When architect turned furniture store owner Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) finds a portal to a mysterious realm of “backrooms” in the basement of his showroom, he struggles to explain it to his therapist, Dr Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve). “I found a place …” This otherwise innocuous phrase becomes a chilling summary of the architectural horror conjured in Backrooms, the latest A24 thriller that takes us i...
When architect turned furniture store owner Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) finds a portal to a mysterious realm of “backrooms” in the basement of his showroom, he struggles to explain it to his therapist, Dr Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve). “I found a place …” This otherwise innocuous phrase becomes a chilling summary of the architectural horror conjured in Backrooms, the latest A24 thriller that takes us into the liminal spaces of offices, dead malls and other eerie places that exist neither here nor there. Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old director – the youngest ever to work with the studio – produced a series of YouTube shorts titled Backrooms using just the free 3D software Blender and Adobe After Effects. The series has now been turned into a feature-length film, although it retains its visual language and conceptual framework. “Liminal spaces” are those places that seem to be in-between other places, or have been left behind by the world. They are what philosopher Mark Auge called non-places, “a space which cannot be defined as relational, or historical, or concerned with identity”. Architect Rem Koolhaas called them “Junkspace”. They are the leftovers produced by advanced modernism, where everything looked the same, and there was a dissolution of “place,” in favor of neutral, meaningless places such as airports and department stores. “We have been trending for a few centuries into a spiral of industrialism,” Parsons said on the A24 podcast. “We’re kind of getting stuck in this monoculture.” As the preeminent liminal space, “backrooms”, including Parsons’s YouTube series, are a fictional fandom expansion pack of the dead malls of the early 2000s. In fact, the first image to bring liminal spaces into online conversation, posted in 2003, was from the renovation of a furniture store in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. With the emptying of the big box store, there is the liminal. Once the in-between spaces borne of the 20th century’s urban modernization – the junkspace of airports, superma...
My earliest reading memory I’m not sure what we were reading – The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams or the poems in Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein – but I was undoubtedly with my sister, two years older, who set the example for me to be a reader. I picture us in the back of our family car or laying across our twin beds in the room we shared. My favourite book growing up I loved my...
My earliest reading memory I’m not sure what we were reading – The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams or the poems in Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein – but I was undoubtedly with my sister, two years older, who set the example for me to be a reader. I picture us in the back of our family car or laying across our twin beds in the room we shared. My favourite book growing up I loved mysteries and fantasy worlds. I read so many of the Nancy Drew books, and The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. And I loved the Narnia stories and The Wind in the Willows. I loved books about things that can’t exist. I suppose it’s all escapism – crimes solved by children, talking animals, time travel, people two inches tall. I always loved to slip into another, better world. The book that changed me as a teenager I read John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath at 15. It was my first real understanding of what fiction can do, how far a story can go, how words can be put to the intricacies of living. It stretched my empathy, seeing what the Joad family endured, learning through story what had happened in that place and time in American history. The writer who changed my mind Joan Didion. Every time I read her work, I am changed in some way. Her writing makes me think of the world, people, politics, the land, water, time, motherhood, marriage differently. The book that made me want to be a writer I was in college and majoring in English and creative writing. I read Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri and I discovered what can be done with language and words to make something beautiful and compelling. I thought: I have to do this, I can do this, I will do this. The author I came back to I tried Jane Austen too young. I didn’t understand the language or the story. I felt lost. When I came back to Pride and Prejudice in my late 20s, I enjoyed it tremendously. The books I reread Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and Steinbeck’s East of Eden are the books I read again and agai...
At 56, I am running my first marathon, an old, fat, bald dad surrounded by millennials in body-hugging Lycra and smiles that look AI-generated. But I am ahead of them. For they are only competing for positions and personal bests, and I am being chased by zombies. The black dog of depression hit me around the time of my last birthday. I didn’t feel I had achieved anything of note for an eternity. I...
