welfare, it has emerged. The policy paper, led by the Reform MP Danny Kruger and published in December, promises to save more than £5bn a year by cutting civil service roles, with the full-time-equivalent (FTE) headcount falling by 13%. Titled Storm and Sunshine, the report calls for a particular focus on areas such as communications, where it says numbers would be reduced by 60%, and human resources, where a two-thirds reduction is envisaged. Among detailed proposals for other areas, the paper calls for a “reduction of 450 FTEs in planning, accounting for £40m a year”. According to the 2025 statistics for civil servants employed in each role, however, there are only 445 planners employed across the civil service in Britain, about a third of them at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Asked how it would be possible to sack more planners than existed, a Reform spokesperson said the total included 440 people employed as planning inspectors at the MHCLG. “Our number stands,” they said. The inspectors work for the Planning Inspectorate, an arm of the MHCLG which decides on planning appeals and deals with recommendations for major infrastructure projects such as power plants. It is not clear how well this work could continue after significant staff cuts. Another part of the Reform plan pledges to cut 930 occupational psychology roles, saving £60m a year. The civil service statistics show that of 1,390 psychologists, 90% work in the prison and probation service, where they primarily help prison staff. Asked about the potential consequences for the welfare of prison staff if the cut were to happen, a Reform spokesperson said: “Prisons will be much safer places to work under a Reform government and working conditions for prison officers will be gr...
Q : Given the pressure in the smartphone industry, how does Xiaomi plan to maintain high profitability in its AIoT business, especially with new product launches and overseas market developments? A : Weibing Lu, President of the Group: Xiaomi is focusing on premiumization in the China market and expanding its product mix overseas. The company has enhanced its AIoT business to balance the pressure ...
Q : Given the pressure in the smartphone industry, how does Xiaomi plan to maintain high profitability in its AIoT business, especially with new product launches and overseas market developments? A : Weibing Lu, President of the Group: Xiaomi is focusing on premiumization in the China market and expanding its product mix overseas. The company has enhanced its AIoT business to balance the pressure from rising memory costs. In overseas markets, Xiaomi is expanding its scale and collaborating with e-commerce players to double growth. The potential for growth in AIoT remains significant, with overseas markets offering twice the potential of the Chinese market. Xiaomi's AI initiatives, including the MiMo-V2.5 series, have shown significant progress, with the MiMo-V2.5-Pro ranking first in the Comprehensive Intelligence Index among global open-source large models. The gross profit margin for Xiaomi's IoT business was 25.2%, demonstrating the company's ability to hedge against fluctuations in a single industry through multi-business synergy. The company maintained its position among the top three globally in smartphone shipments for 23 consecutive quarters, with a market share of 11.3%. Story Continues Q: What are the differences in user profiles and sales impacts between the new generation U7 and last year's U7 models in Xiaomi's EV business? A: Weibing Lu, President of the Group: The U7 series, including the new G7 model, is designed to compete with models like Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y. The G7 has set a record at the Nurburgring, showcasing its performance capabilities. More than half of the users are opting for the full configuration, indicating strong demand. The G7 is expected to complement Xiaomi's product line and improve gross margins. Q: How is Xiaomi progressing with its AI initiatives, particularly with the MiMo large model and MiClaw? A: Weibing Lu, President of the Group: Xiaomi is actively promoting MiClaw across various devices, aiming to enhance user exp...
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. The Fitbit app is no more. Along with the launch of the new Fitbit Air (which you can expect a full review of once we’ve spent more time with it), Google has officially replaced it with Google Health, as previously announced, and many of the responses we’ve seen so far are full of confusion, frustration, and re...
