With June rapidly approaching, analysts at Bank of America said there is a slew of top stock-buying opportunities. The firm said that companies like Visa have plenty more room to run. Other buy-rated stocks Bank of America analysts are bullish on include Zeta Global , Sprouts Farmers Market, United Rentals and Citigroup. Sprouts Farmers Market The grocery store chain is firing on all cylinders, th...
With June rapidly approaching, analysts at Bank of America said there is a slew of top stock-buying opportunities. The firm said that companies like Visa have plenty more room to run. Other buy-rated stocks Bank of America analysts are bullish on include Zeta Global , Sprouts Farmers Market, United Rentals and Citigroup. Sprouts Farmers Market The grocery store chain is firing on all cylinders, the firm said. Analyst Robert Ohmes recently came away from investor meetings convinced that the company is on the right track as sales and margins remain robust. "We believe SFM's targeted approach to price and promotions, including initial price reductions on select SKUs [stock keeping units] such as coffee & other essential items should deliver greater value on the categories and drive traffic from the less engaged customer cohort," he said. The firm also raised its price target to $100 per share from $92. In addition, Ohmes said that the company's foray into organic items along with its generous loyalty program has upside potential. The stock is up more than 8% in 2026. United Rentals Analyst Michael Feniger is doubling down on shares of United Rentals following a series of investor meetings he held with the equipment rental company. "We came away with the view that the management team feels confident heading into construction season around its growth profile, costs profile, and M & A profile," he wrote. Feniger said the company's margin profile is attractive and that the company has a differentiated offering, which gives it a leg up against competitors. "In our view, the bigger picture takeaway — URI's competitive position is strengthening with national accounts even as other players are targeting growth in gen rent & dirt moving," he said. Shares are up almost 16% this year. Feniger said that the company is "built for the moment." Zeta Global "Misunderstood & Mispriced," analyst Matt Bullock said of the digital ad company. The firm recently reinstated coverage of the st...
SoFi (NASDAQ: SOFI) has been growing rapidly for years, but it hasn't done it at the expense of profitability. In this video, I'll discuss the profitable growth metric many analysts and institutions use and where SoFi stands. *Stock prices used were the morning prices of May. 22, 2026. The video was published on March 23, 2026. Continue reading
SoFi (NASDAQ: SOFI) has been growing rapidly for years, but it hasn't done it at the expense of profitability. In this video, I'll discuss the profitable growth metric many analysts and institutions use and where SoFi stands. *Stock prices used were the morning prices of May. 22, 2026. The video was published on March 23, 2026. Continue reading
Ilicali described the decision to allow Middlesbrough to re-enter the play-offs as "unbelievable". He said: "If this action was so big that a team is out of the play-offs, why didn't they let them not play the semi-final, investigate and take Southampton out and put Wrexham in? "Why is Wrexham out now? Put Wrexham in and continue the competition. "For me, an eliminated team {being] put back - also...
Ilicali described the decision to allow Middlesbrough to re-enter the play-offs as "unbelievable". He said: "If this action was so big that a team is out of the play-offs, why didn't they let them not play the semi-final, investigate and take Southampton out and put Wrexham in? "Why is Wrexham out now? Put Wrexham in and continue the competition. "For me, an eliminated team {being] put back - also our lawyers say this and that's their opinion too - is an incredibly wrong decision." The 56-year-old, who took over Hull City in 2022, said he did not want to discuss the outcome of the EFL's independent disciplinary commission's hearing before the day of the final to avoid distracting the players. "Now I can talk a little more because now the boys are in the stadium and they will not hear me. I didn't want to make their focus disturbed," he added. "Decisions are discussable from what I understand from our lawyers, very discussable. "But of course we have to focus on the game and the boys are tough enough to overcome these difficulties."
The mother of the motorist who found the children told Portuguese media that one of the boys had said they were blindfolded and told to look for a hidden toy, but that when they took their blindfolds off their mother had vanished.