At 56, I am running my first marathon, an old, fat, bald dad surrounded by millennials in body-hugging Lycra and smiles that look AI-generated. But I am ahead of them. For they are only competing for positions and personal bests, and I am being chased by zombies. The black dog of depression hit me around the time of my last birthday. I didn’t feel I had achieved anything of note for an eternity. I used to work out but, for years, work kept getting in the way. I decided to kill two circling, carcass-sniffing vultures with one stone and run my first marathon. I started off accompanied by audiobooks, but when Ben Elton’s autobiography got a bit whiny, I remembered Zombies, Run! – an interactive running game for smartphones that came out years ago. That became my running companion. You start in the ruins of a shot-down chopper, with the voice in your ears trying to guide you to safety through the ranks of the undead. The interaction comes via short sections where you are told to run fast rather than lope. This is a challenge because sprinting is on that list of things you just can’t or won’t do in your mid-50s, along with sleeping all night without getting up for a pee, waiting in line at funfairs and anything to do with kale. It is a well-made audio adventure. The voice acting is superb, especially Phil Nightingale as Sam Yao, your “run operator”. His delivery is Alan Rickman-like stumbling hyperrealism, which helps to immerse you in the action – the key to the success of a game like this, because it’s trying to make you forget you are doing a fitness exercise. As you run, you pick up or lose items and resources: some are plot critical, others can be used to build out your base on the phone app. I am doing the Hal Higdon Novice Marathon Training Program, involving three “short” runs during the week and a “long” run at weekends. The distances slowly increase over 18 weeks. For the first few weeks, I am doing three- or four-mile runs during the week and six- to 10-mile r...
Grandbrothers/iStock Editorial via Getty Images An FDA advisory panel voted 8-0, with one abstention, to recommend updating COVID-19 vaccines for the 2026-27 season to target the dominant XFG variant, despite concerns from some members about limited data on currently circulating strains. Federal officials said the XFG variant, also known as "Stratus," now accounts for more than half of COVID-19 ca...
Grandbrothers/iStock Editorial via Getty Images An FDA advisory panel voted 8-0, with one abstention, to recommend updating COVID-19 vaccines for the 2026-27 season to target the dominant XFG variant, despite concerns from some members about limited data on currently circulating strains. Federal officials said the XFG variant, also known as "Stratus," now accounts for more than half of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and carries mutations that may help it partially evade existing antibody protection. The recommendation differs from the FDA's guidance for the 2025-26 season, which called for COVID vaccines targeting the LP.8.1 variant, and follows a World Health Organization recommendation earlier this month that manufacturers target LP.8.1 or other circulating strains, including XFG and NB.1.8.1. "We can't make a recommendation if we don't have data," said Anna Durbin, a Johns Hopkins University professor and member of the FDA's Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, VRBPAC . The most recent CDC data, covering the four weeks ended April 11, showed XFG accounted for more than half of U.S. COVID cases, though newer data is unavailable due to reduced sequencing submissions. Four COVID shots have been approved for use in the U.S.: Moderna's ( MRNA ) mNEXSPIKE and Spikevax; Pfizer ( PFE )-BioNTech's ( BNTX ) Comirnaty - all three mRNA-based vaccines - and Novavax ( NVAX )-Sanofi's ( SNY ) protein-based shot that takes longer to manufacture. In briefing documents published before the meeting, they all said they could make the updated shot in time for the 2026-2027 season. The daylong VRBPAC meeting was notable for its relatively measured discussion, a contrast to the turbulence that has surrounded federal vaccine policy since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became Health Secretary. Kennedy last year dismissed all members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with a new panel that includes several vaccine skeptics and critic...
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will address Asia’s main annual defence gathering on Saturday, with US allies perhaps hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s ticking off. Hegseth’s morning speech will be the main event at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, particularly as Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun is not attending for the second year in a row. Other speakers on the agenda include the ...
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will address Asia’s main annual defence gathering on Saturday, with US allies perhaps hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s ticking off. Hegseth’s morning speech will be the main event at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, particularly as Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun is not attending for the second year in a row. Other speakers on the agenda include the defence ministers of Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Qatar. Australia, Japan and South...
The US military is quietly seeking to bolster its ability to deter — or fight — China over Taiwan, according to a report to Congress from Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo obtained by Bloomberg. The 121-page document strikes a notably tougher tone on Beijing than the broader Trump administration , warning that the People’s Liberation Army is undergoing a “historic expansion across all d...