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. The Fitbit app is no more. Along with the launch of the new Fitbit Air (which you can expect a full review of once we’ve spent more time with it), Google has officially replaced it with Google Health, as previously announced, and many of the responses we’ve seen so far are full of confusion, frustration, and requests to get the old app back. One post on Reddit calls out a common issue, saying, “I can’t even completely fill up my home screen. They only have 2 large tiles available and I can’t just scroll down to see everything.” The landing page has a small section up top showing steps and some other basic stats, but part of the app’s main page is now reserved for recent activity updates and chatty notes from Google’s AI health coach. The AI didn’t have much to say to me, but for my senior editor, Richard Lawler, it started a conversation about today’s plans that he wasn’t quite ready to have with a chatbot. Screenshot: Richard Lawler / Google Not everyone is annoyed by the AI bot however, with one person commenting, “When I ask it to design a moderate workout using my office gym equipment, circuit style, I usually end up feeling great afterwards.” Another person called it “quite a helpful feature,” showing how they were able to update their sleep log with a missed session by chatting with the AI bot. Another user said, “This graphic UI looks like something an 8 year old would make,” while someone else complained, “Why must I now scroll through paragraphs of AI slop on every tab before I can actually see my activities and data? I don’t want or need to read platitudes about my 15 minute walk to the grocery store. I want to see my stats from my morning run.” One post on Google’s help center sums things up, saying, “This app is a huge disappointment and a total time drain to get minimal results. How can I get back to using what worked?!” Many others were in agreement, with one reply ...
I woke up in Las Vegas on Monday to an avalanche of messages from people across elite sport asking about the Enhanced Games. Some wanted to know what it was really like. Most, though, wanted to dance on its grave. So much for the organisers’ promises that we would witness multiple world records. So much for their ridiculous claim to be the “Super Bowl of athletics, swimming and weightlifting!” Hub...
I woke up in Las Vegas on Monday to an avalanche of messages from people across elite sport asking about the Enhanced Games. Some wanted to know what it was really like. Most, though, wanted to dance on its grave. So much for the organisers’ promises that we would witness multiple world records. So much for their ridiculous claim to be the “Super Bowl of athletics, swimming and weightlifting!” Hubris meet nemesis. Perhaps the most farcical moment came just before the women’s 100m final. Only one athlete in the modest field had ever broken 11 seconds. But that didn’t stop the announcer floating the idea that Florence Griffith Joyner’s world record of 10.49sec might be under threat. “Are we going to witness history?” she asked. “Let’s hope so.” Of course we weren’t. Tristan Evelyn, who was competing as a drug-free athlete, won in 11.26sec – a time that would have barely made it out of the first round of the 2024 Olympics. But I have some bad news for my friends in high-level sport, who despise the Enhanced Games and everything it stands for. It is not going away. At least not yet. When I spoke to its chair, Christian Angermayer, on Sunday night he revealed the plan for next year was to invite fitness influencers to race alongside elite athletes. A legends section may also follow, he reckoned. Shortly afterwards, the Australian swim coach Brett Hawke revealed that his phone had been buzzing with elite stars wanting to sign up. Can you blame them? Hunter Armstrong competed clean and walked away with $250,000 (£186,000). That’s 12½ times what gold at the World Aquatics championships pays. While World Athletics offers significantly more – the winner of each event in its Ultimate Championships will get $150,000 – Angermayer believes he can also lure big track stars over. So dismiss the Enhanced Games all you like. But don’t ignore the underlying reasons why some are tempted. You can’t pay a mortgage with morals. So what was it like being there on the ground? Most of the ti...
Elon Musk Welcomes American Airlines To The Starlink Family American Airlines shares jumped on Tuesday after the carrier announced a sweeping modernization of its narrow-body in-flight experience, with plans to install Starlink satellite internet terminals across 500 of its narrow-body jets in Q1 2027. The modernization effort signals the end of slow, unreliable internet for a large portion of Ame...