The mother of the motorist who found the children told Portuguese media that one of the boys had said they were blindfolded and told to look for a hidden toy, but that when they took their blindfolds off their mother had vanished.
To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below. Taipei, May 23 (CNA) Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan on Saturday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for p...
To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below. Taipei, May 23 (CNA) Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan on Saturday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has "a lot to do" during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia's planned headquarters site in Taipei's Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would definitely attend and might even unveil the new building's design. On AI-related business, Huang said Nvidia works closely with its partners and provides strong support to them, while its partners also support Nvidia in return. His remarks came after AI chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) recently announced plans to invest more than US$10 billion in Taiwan's industrial ecosystem to expand strategic partnerships and meet demand for AI infrastructure. • AMD unveils US$10 billion Taiwan AI investment, ramps up TSMC 2nm chip production Asked about rising memory prices, Huang said nearly all electronic products rely on memory chips and that higher memory prices could significantly affect consumer electronics prices. "It's a challenge for consumers ... a very important form of inflation," Huang said, adding that he hoped memory suppliers could increase production capacity quickly so the market could stabilize. After speaking at the airport, Huang headed to Taipei's Nangang District to attend Nvidia's "Meet-a-Claw" developer event, where he delivered brief remarks. Jensen Huang (center) speaks at Nvidia's "Meet-a-Claw" developer event in Taipei on Saturday. CNA photo May 23, 2026 Huang is also scheduled to give a keynote speech at the Taipei Music Center o...
While the market has posted solid double-digit returns over the past three years, investors shouldn't get their hopes up that the trend will continue, if history is any guide. According to SimCorp's Melissa Brown, who cited data from Stocks, Bonds, Bills and Inflation (SBBI), the market may not see another strong year following three prior ones, as instances of four stellar consecutive years of mo...
While the market has posted solid double-digit returns over the past three years, investors shouldn't get their hopes up that the trend will continue, if history is any guide. According to SimCorp's Melissa Brown, who cited data from Stocks, Bonds, Bills and Inflation (SBBI), the market may not see another strong year following three prior ones, as instances of four stellar consecutive years of more than 15% returns have been "rare" at only three since 1926. In 2023, 2024 and 2025, the market saw annualized returns of 26%, 25% and about 18%, respectively. With those gains, it is likely to see a below-average return in 2026, Brown said, particularly in the single-digit range. The S & P 500 has risen only 8% so far this year. .SPX YTD mountain S & P 500, year-to-date "I think that's probably what we would expect for the whole year," said the firm's managing director of investment decision research. "That doesn't necessarily mean a drawdown, but it does mean it would be extremely unusual to have a return of more than, say, 10% for the year." Additionally, Brown noted that the fourth year following a three-year annualized return of 20% or more has an average return of just 3.9%. That's significantly below the average of 11.8%, she said. To be sure, that doesn't mean that this year will follow suit, especially if stocks related to the artificial intelligence boom continue to drive the market higher. However, if this year does, in fact, see low-double-digit growth, the likelihood of that happening next year is even lower, Brown said. "Things just can't grow forever," she said to CNBC. "We're clearly closer to the end of the rally than the beginning."
Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases, including a health worker and a driver linked to the country’s first known infection, as authorities race to contain the outbreak. Bloomberg News Senior Editor Jason Gale joined David Gura and Christina Ruffini on Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss. (Source: Bloomberg)
Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases, including a health worker and a driver linked to the country’s first known infection, as authorities race to contain the outbreak. Bloomberg News Senior Editor Jason Gale joined David Gura and Christina Ruffini on Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss. (Source: Bloomberg)
While most of the biggest artificial intelligence (AI) hyperscalers have seen their stocks weighed down by massive spending plans for 2026, many AI infrastructure companies supplying key equipment for new data centers have seen their stock prices soar over the past year. That includes Ciena (CIEN 0.59%), which sells high-speed networking systems. The company's stock is up 609% over the past year, ...