The US military is quietly seeking to bolster its ability to deter — or fight — China over Taiwan, according to a report to Congress from Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo obtained by Bloomberg. The 121-page document strikes a notably tougher tone on Beijing than the broader Trump administration , warning that the People’s Liberation Army is undergoing a “historic expansion across all domains” and is aiming to be ready for a Taiwan contingency by 2027. To counter that threat, the Pentagon is seeking billions in new funding, including $592 million for Quicksink kits that turn standard guided bombs into low-cost ship-killing weapons, alongside major investments in hypersonic missiles, electronic warfare and secure communications. The spending plan also leans heavily on sea-denial capabilities, with funding for sea mines that can be dropped from aircraft, and covert submarine-laid minefields. The focus on controlling critical waterways comes even as Washington and Tehran move toward extending a 60-day truce and reopening nuclear talks. The recent conflict has highlighted how Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly a fifth of global oil and LNG flows, can disrupt energy markets, global trade and military operations, underscoring why maritime access remains central to US strategic planning. What You Need to Know Today Moving from strategic chokepoints to the final frontier: SpaceX has trimmed its IPO valuation ambitions, now targeting at least $1.8 trillion, said people familiar with the matter, down from the $2 trillion-plus figure Bloomberg previously reported. Even so, Elon Musk’s company is seeking to raise as much as $75 billion, sources have said, in what would still be the biggest IPO in history. The lower target follows consultations with advisers and investors ahead of a marketing roadshow that could begin next week, as SpaceX pitches itself not just as a rocket maker and satellite operator, but as an AI and infrastructure giant ...
Former AG Pam Bondi to testify before Congress over handling of the Epstein files toggle caption Win McNamee/Getty Images Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is scheduled to testify before House lawmakers Friday in a closed-door hearing over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Bondi in March to discuss her role in overseeing the Departme...
Former AG Pam Bondi to testify before Congress over handling of the Epstein files toggle caption Win McNamee/Getty Images Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is scheduled to testify before House lawmakers Friday in a closed-door hearing over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Bondi in March to discuss her role in overseeing the Department of Justice's release of millions of documents related to the convicted sex offender. Survivors and Democrats have long criticized Bondi's handling and release of the Epstein files. They say Bondi made contradictory statements about what was in the documents, exposed survivors' names and private information, and removed key files related to President Trump. Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Bondi has defended the department's work and its release; she has argued that some missteps happened because government lawyers faced a tight timeline imposed by Congress to review millions of pages of material. Sponsor Message On the campaign trail before his second term, Trump promised to release significant information on Epstein, but some of the president's supporters as well as critics say Bondi did not deliver on that promise. "We haven't seen the full release of the files, so that's already a violation of the law," said Dani Bensky, referencing the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Bensky, who says Epstein sexually abused her as a young ballerina, says Bondi's release of the files without proper redactions of victims' identities, "sends such a chilling effect to the rest of the survivor community." Beyond the Epstein files, Bondi's time in office had been marked by criticism from some legal experts and others who say she oversaw what they term the weaponizing of the department to advance Trump's agenda. In April, Bondi was ousted from the DOJ's top spot, and in a social media post Trump called her "a Great Ameri...
Why the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low — and what it means for beef prices toggle caption Luke Sharrett for NPR Grocery prices got you down? Learn how to cut your food bill with NPR's 4-part newsletter. Sign up here for budgeting tips, meal planning and more. Beef has long been an iconic and beloved staple of the American diet, from barbecue to hamburgers and steaks. Even as retail prices ha...
Why the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low — and what it means for beef prices toggle caption Luke Sharrett for NPR Grocery prices got you down? Learn how to cut your food bill with NPR's 4-part newsletter. Sign up here for budgeting tips, meal planning and more. Beef has long been an iconic and beloved staple of the American diet, from barbecue to hamburgers and steaks. Even as retail prices have soared recently, U.S. demand for beef has remained strong. Yet the U.S. cattle herd, including both beef and dairy cattle, is the smallest it has been in three-quarters of a century. Domestic producers had 86.2 million head of cattle on the first day of this year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, the lowest number since 1951. Sponsor Message A number of factors have been pushing livestock numbers down, including rising costs, drought, international competition and increased consolidation in the cattle industry. Now, there are fewer American farmers and ranchers than there were even a few years ago, according to Bill Bullard, CEO of the cattle and sheep producers group R-CALF USA. "We have likewise lost the cows that they once maintained," he said. "So we have seen our herd shrink at an alarming rate for the past several decades." toggle caption Luke Sharrett for NPR The record-high prices paid for cattle lately have also prompted many producers to sell their livestock and have dissuaded them from buying new animals to rebuild their herds, further diminishing the overall domestic cattle supply. U.S. beef production has remained strong, though, because even though the herd size has shrunk in recent decades, cattle themselves have grown. Raising cattle — like buying beef — is getting more expensive Farmers and ranchers say expenses such as those for diesel fuel, equipment parts, fertilizer and even the animals themselves are all up. Operators who have to take out loans to buy cattle or fund infrastructure improvements are facing higher costs and have...