Elon Musk Welcomes American Airlines To The Starlink Family American Airlines shares jumped on Tuesday after the carrier announced a sweeping modernization of its narrow-body in-flight experience, with plans to install Starlink satellite internet terminals across 500 of its narrow-body jets in Q1 2027. The modernization effort signals the end of slow, unreliable internet for a large portion of American's domestic and short-haul fleet. Passengers will soon be able to stream, work, monitor markets via the Bloomberg Terminal, or check X in real time at speeds far beyond current in-flight internet speeds. Elon Musk welcomed American Airlines to the Starlink family earlier on Tuesday. Starlink coming to American Airlines! 💫 https://t.co/XC3EasJKdy — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 26, 2026 Starlink is becoming a leading airline internet provider, with deals already in place at United, Southwest, and Alaska Air: "Starlink is widely regarded as the world's most advanced satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting inflight streaming, online gaming, collaborative meeting tools and more," American wrote in a press release, adding, "With thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit, Starlink can deliver multigigabit connectivity to aircraft using its Aero Terminal, which can support up to 1 Gbps per antenna." Shares of AAL jumped nearly 6% in late-afternoon trading. Year to date, shares are marginally lower by around 4%. Some airline passengers are already prioritizing bookings with carriers that offer Starlink, as fast, reliable in-flight internet becomes a deciding factor for streaming, gaming, or simply remote work at 36,000 feet. The announcement comes just weeks before SpaceX is set to IPO. Read the latest here . Tyler Durden Tue, 05/26/2026 - 15:00
The artificial intelligence (AI) build-out continues. AI hyperscalers will spend an estimated $725 billion this year, much of it on data centers and the chips and hardware that power them. In discussions about AI stocks, Nvidia gets a lot of the credit, and for good reason. The graphics processing unit (GPU) juggernaut has been the runaway leader, selling the overwhelming majority of the AI GPU ch...
The artificial intelligence (AI) build-out continues. AI hyperscalers will spend an estimated $725 billion this year, much of it on data centers and the chips and hardware that power them. In discussions about AI stocks, Nvidia gets a lot of the credit, and for good reason. The graphics processing unit (GPU) juggernaut has been the runaway leader, selling the overwhelming majority of the AI GPU chips used in data centers over the past few years. But several other companies make AI possible and don't quite get the love they should. These four semiconductor stocks are quietly capturing tons of value as the AI build-out continues. They are likely to continue delivering exceptional growth over the coming years, so consider taking a closer look. 1. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Nvidia and most other chip companies don't actually manufacture their own products. Instead, they turn to foundries like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM +2.28%). Taiwan Semi is the world's leading foundry, and by a wide margin. It holds approximately 72% of the global foundry market by revenue, and it has the most capacity and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. Expand NYSE : TSM Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Today's Change ( 2.28 %) $ 9.22 Current Price $ 413.74 Key Data Points Market Cap $2.1T Day's Range $ 410.10 - $ 416.40 52wk Range $ 190.56 - $ 421.97 Volume 313.5K Avg Vol 13.7M Gross Margin 60.72 % Dividend Yield 0.82 % Taiwan Semi and the broader semiconductor industry have historically been cyclical, but the current AI boom is so immense that the company continues to grow. Remember, even outside of AI, almost every technology uses chips at some level. Taiwan Semi has reported stellar business results over the past few years, and analysts expect the company to continue growing earnings at an average annual rate of 22% over the next three to five years. 2. Broadcom Nvidia will continue to face competition as the AI market swells. Broadcom (AVGO +2.13%) was already in da...
Since April 1, shares of NVIDIA NVDA and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company TSM, or TSMC, have gained 23.5% and 19.7%, respectively, driven by accelerating AI compute demand and persistent supply tightness across advanced semiconductors. NVIDIA has once again emerged as the frontrunner in AI demand after reporting fiscal first-quarter 2027 revenue growth of 85%, as hyperscalers accelerated...