While most of the biggest artificial intelligence (AI) hyperscalers have seen their stocks weighed down by massive spending plans for 2026, many AI infrastructure companies supplying key equipment for new data centers have seen their stock prices soar over the past year. That includes Ciena (CIEN 0.59%), which sells high-speed networking systems. The company's stock is up 609% over the past year, driven by strong demand for its optical networking products. But after its incredible run, investors may be wondering if it's too late to buy the stock. A long runway of strong revenue growth Ciena is a leading innovator in long-haul data networking equipment. Its products play a key role in fiber networks laid by telecom companies, increasing and speeding up data transferred across their networks. Nearly half of its revenue still comes from telecom customers, but a growing share comes from U.S. hyperscalers as they build out networks of AI data centers with massive data-transfer needs. Ciena provides products and systems that allow hyperscalers to connect data centers to one another as well as connect servers to other servers within the same data center. While the latter is seeing reasonable growth, Ciena's products don't stand out against the competition. The former category is where it has built a considerable technology lead and faces limited competition. And the growing number of AI data centers has been a massive boon. Ciena offers best-in-class long-distance optical networking equipment. It's historically first to market with new speed standards; the latest is its 1.6 terabit-per-second product, introduced in 2024. That technology lead is bolstered by its highly focused R&D budget, which historically accounts for about one-fifth or one-quarter of its revenue. Expand NYSE : CIEN Ciena Today's Change ( -0.59 %) $ -3.49 Current Price $ 583.74 Key Data Points Market Cap $83B Day's Range $ 574.03 - $ 599.50 52wk Range $ 70.77 - $ 599.50 Volume 1.6M Avg Vol 2.7M Gross Marg...
Key Points As hyperscalers build out more data centers, this company provides key technology for data transmission. Its superior technology can provide significant cost savings for data center operators at scale. As a result, revenue is accelerating, and profit margins are expanding. 10 stocks we like better than Ciena › While most of the biggest artificial intelligence (AI) hyperscalers have seen...
Key Points As hyperscalers build out more data centers, this company provides key technology for data transmission. Its superior technology can provide significant cost savings for data center operators at scale. As a result, revenue is accelerating, and profit margins are expanding. 10 stocks we like better than Ciena › While most of the biggest artificial intelligence (AI) hyperscalers have seen their stocks weighed down by massive spending plans for 2026, many AI infrastructure companies supplying key equipment for new data centers have seen their stock prices soar over the past year. That includes Ciena (NYSE: CIEN), which sells high-speed networking systems. The company's stock is up 609% over the past year, driven by strong demand for its optical networking products. But after its incredible run, investors may be wondering if it's too late to buy the stock. 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 long runway of strong revenue growth Ciena is a leading innovator in long-haul data networking equipment. Its products play a key role in fiber networks laid by telecom companies, increasing and speeding up data transferred across their networks. Nearly half of its revenue still comes from telecom customers, but a growing share comes from U.S. hyperscalers as they build out networks of AI data centers with massive data-transfer needs. Ciena provides products and systems that allow hyperscalers to connect data centers to one another as well as connect servers to other servers within the same data center. While the latter is seeing reasonable growth, Ciena's products don't stand out against the competition. The former category is where it has built a considerable technology lead and faces limited competition. And the growing number of AI data centers has been a massive boon. Ciena offers bes...
Joe Hendrickson/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It's been a while since I last covered SoFi Technologies ( SOFI ), one of my highest conviction long positions that I've rated a 'Strong Buy' since I first started covering the stock in August of 2024. Since my initial coverage, the stock is up nearly 160%, dwarfing the total return of the S&P 500 and proving the strength and resilience of the unde...
