bymuratdeniz/iStock via Getty Images Shares of Liftoff Mobile ( LFTO ) have seen a strong public offering, as shares have priced above the higher end of the preliminary offering range. This was followed by a continued increase in the share price on the first day of trading. This seems well-deserved, given not just impressive growth, but also very profitable growth, as valuations remain very reason...
bymuratdeniz/iStock via Getty Images Shares of Liftoff Mobile ( LFTO ) have seen a strong public offering, as shares have priced above the higher end of the preliminary offering range. This was followed by a continued increase in the share price on the first day of trading. This seems well-deserved, given not just impressive growth, but also very profitable growth, as valuations remain very reasonable. However, I fail to develop conviction given the business model and the role that the company is playing, having seen past disappointments for somewhat similar firms before. After all, performing a platform function to optimize marketing in a rapidly evolving commercial and technical environment requires continued innovation, which has proven to be difficult in the past. That withholds me from having conviction in what otherwise is a reasonably attractively valued business posting strong growth. However, if other investors put less weight on such concerns, shares have the potential to show a continued post-IPO rally. Growing Your Mobile Business Liftoff helps to grow your mobile business; at least that is the mission of the company. The company aims to achieve this with its performance marketing, monetization, and creative solutions, powered by its internal AI growth platform called Cortex. The company describes its business as a mission-critical growth monetization engine for the app economy, designed to drive differentiated advertising parameters across apps. Media inventory is connected to some 1.4 billion daily active users across the world; these are connected with nearly 900 demand-side customers and over 167,000 apps. With 5 billion global users of apps, and these spending an average of 3 hours per day, app developers can benefit from growing audiences and monetization, and the latter is where Liftoff comes into play. With hundreds of billions spent on in-app spending and advertising, addressable markets are huge, and effective advertising and conversion are sig...
All the big hitters – on the leave side, anyway – are rolled out for Brexit: A Very British Civil War. Plus: the return of scouse comedy G’Wed. Here’s what to watch this evening 9pm, BBC Two What a decade it’s been. As the nation prepares to link hands and joyfully celebrate the 10th anniversary of the decision to leave the EU, this two-part documentary recaps the febrile weeks and months around t...
All the big hitters – on the leave side, anyway – are rolled out for Brexit: A Very British Civil War. Plus: the return of scouse comedy G’Wed. Here’s what to watch this evening 9pm, BBC Two What a decade it’s been. As the nation prepares to link hands and joyfully celebrate the 10th anniversary of the decision to leave the EU, this two-part documentary recaps the febrile weeks and months around that choice. History, it is said, is written by the winners. And so it proves here: disappointingly, this story is told overwhelmingly from the perspective of the factions making up the leave campaign, as Michael Gove, Kate Hoey, Nigel Farage, Arron Banks and Boris Johnson offer their thoughts. Meanwhile, in the remain corner, it’s basically David Cameron, George Osborne and, muttering sadly to himself, Jeremy Corbyn. Fascinating and horrifying. Phil Harrison Continue reading...
Images By Tang Ming Tung/DigitalVision via Getty Images Nature 's Sunshine ( NATR ) may still be viewed as a legacy small direct selling firm, but the reality on the ground looks better than its reputation. With record FY2025 results, solid Q1 2026 momentum, no outstanding borrowings, a higher gross margin, and a digital approach that 's starting to bear fruit in North America, I see some upside p...
Images By Tang Ming Tung/DigitalVision via Getty Images Nature 's Sunshine ( NATR ) may still be viewed as a legacy small direct selling firm, but the reality on the ground looks better than its reputation. With record FY2025 results, solid Q1 2026 momentum, no outstanding borrowings, a higher gross margin, and a digital approach that 's starting to bear fruit in North America, I see some upside potential for this stock, provided the company can validate the sustainable nature of its new customer base. Business Quality: Herbal Heritage With a Digital Bridge Nature's Sunshine Products is one of the more established companies in the nutritional supplement space, dating back decades. Nature's Sunshine is a natural health and wellness company that makes and distributes nutritional and personal care products, sold both to the customer and consultants, to a network marketing distribution system. Per the company's 2025 Form 10-K, it conducts its operations in four geographical regions: Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America and Other. It is not just another vitamin company. While it has elements of multilevel marketing, it is far more complex than the typical MLM narrative suggests. In addition to being an asset-light supplement company, Nature's Sunshine is a business-to-business (selling directly to consultants) and business-to-consumer business. Direct sales to customers are a significant part of its business. The product line itself is quite extensive. Nature's Sunshine has more than 800 products in total in six different categories of general health, immune, cardiovascular, digestive, personal care, and weight management. The company manufactures most of its products through its own facilities, including its Spanish Fork, Utah facility, which provides an additional benefit in terms of quality control, testing, inventory management, and brand equity compared to many asset-light supplement makers. Nature's Sunshine offers a broad array of wellness products. Gene...
Oil prices surged after fresh fighting between Iran & Israel which has threatened a fragile ceasefire in the region. The latest escalation is renewing concerns over energy supplies and the future of flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Karen Young, Senior Research Scholar for the Center on Global Energy Policy, at Columbia University spoke to Bloomberg’s Abeer Abu Omar on Horizons Middle East and A...
Oil prices surged after fresh fighting between Iran & Israel which has threatened a fragile ceasefire in the region. The latest escalation is renewing concerns over energy supplies and the future of flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Karen Young, Senior Research Scholar for the Center on Global Energy Policy, at Columbia University spoke to Bloomberg’s Abeer Abu Omar on Horizons Middle East and Africa on the path ahead for the OPEC+ group. (Source: Bloomberg)