Since April 1, shares of NVIDIA NVDA and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company TSM, or TSMC, have gained 23.5% and 19.7%, respectively, driven by accelerating AI compute demand and persistent supply tightness across advanced semiconductors. NVIDIA has once again emerged as the frontrunner in AI demand after reporting fiscal first-quarter 2027 revenue growth of 85%, as hyperscalers accelerated “AI factory” deployments and agentic AI workloads. At the same time, Taiwan Semiconductor has been benefiting from surging orders for 3nm wafers and advanced packaging technologies such as CoWoS, prompting the company to lift its 2026 capital spending target. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research From investors’ point of view, the rally could continue as demand for advanced AI chips and packaging technologies is expected to exceed available supply through 2027. However, export restrictions to China, rising energy and chemical costs, and geopolitical tensions remain key stumbling blocks. Let’s delve deeper. Driving Factors for NVIDIA Massive AI Infrastructure Spending: NVIDIA’s momentum continues to be powered by unprecedented hyperscaler and enterprise AI infrastructure investments. First-quarter fiscal 2027 revenues surged 85% year over year, while Data Center revenues jumped 92%. Management described the ongoing buildout of AI factories as the largest infrastructure expansion in human history, driven by agentic AI deployments across cloud, enterprise and sovereign AI projects. NVIDIA guided fiscal second-quarter revenues to be roughly $91 billion, despite excluding any China Data Center contribution, highlighting exceptionally strong underlying demand. Expanding AI Platform Ecosystem: Beyond GPUs, NVIDIA is rapidly expanding its AI ecosystem through networking, CPUs, inference software and edge AI. Networking revenues nearly tripled year over year in the fiscal first quarter as the adoption of NVLink, InfiniBand and Spectrum-X accelerated. The...
Since April 1, shares of NVIDIA NVDA and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company TSM, or TSMC, have gained 23.5% and 19.7%, respectively, driven by accelerating AI compute demand and persistent supply tightness across advanced semiconductors. NVIDIA has once again emerged as the frontrunner in AI demand after reporting fiscal first-quarter 2027 revenue growth of 85%, as hyperscalers accelerated...
Since April 1, shares of NVIDIA NVDA and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company TSM, or TSMC, have gained 23.5% and 19.7%, respectively, driven by accelerating AI compute demand and persistent supply tightness across advanced semiconductors. NVIDIA has once again emerged as the frontrunner in AI demand after reporting fiscal first-quarter 2027 revenue growth of 85%, as hyperscalers accelerated “AI factory” deployments and agentic AI workloads. At the same time, Taiwan Semiconductor has been benefiting from surging orders for 3nm wafers and advanced packaging technologies such as CoWoS, prompting the company to lift its 2026 capital spending target. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research From investors’ point of view, the rally could continue as demand for advanced AI chips and packaging technologies is expected to exceed available supply through 2027. However, export restrictions to China, rising energy and chemical costs, and geopolitical tensions remain key stumbling blocks. Let’s delve deeper. Driving Factors for NVIDIA Massive AI Infrastructure Spending: NVIDIA’s momentum continues to be powered by unprecedented hyperscaler and enterprise AI infrastructure investments. First-quarter fiscal 2027 revenues surged 85% year over year, while Data Center revenues jumped 92%. Management described the ongoing buildout of AI factories as the largest infrastructure expansion in human history, driven by agentic AI deployments across cloud, enterprise and sovereign AI projects. NVIDIA guided fiscal second-quarter revenues to be roughly $91 billion, despite excluding any China Data Center contribution, highlighting exceptionally strong underlying demand. Expanding AI Platform Ecosystem: Beyond GPUs, NVIDIA is rapidly expanding its AI ecosystem through networking, CPUs, inference software and edge AI. Networking revenues nearly tripled year over year in the fiscal first quarter as the adoption of NVLink, InfiniBand and Spectrum-X accelerated. The...
This artificial intelligence (AI) chip stock just joined Nvidia, Broadcom, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Samsung in the $1 trillion club. Is it a buy now? MSN
This artificial intelligence (AI) chip stock just joined Nvidia, Broadcom, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Samsung in the $1 trillion club. Is it a buy now? MSN
North Carolina investment firm founder Greg Lindberg was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for siphoning more than $2 billion in reserves backing insurance policies and using the proceeds to pay for jets, mansions and a 214-foot yacht, according to defense lawyers. Lindberg pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiring to defraud insurers and thousands of policy holders in one of the largest insuranc...