Replacing aging U.S. voting equipment will take years and billions of dollars toggle caption Kathleen Flynn/Getty Images America's voting systems are getting old. Take Louisiana, for instance, where many Gen Z and Millennial voters cast primary ballots this month using machines that were older than they were. Election officials there talk about having to "cannibalize" parts from dead machines to s...
Replacing aging U.S. voting equipment will take years and billions of dollars toggle caption Kathleen Flynn/Getty Images America's voting systems are getting old. Take Louisiana, for instance, where many Gen Z and Millennial voters cast primary ballots this month using machines that were older than they were. Election officials there talk about having to "cannibalize" parts from dead machines to service others. "Replacement parts are no longer manufactured," Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry told a state Senate committee earlier this year. "Simply put, the [election] system has reached the end of its life cycle." Sponsor Message A new report out Friday shows the state is not alone in that regard. If not replaced, by the next presidential election the average age of voting equipment in the U.S. will be 9.3 years, according to research by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and shared exclusively with NPR ahead of its release. Loading... Historically, jurisdictions replace their equipment right around that age, which could be good timing as voting machine manufacturers have just begun to offer systems that conform with the most recent federal election security guidelines. Getting counties and states to purchase machines certified to those up-to-date standards is a clear priority for President Trump, who noted the guidelines in his executive order on elections last year. But in reality, unless Congress makes a massive financial commitment, the new BPC report finds it could take decades before tabulators and other machines adhering to the new standards are the norm in American elections. "It's just really slow to make change in the elections industry," said Will Adler, an elections expert at the Bipartisan Policy Center who co-wrote the report. The new standards — known as the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 2.0 (VVSG 2.0) — are widely accepted as best practice and include numerous new security requirements, including requiring all systems to include auditable...
Investors are always coming up with new narratives about new challengers rising and unseating the market's entrenched leaders. Today, there's a narrative that suggests Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE) , a blockchain and decentralized crypto exchange for trading a type of derivative called perpetual futures, just might become the next Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) . That's more plausible than ever, considering ...
Investors are always coming up with new narratives about new challengers rising and unseating the market's entrenched leaders. Today, there's a narrative that suggests Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE) , a blockchain and decentralized crypto exchange for trading a type of derivative called perpetual futures, just might become the next Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) . That's more plausible than ever, considering that Hyperliquid spent its first year of existence bulldozing its competition in decentralized derivatives before starting to expand into the broader decentralized finance (DeFi) segment. DeFi is Ethereum's main reason for being, and in that respect it's way out in front. But becoming the next Ethereum is a big task. That network grew to be plenty big, but the more important factor is that it invented the very category it grew into. Whether Hyperliquid can follow that arc depends on several different factors, so let's analyze them and see if it has a shot at unseating the crypto sector's reigning DeFi champion. Continue reading
France To Reimburse Patients For Anti-Obesity Drugs Authored by Guy Birchall via The Epoch Times , France is set to begin reimbursing severely obese people for the cost of weight-loss drugs, French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said on May 28. Wegovy at a pharmacy in London on March 8, 2024. Hollie Adams/Reuters She said that Paris would subsidize the use of Danish company Novo Nordisk's Wegovy a...
France To Reimburse Patients For Anti-Obesity Drugs Authored by Guy Birchall via The Epoch Times , France is set to begin reimbursing severely obese people for the cost of weight-loss drugs, French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said on May 28. Wegovy at a pharmacy in London on March 8, 2024. Hollie Adams/Reuters She said that Paris would subsidize the use of Danish company Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and American pharma giant Eli Lilly's Mounjaro from mid-June. " I am quite proud, because we are the first country in the European Union to provide reimbursement ... on a permanent basis ," Rist told French broadcaster TFI. Officially, reimbursement will cover 65 percent of the cost of the weight-loss drugs, "but almost all patients will be covered" in full if they have "comorbidities, such as high blood pressure or diabetes," she said. " For the vast majority, it will be 100 percent reimbursement, " Rist added. She said the eligibility criteria for the scheme would remain strict. "It was decided to reimburse these medicines for people with severe obesity, with a body mass index above 35 with comorbidities, or above 40. These are people who may be candidates for surgery, for an operation to treat their obesity, and who will be able to receive these medicines if the doctor considers that they should be prescribed," Rist said. She estimated the cost to French public finances at "around 100 million euros [$116 million] annually." Elsewhere in Europe, though outside the EU, the UK and Switzerland both subsidize the use of similar weight-loss medications, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s). GLP-1s are hormones produced naturally within the body that regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite. The UK's National Health Service (NHS) offers limited access to such drugs, with medications prescribed and a standard prescription fee of 9.90 pounds per item (about $13.26), or free, depending on the patient's circumstances. In Switzerland, people who meet certain ...
Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) shares jumped 6.8% in afternoon trading, closing at $203.89, after Snowflake reported blockbuster earnings that challenged the prevailing narrative around AI threatening legacy software platforms. Snowflake surged 35% on the day, its best single-day performance on record, following results that showed AI accounts on its platform rising from 9,100 to 13,600 in a single quarter. ...
Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) shares jumped 6.8% in afternoon trading, closing at $203.89, after Snowflake reported blockbuster earnings that challenged the prevailing narrative around AI threatening legacy software platforms. Snowflake surged 35% on the day, its best single-day performance on record, following results that showed AI accounts on its platform rising from 9,100 to 13,600 in a single quarter. Snowflake’s product revenue grew 34% and the company raised its full-year guidance by $180 million, delivering a strong signal to investors across the broader software sector. The rally spread quickly through enterprise software names, with ServiceNow gaining 5%, Palantir rising nearly 6%, and Oracle and Microsoft each adding roughly 3%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF also caught a broad wave of buying interest as sentiment shifted across the software landscape. The gains came against the backdrop of what markets had labeled the “SaaSpocalypse,” a rolling selloff that had erased approximately $2 trillion from software market values since late 2025 on fears that AI would make subscription software obsolete. Snowflake’s results directly inverted that thesis, demonstrating that AI was not displacing its platform but instead driving greater consumption of it. Snowflake CFO Brian Robins described Cortex Code as creating a “step function change” in AI revenue potential, and identified it as the single largest driver of the company’s full-year guidance raise. Oracle’s shares have shown significant volatility over the past year, recording 29 moves greater than 5%, and the 6.8% move suggests the market views this development as meaningful without fundamentally altering its long-term view of the business. Fourteen days prior, Oracle shares gained 3.7% following a robust earnings report from Cisco Systems, which raised its annual revenue forecast and drove optimism across the software sector. Cisco’s results were fueled by strong demand from hyperscaler clients, the mas...
A man views the Rasool al-Adham mosque from the corniche at Sultan Qaboos port in Oman's capital Muscat on February 5, 2026. Loic Venance | Afp | Getty Images The Trump administration's threats against Oman, a longtime U.S. ally, have thrown a country known for cultivating a reputation as the "Switzerland of the Middle East" firmly into the geopolitical spotlight. Positioned on the southeastern co...
A man views the Rasool al-Adham mosque from the corniche at Sultan Qaboos port in Oman's capital Muscat on February 5, 2026. Loic Venance | Afp | Getty Images The Trump administration's threats against Oman, a longtime U.S. ally, have thrown a country known for cultivating a reputation as the "Switzerland of the Middle East" firmly into the geopolitical spotlight. Positioned on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula and facing Iran across the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, Oman has served as a key intermediary in regional crises, including the U.S. and Israeli-led war against Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday warned the U.S. would "aggressively" impose sanctions against Oman if it helped Iran to establish a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that typically handles around 20% of the world's global oil traffic. "Oman, in particular, should know that the U.S. Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved - directly or indirectly - in facilitating tolls for the Strait and any willing partners will be penalized," Bessent said in a post on X. "All nations should reject outright any efforts by Iran to disrupt the free flow of commerce." His comments came less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump appeared to threaten military action against the Gulf partner. When asked by a reporter during a cabinet meeting for his thoughts on Oman and Iran overseeing trade through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, "Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that. They'll be fine." U.S. President Donald Trump (C) listens as U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (L) speaks alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on May 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. Win Mcnamee | Getty Images News | Getty Images CNBC has contacted a spokesperson for Oman's Foreign Ministry and is awaiting a res...