Joe Hendrickson/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It's been a while since I last covered SoFi Technologies ( SOFI ), one of my highest conviction long positions that I've rated a 'Strong Buy' since I first started covering the stock in August of 2024. Since my initial coverage, the stock is up nearly 160%, dwarfing the total return of the S&P 500 and proving the strength and resilience of the underlying business: Seeking Alpha As I see it, SoFi is an exceptionally managed consumer bank with an expanding product flywheel, minimal balance sheet risk, and strong growth prospects. While critics have pointed to the company's premium valuation and lagging third-party technology segment, I feel as though I see the business for what it is: the first truly all-in-one financial platform, where users can bank, draw credit, invest, insure, and much more, all in the same place, with minimal fees and a tech-first platform. The company's recent earnings report underscores this belief, with significant top-line growth ongoing and the company's 10th consecutive profitable quarter on the books. Despite all this, the stock is down roughly 50% from highs as a short report by Muddy Waters has alleged misstated financials that could materially impact the company's historical results. SoFi has denied these allegations and said that they may take legal action against Muddy Waters as a result. That said, frankly, I don't really care whether or not Muddy Waters is correct. Sure, misstated financials are a serious problem, but the longer-term growth opportunity here is very real, the product velocity and flywheel continues to churn, and the bank's exceptional efficiency should remain a core strength well into the future. Now trading at roughly half the valuation it was just a few short months ago, I view shares of SoFi - at the current price - as a serious opportunity for investors to jump aboard its long-tail, high-margin growth story. Today, I'll outline developments with SoFi since my last...
In this article ELF Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Miodrag Ignjatovic | E+ | David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.S. consumers will shell out more for everything from fuel to hot dogs and hamburgers heading into Memorial Day weekend as the Iran War reignites inflation. Total inflation for shoppers rose 3.8% in April from the same month a year ago, the highest annual rate...
In this article ELF Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Miodrag Ignjatovic | E+ | David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.S. consumers will shell out more for everything from fuel to hot dogs and hamburgers heading into Memorial Day weekend as the Iran War reignites inflation. Total inflation for shoppers rose 3.8% in April from the same month a year ago, the highest annual rate since 2023, according to federal government data released this month. Prices for travel, recreation and food saw especially sharp increases, draining Americans' wallets as they ring in the unofficial start of summer. "They're not going to be happy about what they see," said Stephen Juneau, senior U.S. economist at Bank of America. "There will be a lot of grumbling this weekend when people are driving and in the airports, or are going to the store to stock up." Consumer sentiment officially came in at its lowest level on record in May, according to survey data from the University of Michigan released Friday. The outlook was battered in part by spiking oil prices amid the Middle East war, which is almost three months old. E.l.f. Beauty announced Wednesday that it was rolling back some price increases , saying its consumers were "suffering" from elevated fuel costs. McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski warned earlier this month that the fast food chain faced a "challenging environment" as inflationary pressures mount. Here's some of the areas where Americans will pay more over the holiday weekend: Food Miami Beach, Florida, Publix grocery store, hot dogs sausage sausages packages, Nathan's Hebrew National display. Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Summer barbecues will be more costly this year as cattle herds shrink and fertilizer costs jump. Ground beef and steaks are up as much as 16% compared with 2025. Frankfurters cost nearly 11% more than a year ago. Tomatoes run shoppers close to 40% more, while lettuce is up about 8% over the same period. Toppings suc...
Two-time 200m world champion Shericka Jackson produced a dominant display to win the 200m Diamond League event in Xiamen. Jackson smashed the meeting record and narrowly missed out on the world lead by 0.01 seconds, finishing with a time of 21.87 seconds to claim the victory. The Jamaican led from the off and showed her strength on the bend to pull away. Shaunae Miller-Uibo (22.04) and Anavia Batt...