North Carolina investment firm founder Greg Lindberg was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for siphoning more than $2 billion in reserves backing insurance policies and using the proceeds to pay for jets, mansions and a 214-foot yacht, according to defense lawyers. Lindberg pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiring to defraud insurers and thousands of policy holders in one of the largest insurance frauds in US history. He was separately convicted at trial of conspiring to bribe the elected state insurance commissioner and replace a senior regulator who oversaw his companies. Claiming he’d be the next Warren Buffett, Lindberg sought to acquire insurance companies with long-term liabilities that he would place in assets affiliated with his investment firm, Global Growth , the government said. But he went to “unlawful extremes” by investing too much, flouting asset rules and deceiving regulators and third parties about the transactions, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum . “Lindberg’s scheme depended on the illusion — which he fraudulently promoted — that he operated separate insurance companies with separate assets for the benefit of separate policyholders,” prosecutors wrote. “In reality, Lindberg treated all his companies, insurance or not, as one big pool of money that belonged to him to use as he pleased.” US District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. sentenced Lindberg at a hearing in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina. That prison term was less than the 14 1/2 years sought by prosecutors, according to Lindberg lawyers James Wyatt and Robert Blake Jr. Lindberg’s defense team had asked for the 40 months he’s already served in prison. Spokespeople for the Justice Department and the US attorney’s office in Charlotte didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The government argued Lindberg had “caused immense financial and emotional harm to countless people.” Fueled by greed and “a desire to become a financial titan,” Lindberg bought new companies ...
A woman shot dead outside a bar in Sheffield was an innocent bystander, police say. Officers were called to the scene outside the One Four One bar on West Street in in the city centre at 2.45am on Monday after reports of a shooting. The victim, 30, was found with serious injuries and died later in hospital. She has not been formally identified, but her next of kin have been informed. Ch Supt Jamie...
A woman shot dead outside a bar in Sheffield was an innocent bystander, police say. Officers were called to the scene outside the One Four One bar on West Street in in the city centre at 2.45am on Monday after reports of a shooting. The victim, 30, was found with serious injuries and died later in hospital. She has not been formally identified, but her next of kin have been informed. Ch Supt Jamie Henderson, the district commander for Sheffield said: “Following extensive inquiries over the last 36 hours, we believe the victim was an innocent bystander who was on a night out in our city to celebrate the bank holiday weekend. “Gun crime causes devastation within families and communities. In this case, an innocent woman who should have been able to safely enjoy a night out in Sheffield has been killed, and her loved ones have been left to face the heartbreaking reality that they will never see her again.” South Yorkshire police released a CCTV image of a white Audi that they believe was involved in the incident, and are appealing for anyone who was on West Street or Eldon Street in the early hours of Monday morning to come forward if they saw anything. Two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder and all three are in police custody for questioning. One of the men, 30, and the woman, 32, were arrested near Stockport in Greater Manchester in the early hours of Monday morning. The second man, 30, was arrested in Sheffield. Henderson said: “If you were out in Sheffield in the early hours of Monday morning, please take a look at our website or Facebook page and report anything you saw to us. “We also know there are others within our communities who know who is responsible or who is involved in gun crime but feel too scared to tell us what they know.”
Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images One of my favorite picks over the last several months has undoubtedly been KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. ( KLC ), a rather interesting company that provides high-quality early education and childcare services throughout the U nited States . Its emphasis is on those aged between six weeks and 12 years. Back in March of this year, I highlighted how ...
Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images One of my favorite picks over the last several months has undoubtedly been KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. ( KLC ), a rather interesting company that provides high-quality early education and childcare services throughout the U nited States . Its emphasis is on those aged between six weeks and 12 years. Back in March of this year, I highlighted how the stock had fallen more than 40% after management announced financial results for the final quarter of the company's 2025 fiscal year. The big problem for the company ended up being expectations that pointed towards significantly reduced profitability. Occupancy rates at its locations have suffered as enrollment has dropped because of affordability issues. For such an asset-intensive business with a sizable amount of debt, this would naturally be concerning. But at the time, I believed that there was a tremendous opportunity for investors here. For starters, management was quick to own up to the issues that the company was experiencing. Although broader economic concerns may have played a role in some of the pain, the firm stated that the biggest problem that it faced was internal. They said, for instance, that these issues were self-inflicted, such as directors at its centers becoming distracted and not focusing as much on enrollment. By focusing too much on non-core tasks, they did not pay adequate attention to more pressing matters such as recruiting teachers, engaging with families, responding quickly to inquiries, observing classrooms, and taking steps to drive community-based enrollment. There are other examples as well, but you get the idea. At that time, I ended up calling the business a "Strong Buy" candidate. My argument was that it would not even take a return to higher levels of profitability for shareholders to generate significant upside. In fact, all it would take was stabilization. Since then, we have had some additional data come out. Revenue has been gro...
Russia is considering limiting exports of diesel and jet fuel, according to Interfax, as refinery run rates fall to multi-year lows amid Ukraine’s escalating attacks. Oil companies were advised to curb sales of oil products to foreign markets following a Tuesday meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak on the domestic fuel market, the Russian news service reported, citing several peo...
Russia is considering limiting exports of diesel and jet fuel, according to Interfax, as refinery run rates fall to multi-year lows amid Ukraine’s escalating attacks. Oil companies were advised to curb sales of oil products to foreign markets following a Tuesday meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak on the domestic fuel market, the Russian news service reported, citing several people familiar with the situation. One of the people said that the decision to ban exports of diesel and jet fuel is at an advanced stage, but the date for the ban hasn’t yet been set, according to Interfax. If implemented, the ban will add pressure to global oil-product prices as Russia is a key exporter of diesel, selling roughly 40% of the produced fuel to foreign markets. Ukraine has ramped up attacks on Russia’s energy assets, including refineries and oil pipeline infrastructure, in recent months. It’s a move meant to reduce the windfall revenues Russia has reaped since the conflict in the Middle East got underway. Russia’s average refinery runs dropped to 4.69 million barrels a day in April, the lowest in more than 16 years, according to estimates from analytics firm OilX. The intensity of the strikes threatens to send crude-processing rates even lower, just as Russia enters a holiday season when demand for fuels traditionally rises. Novak’s press office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside normal business hours. In a government statement, published after the Tuesday meeting, Novak emphasized that “reliable and uninterrupted supply” of fuel to domestic market remains a priority. “It is necessary to continue constant monitoring of the situation in the domestic oil-product market to ensure coordination between federal agencies and companies, and, if necessary, to develop additional response measures in a timely manner,” Novak said in the statement.
Getty Images Investment Thesis Microsoft ( MSFT ) demonstrates a traditional case of large-scale transformation driven by a new wave of technological development, with AI technologies and cloud applications playing a key role. A representative of the software industry, MSFT is feeling the negative impact of these transformative changes, with new information products emerging that enable users to p...
Getty Images Investment Thesis Microsoft ( MSFT ) demonstrates a traditional case of large-scale transformation driven by a new wave of technological development, with AI technologies and cloud applications playing a key role. A representative of the software industry, MSFT is feeling the negative impact of these transformative changes, with new information products emerging that enable users to perform tasks similar to those addressed by MSFT software. As such, its current business strategy is primarily focused on transitioning to the "AI-Agentic" category to deliver a new type of operating system tailored for AI agents. But getting there isn’t as smooth as it might seem at first glance. While transforming its massive business, they’re facing a number of risks that are reducing its investment appeal and, accordingly, market value growth. Forecasts for 2026 indicate that MSFT management plans to spend $190 billion on CapEx , accounting for more than a third of product sales. These are colossal expenditures of financial resources that may not always justify the expectations regarding return on investment. When analyzing the business’s margins, it is already apparent that the company’s early success in generating a certain level of profit will be difficult to replicate in the future. In this article, my goal is to analyze the 3 main risks that make buying MSFT shares at current prices look like a bad financial decision. There are a lot of aspects of the company’s fundamental value that make it competitive and promising in the long run ( which I discussed in more detail in my previous article ). That said, it's possible that MSFT's true value is lower than it appears right now. The calculation of forward multiples supports this conclusion, indicating that there's still a risk of a significant correction in Microsoft's market value. The Rise of AI Agents and the Anthropic Phenomenon As AI agents become increasingly capable of addressing the same business challenges, the...