The actor’s alleged clashes with colleagues have sparked rumours about his future on the hit show – which others dispute. But these aren’t the first accusations of him being a tricky colleague If you’re at all familiar with the Paramount+ series MobLand , these past few days will have come as an absolute revelation. At long last, just when everyone thought it wouldn’t ever be possible, something e...
The actor’s alleged clashes with colleagues have sparked rumours about his future on the hit show – which others dispute. But these aren’t the first accusations of him being a tricky colleague If you’re at all familiar with the Paramount+ series MobLand , these past few days will have come as an absolute revelation. At long last, just when everyone thought it wouldn’t ever be possible, something exciting has happened. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen onscreen. Instead, rumours are swirling that Tom Hardy has been fired. Almost a week ago, Puck reported that Hardy had departed the MobLand set after clashing with cast and crew. As things currently stand, that has been walked back a little – partly because Paramount has yet to greenlight a third series at all – but the takeaway remains the same: Tom Hardy sounds like an absolute nightmare to work with. According to the Hollywood Reporter, his MobLand behaviour has involved a greater insistence on creative control – delivering script notes to producer Jez Butterworth and creator Ronan Bennett – while generally arriving late and locking himself in his trailer for hours on end. “He kept the cast waiting, [which is] a power play,” a source told the outlet. “Keeping Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and others waiting is career suicide, I would wager.” This appears to be a wager that the source has lost, given that Mirren posted a photo of Hardy’s face on Instagram last night, captioned “Love you now and always”. Continue reading...
For two retailers that both saw their stock slide by a double-digit percentage after earnings, what may be most surprising is that executives at both Gap and American Eagle Outfitters say nothing is wrong with the economy.
For two retailers that both saw their stock slide by a double-digit percentage after earnings, what may be most surprising is that executives at both Gap and American Eagle Outfitters say nothing is wrong with the economy.
Seema Shah, Chief Global Strategist at Principal Asset Management, discusses the outlook for bond yields, equities pricing and Federal Reserve Policy. "It's gonna be important to watch how the bond yield market progresses," Shah says on Bloomberg Television. "From our perspective, though, we don't expect to see markets repricing Fed cuts." (Source: Bloomberg)
Seema Shah, Chief Global Strategist at Principal Asset Management, discusses the outlook for bond yields, equities pricing and Federal Reserve Policy. "It's gonna be important to watch how the bond yield market progresses," Shah says on Bloomberg Television. "From our perspective, though, we don't expect to see markets repricing Fed cuts." (Source: Bloomberg)
herstockart/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Today's Etsy ( ETSY ) isn't the same place that it has been over the last several years. During its Q1 2026 earnings call , the company reported improvements across several KPIs all at once. Top-line revenue in the report came in at $612.2M, which was a 5.98% YoY decline, but it only missed analysts' expectations by $5.55M. Although many short sellers...
herstockart/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Today's Etsy ( ETSY ) isn't the same place that it has been over the last several years. During its Q1 2026 earnings call , the company reported improvements across several KPIs all at once. Top-line revenue in the report came in at $612.2M, which was a 5.98% YoY decline, but it only missed analysts' expectations by $5.55M. Although many short sellers might have rejoiced at that specific number, it should be noted that the company still managed to translate those revenues into $1.18 EPS, $0.01 above analysts' expectations. However, to me, the improvements across various KPIs were the real story here. Improvement Across Several KPIs at Once The company reported improvements across several key performance indicators in Q1 2026. Among the improvements mentioned in the earnings report were: Gross Merchandise Sales or GMS Improved By About 3 to 5% on the Quarter This is one of the foundational metrics that Etsy is built around. Fears had abounded that Etsy's marketplace was in full decline and that a pullback in discretionary spending could disrupt the entire business model. Thus, even a small improvement in GMS is something that Etsy investors should be happy to see, as it flies in the face of the marketplace disruption narrative. The Number of Active Buyers Grew Sequentially for the First Time in Years Investors must have breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that Etsy saw its number of active buyers improve sequentially for the first time in the last two years. Kruti Goyal, CEO, President, and Director of Etsy, reported the following during the earnings call : ...And more importantly, we're starting to see early positive changes tied to customer behavior on Etsy. Active buyers grew sequentially for the first time in 2 years. We delivered year-over-year growth in new buyers and active sellers. GMS per active buyer grew year-over-year for the first time since 2022, and momentum in our mobile app continued to strengthe...