Two-time 200m world champion Shericka Jackson produced a dominant display to win the 200m Diamond League event in Xiamen. Jackson smashed the meeting record and narrowly missed out on the world lead by 0.01 seconds, finishing with a time of 21.87 seconds to claim the victory. The Jamaican led from the off and showed her strength on the bend to pull away. Shaunae Miller-Uibo (22.04) and Anavia Battle (22.29) both produced season's bests to claim second and third respectively but neither looked like troubling Jackson. The 2023 world 100m champion, Sha'Carri Richardson, also produced a season's best, crossing the line in fourth with a time of 22.38 seconds. Amy Hunt, Great Britain's 200m world silver medallist, finished seventh in the field of nine. Elsewhere on Saturday in Xiamen, 18-year-old Chinese athlete Yan Ziyi threw the second furthest distance of all time in the women's javelin event. At the age of 17, Yan landed the world junior record and now breaks the Diamond League record, the Asian record and the world under-20 record with one fantastic throw.
Getty Images Things haven’t gone to plan for Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss-founded cryptocurrency exchange/custodian Gemini Space Station, Inc. ( GEMI ) since its IPO late last year. Since I last outlined the downside risks , from governance to execution, the stock has only continued to drift lower. So much so that at one point, GEMI was priced at “one-sixth of the value of that company that IPO'd....
Getty Images Things haven’t gone to plan for Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss-founded cryptocurrency exchange/custodian Gemini Space Station, Inc. ( GEMI ) since its IPO late last year. Since I last outlined the downside risks , from governance to execution, the stock has only continued to drift lower. So much so that at one point, GEMI was priced at “one-sixth of the value of that company that IPO'd.” Data by YCharts Cue a surprise $100m “strategic investment” announcement by the Winklevoss twins at Gemini’s recent earnings release, which drove a big rally in the shares. As I said in my prior coverage, extreme bearish sentiment, like we’ve seen on GEMI since its IPO, can make for explosive turnarounds. So, following the capital injection from Winklevoss Capital (WCF), at a premium of $14/share no less, it’s worth taking a re-look at the investment case. Data by YCharts A Closer Look at the WCF Boost 1. A Uniquely Accretive $100 Million Placement The key headline from Gemini’s recent Q1 2026 report was a $100m bitcoin raise. The big surprise, though, was the terms of the WCF placement at a premium $14 per share – ~2.6x where the stock traded pre-earnings. In return for the 1.3k bitcoins put up, WCF gets ~7.1m Class A shares (these are separate from the Class B shares owned by the twins, which come with 10:1 voting rights). Gemini Post-money, the 7.1m share issuance means that Gemini’s total Class A shares outstanding expands to ~51.3m shares; meanwhile, Class B remains at ~75.1m. In total, Gemini’s total shares outstanding rise of ~126.4m. (‘Millions) Pre-Money Shares Issued Post-Money Class A 44.2 7.1 51.3 (+) Class B 75.1 75.1 = Total 119.3 126.4 Click to enlarge Source: Gemini. Ordinarily, adding ~6% to the share base would be dilutive; because these shares were issued at such a big premium, though, the placement ends up being per-share accretive instead. Why the big premium? Per Cameron (Co-founder and President) on the call , the rationale here is twofold – 1) that...
Olivier Le Moal/iStock via Getty Images Introduction We have had a roller-coaster ride in the last few months. Due to the events in the Middle East and their impact on energy prices, the stock market took a nosedive back in March. However, the recovery was very quick and furious. The market not only crossed the SPX7000 level but then kept going up on the back of a strong rally in semiconductors an...