Bet_Noire/iStock via Getty Images Pembina Pipeline ( PBA ) and Gibson Energy ( GBNXF ) are upgraded Tuesday to Buy from Hold with respective C$75 and C$32 price targets at TD Cowen, positioned to capture a Canadian energy industry increasingly defined by "a new energy security paradigm that favors growth and an improving regulatory outlook for energy infrastructure development." TD analyst Aaron M...
Bet_Noire/iStock via Getty Images Pembina Pipeline ( PBA ) and Gibson Energy ( GBNXF ) are upgraded Tuesday to Buy from Hold with respective C$75 and C$32 price targets at TD Cowen, positioned to capture a Canadian energy industry increasingly defined by "a new energy security paradigm that favors growth and an improving regulatory outlook for energy infrastructure development." TD analyst Aaron MacNeil said Pembina ( PBA ) and Gibson ( GBNXF ) benefit from rising throughput across a highly integrated natural gas and natural gas liquids value chain spanning gas processing, pipelines, fractionation, storage, rail logistics, and downstream market access; as volumes move through successive stages of this system, value is captured across multiple points in the chain, supporting ongoing optimization and selective enhancements around existing infrastructure. In parallel, the companies have continued to extend this core platform into adjacent opportunities such as LNG export, power generation, and NGL value‑added initiatives that build on its established footprint and customer relationships; taken together, MacNeil said this supports capital‑efficient, fee‑based EBITDA growth driven by core system utilization and disciplined platform extensions. More on Pembina Pipeline and Gibson Energy Pembina Pipeline Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Pembina Pipeline: Limited Upside, But Still A Buy For Yield Investors Gibson Energy Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
GFL Environmental Inc. and Secure Waste Infrastructure Corp. received shareholder approval for their planned merger, overcoming opposition from investor Abrams Capital Management , according to people familiar with the vote. Roughly 80% of those eligible cast ballots ahead of Wednesday’s special meeting, the people said. About 140 million shares were voted in favor and roughly 35 million against. ...
GFL Environmental Inc. and Secure Waste Infrastructure Corp. received shareholder approval for their planned merger, overcoming opposition from investor Abrams Capital Management , according to people familiar with the vote. Roughly 80% of those eligible cast ballots ahead of Wednesday’s special meeting, the people said. About 140 million shares were voted in favor and roughly 35 million against. The people asked not to be identified because the final tally has not yet been publicly released. The result clears a major hurdle for the C$6.4 billion ($4.6 billion) acquisition, which would further expand GFL’s footprint in Western Canada and combine two large waste-management and infrastructure businesses. Abrams, which owns about 22 million Secure shares, had urged investors to reject the deal, arguing that the Calgary-based company had stronger long-term potential as a standalone business. The campaign was dealt a setback after two influential proxy advisory firms — Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis — sided with management by recommending shareholders approve the merger. ISS said there was “insufficient evidence to conclude the valuation is not credible,” despite the absence of a formal auction process. Glass Lewis similarly concluded the offer appeared close to Secure’s “fully marketed control value” under current market conditions. Under the agreement announced in April, Secure shareholders can elect to receive C$24.75 a share in cash, 0.4195 of a GFL subordinate voting share, or a mix of cash and stock, subject to proration. Secure investors are expected to own about 16% of the combined company once the transaction closes. GFL has said the acquisition will strengthen its infrastructure network across Western Canada while improving scale and free-cash-flow generation. It still requires regulatory approvals before it can be completed.
Dzmitry Dzemidovich/iStock via Getty Images Real estate investment trusts remain historically undervalued following a multi-year bear market, creating attractive entry points for investors willing to look beyond headline noise, according to Jussi Askola of High Yield Landlord. Speaking on Seeking Alpha's Investing Experts Podcast , Askola highlighted two REITs he finds particularly compelling in t...
Dzmitry Dzemidovich/iStock via Getty Images Real estate investment trusts remain historically undervalued following a multi-year bear market, creating attractive entry points for investors willing to look beyond headline noise, according to Jussi Askola of High Yield Landlord. Speaking on Seeking Alpha's Investing Experts Podcast , Askola highlighted two REITs he finds particularly compelling in the current environment. His first pick, Shurgard Self Storage ( SSSAF ), is a European self-storage operator, with Public Storage ( PSA ) holding a 35% equity stake. The REIT currently trades at a 50% discount to net asset value, largely due to oversupply concerns that depressed rents in recent years. However, Askola expects growth to return by 2027, with management guiding for 6-8% annual FFO per share growth through 2030. On the domestic front, Askola pointed to National Health Investors ( NHI ), a healthcare REIT undergoing significant transformation. The company is divesting skilled nursing facilities to focus on the undersupplied senior housing market. While larger peers like Welltower ( WELL ) trade at 35 times FFO, NHI offers exposure to the same favorable dynamics at just 15 times FFO with a 5% dividend yield. Askola noted that while market timing remains unpredictable, REIT investors benefit from steady dividend income while waiting for their thesis to play out. More on National Health Investors, Shurgard Self Storage Ltd National Health Investors, Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation National Health Investors, Inc. (NHI) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript National Health Investors: Get Paid As Senior Housing Growth Accelerates NHI expects $4.77 NAREIT FFO per share midpoint for 2026 amid $560M NHC portfolio sale National Health Investors FFO of $1.23 beats by $0.02, revenue of $115.13M beats by $9.78M
The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLI ) is 6.2% higher QTD, following its Q1 results. As most of the companies have reported their results, Seeking Alpha provides a snapshot of how companies rank across key factors such as valuation, growth, profitability, momentum, and estimate revisions. Below is an overview of mid-cap financial stocks with market capitalizations between $2B t...
The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLI ) is 6.2% higher QTD, following its Q1 results. As most of the companies have reported their results, Seeking Alpha provides a snapshot of how companies rank across key factors such as valuation, growth, profitability, momentum, and estimate revisions. Below is an overview of mid-cap financial stocks with market capitalizations between $2B to $10B, highlighting those with the highest and lowest quant ratings after Q1 2026 results. Top quant-rated companies, with a market capitalization between $2B to $10B: MYR Group ( MYRG ) , Quant rating: Strong Buy 4.91 Everus Construction Group ( ECG ) , Quant rating: Strong Buy 4.79 Pitney Bowes ( PBI ) , Quant rating: Strong Buy 4.78 StandardAero ( SARO ) , Quant rating: Strong Buy 4.75 ArcBest ( ARCB ) , Quant rating: Strong Buy 4.70 Bottom quant-rated companies, with a market capitalization between $2B to $10B Primoris Services ( PRIM ) , Quant rating: Strong Sell 1.41 . Fortune Brands Innovations ( FBIN ), Quant rating: Strong Sell 1.36 . ESAB ( ESAB ), Quant rating: Strong Sell 1.35 . Builders FirstSource ( BLDR ), Quant rating: Strong Sell 1.33 . AeroVironment ( AVAV ) , Quant rating: Strong Sell 1.31 . More on State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF Finding The Opportunities After The Selloff And End Of The War Time Is Running Out The Middle East War: Let's Talk About U.S. Defense Stocks Industrial stocks hit fresh highs as ceasefire rally lifts infrastructure names Weekly ETF flows: Five of 11 sectors record outflows; energy sector leads inflows