Olivier Le Moal/iStock via Getty Images Introduction We have had a roller-coaster ride in the last few months. Due to the events in the Middle East and their impact on energy prices, the stock market took a nosedive back in March. However, the recovery was very quick and furious. The market not only crossed the SPX7000 level but then kept going up on the back of a strong rally in semiconductors and AI stocks. The peace in the Middle East is still elusive, and oil prices are still too high for anyone's comfort. The euphoria over President Trump's visit to China is over, as nothing concrete appears to have come out. For all of the above reasons and some more, the market is seeing some resistance now, and that's why we are seeing some decline. A lot depends on how the events turn out in the near term and on the energy prices in the short to medium term. How the Fed acts in the coming months will be interesting to watch, especially with Kevin Warsh set to take charge as the Fed Chair. You can see the current odds of the Fed's next rate cut here on the CME FedWatchTool website. All that being said, buying the best of the income investments regularly in small quantities is the key. As always, investors have to tread carefully amid all the uncertainties. Why CEFs? The broader market, as represented by the S&P500, provides a dismal level of yield of less than 1.10%. Income investors and retirees can't survive on that level of income unless they have a very large pool of capital. Also, the method of raising income by selling shares is generally very stressful and full of pitfalls, and that's why it is not recommended. Alternatively, one can find solid blue-chip individual dividend stocks that pay much higher dividends than the S&P 500. They can also provide market-matching growth on a longer-term basis. To identify such stocks, we also publish a monthly article on the '5 Best DGI stocks'. You can find the most recent one here. However, with CEFs, we can take the income to th...
Panuwat Dangsungnoen/iStock via Getty Images Being bullish right now feels somewhat contrarian again. At least, that's what the latest AAII sentiment survey data suggests. AAII Sentiment Survey Here is what I find interesting about this survey. There seems to be a lag for sentiment to catch up with the markets. For example, the table above shows that bearishness was still dominant between the Apri...
Panuwat Dangsungnoen/iStock via Getty Images Being bullish right now feels somewhat contrarian again. At least, that's what the latest AAII sentiment survey data suggests. AAII Sentiment Survey Here is what I find interesting about this survey. There seems to be a lag for sentiment to catch up with the markets. For example, the table above shows that bearishness was still dominant between the April 1 and April 15 data points, even though the market had already started to move off the March 30 lows: Guidance Terminal By April 15, the SPY was already up double digits. However, with this example, I am not saying the setup today is clean. In fact, this week, the main thing keeping me from getting too comfortable in my sleep is the long end of the U.S. Treasury curve. Overall, I see a large disconnect between the 2-year yield, which is currently sitting around 4.09%, while the Fed funds rate remains in the 3.50% to 3.75% range. How is new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh going to build a rate cut case with the 2-year yield over 4%? This is why I am now paying close attention (again) to the geopolitical side of the story. To be clear, I haven't checked the news on the Middle East conflict lately, as I've been busy researching and buying AI bottleneck themes. However, I do not believe the timing of President Trump’s comments about U.S.-Iran negotiations being in the “final stages” was at a random point in time. In this piece, I discuss why and what I am doing about it. What's Keeping Me Up at Night Lately By far, the No. 1 factor I’m closely monitoring right now is the long end of the U.S. Treasury curve. Earlier this week, the U.S. 30-year Treasury yield rose to about 5.18%, the highest in 19 years! To my relief, it has declined to 5.08% since last Tuesday, but I'm not sure if the peak is behind us. Why? Well, from a technical perspective, the chart looks anything but encouraging, with a clear uptrend since the 2020 lows. Seeking Alpha | US 30Y Treasury Yield The chart that really m...
“An ongoing culture war”: AI is driving up the cost of key gaming components as Big Tech leaves the gaming industry, once an inseparable ally, in the dust.
“An ongoing culture war”: AI is driving up the cost of key gaming components as Big Tech leaves the gaming industry, once an inseparable ally, in the dust.
I think the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (NYSEARCA: VGT) is the poster child for why investors should let winners run. If you were able to hold this ETF through the sizable volatility that comes with a concentrated technology sector investment, you would have earned a 24.09% annualized return over the trailing 10 years. The ETF ... Vanguard’s 8-for-1 Split Made VGT Look Cheaper. For Retiree...
I think the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (NYSEARCA: VGT) is the poster child for why investors should let winners run. If you were able to hold this ETF through the sizable volatility that comes with a concentrated technology sector investment, you would have earned a 24.09% annualized return over the trailing 10 years. The ETF ... Vanguard’s 8-for-1 Split Made VGT Look Cheaper. For Retirees Sitting on Decades of Tech Gains, the Passive Income Math Just Got More Interesting.