Good morning . Markets are uneasy about a US-Iran deal amid fresh strikes. Russia tells America to evacuate from Kyiv. And our deep dive takes a look at AI trainers getting paid $25,000 a day to advise Wall Street. Listen to the day’s top stories . Market Snapshot US 10-year Treasury yield 4.51% -0.05 S&P 500 futures 7,536.25 +0.6% Market data as of 06:16 AM GMT. Data is subject to provider delays...
Good morning . Markets are uneasy about a US-Iran deal amid fresh strikes. Russia tells America to evacuate from Kyiv. And our deep dive takes a look at AI trainers getting paid $25,000 a day to advise Wall Street. Listen to the day’s top stories . Market Snapshot US 10-year Treasury yield 4.51% -0.05 S&P 500 futures 7,536.25 +0.6% Market data as of 06:16 AM GMT. Data is subject to provider delays. Stocks in Asia trimmed gains and crude oil advanced after US strikes on sites in Iran curbed optimism over a potential deal to end the war. American forces hit missile launch sites in Iran and boats trying to place mines, in attacks authorities described as defensive in nature. Brent rose to over $98.50 a barrel, bouncing back from Monday’s slump of more than 7%.Check out our Markets Today live blog for all the latest news and analysis relevant to UK assets. Donald Trump stepped up pressure on Saudi Arabia and Qatar to recognize Israel by joining the Abraham Accords, saying it would complement an interim peace deal. Talks with Iran are “proceeding nicely,” he said on Truth Social, adding that “to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov advised US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evacuate American citizens and diplomats from Kyiv. Lavrov called his US counterpart at the request of President Vladimir Putin to tell him that Russia is launching systematic and consistent strikes against facilities in the Ukrainian capital as well as against the relevant “decision-making centers,” according to a statement. Kyiv came under a massive Russian drone and missile barrage over the weekend . Pope Leo XIV said AI should be “disarmed” to protect humanity from its dangers, adding his voice to a heated debate over the extent to which governments should regulate a technology that is reshaping the world. A mathematician by training,...
The Japanese government has pledged to suspend an 8% sales tax on food but says it is being thwarted by an unexpected opponent – uncooperative cash registers. According to the devices’ manufacturers, the systems at big retail chains that process everything from cash to cardless transactions were never designed to calculate a tax rate of zero and so they require a major overhaul that could take up ...
The Japanese government has pledged to suspend an 8% sales tax on food but says it is being thwarted by an unexpected opponent – uncooperative cash registers. According to the devices’ manufacturers, the systems at big retail chains that process everything from cash to cardless transactions were never designed to calculate a tax rate of zero and so they require a major overhaul that could take up to a year. All the major parties running in Japan’s February election, which prime minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic party (LDP) won by a landslide, promised some form of cut or temporary abolition of the 8% consumption tax on food as people struggled with a cost-of-living crisis. The LDP’s manifesto called for the rate to be reduced to zero for two years, to be implemented by March next year. However, after being repeatedly pressed by opposition parties on a concrete timetable, Takaichi put the fault for the delay firmly at the feet of cash registers. The prime minister blamed the inflexible machines, calling the situation an “embarrassment for Japan” at a parliamentary committee on 11 May. She added that it was nothing short of “pathetic that we can’t even flexibly change tax rates when a pandemic or major disaster occurs”. But some critics claim Takaichi is using the issue to delay the cut she promised during her victorious election campaign this year as her government looks for ways to fund the measure. Political opponents and commentators pointed out that Takaichi herself had suggested that adjustments to cash registers would take time during a debate on tax cuts last year. Some believe the issue – called the “reji-kabe”, or register wall, in some quarters of the domestic media – is being used as a delaying tactic while the ministry of finance works out a plan to fund the tax suspension. Japan’s public debt-to-GDP ratio is the highest in the world, at about 230%. The tax pledge on food would cost the finance ministry around 5tn yen ($31.5bn) annually. But a ...
Key Points It's tempting to think about investments in terms of their price. It's usually more constructive to examine an asset's value drivers. In XRP's case, holders don't necessarily have strong exposure to those drivers. 10 stocks we like better than XRP › Priced at $1.37 right now, XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) has lost about 62% of its value since peaking near $3.65 in July 2025. At a market cap of arou...
Key Points It's tempting to think about investments in terms of their price. It's usually more constructive to examine an asset's value drivers. In XRP's case, holders don't necessarily have strong exposure to those drivers. 10 stocks we like better than XRP › Priced at $1.37 right now, XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) has lost about 62% of its value since peaking near $3.65 in July 2025. At a market cap of around $84 billion, it's not an absurd valuation for a cryptocurrency with real institutional relationships and a functioning payments network. The price shouldn't be considered a serious impediment for anyone considering buying the coin today. The problem is what you're actually buying. Ripple, the company that issues XRP and builds the infrastructure around it, has assembled a cohort of over 300 financial institutions to do business on its RippleNet and, by extension, the XRP Ledger (XRPL). But the link between that network's growth and the coin delivering returns to its holders is much weaker than it appears. Let's look at why. 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 » There's a big gap between the success of the network and the coin's returns Having hundreds of banks active on RippleNet sounds like a slam dunk for XRP to gain in value over time as financial institutions use it to interact with Ripple's set of financial services. But as of late 2025, only about 40% of those institutions actually use XRP for settlement through Ripple's On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service, which uses XRP as a bridge currency. Even within its liquidity service, XRP is held for just a handful of seconds per transaction before being converted into the destination currency, which means it creates efficiency for the institutions using it but doesn't really lead to any sustained buying pressure, nor is it likely to. Then there...
Stockyme Andrew Bosworth, Meta's ( META ) outspoken chief technology officer, has a new mission: transforming the company's workforce using AI, according to the Wall Street Journal. The report states that Bosworth is known for being outspoken and aggressive in pushing Meta’s technical direction, especially in areas like AI and infrastructure. He reportedly did not offer flexibility or apologies wh...
Stockyme Andrew Bosworth, Meta's ( META ) outspoken chief technology officer, has a new mission: transforming the company's workforce using AI, according to the Wall Street Journal. The report states that Bosworth is known for being outspoken and aggressive in pushing Meta’s technical direction, especially in areas like AI and infrastructure. He reportedly did not offer flexibility or apologies when employees asked to opt out of certain initiatives. On privacy concerns over employee tracking, he advised employees not to use personal email on company devices. In an internal memo, Bosworth told employees, “Our role is to direct, review and help them improve,” as it scales efforts to build AI agents that can do work on their behalf. “We’re already seeing some tasks that used to take hours now take minutes, and soon we won’t need to be in the loop on some tasks at all,” he added. It is suggested that he wants large teams with a few or no managers. Furthermore, he plans to eliminate traditional planning documents and written proposals; he prefers teams to build and test working prototypes directly. The social media giant has reportedly started alerting thousands of employees that they’re being laid off, part of a previously announced restructuring aimed at improving efficiency and reducing costs while investing heavily in artificial intelligence. Boz joined Facebook in 2006 as their ~10th engineer, and in his 20-year tenure, he built the original News Feed, Messenger and Groups, as well as many early anti-abuse and infrastructure systems. Boz currently leads Meta's efforts in building the next computing platform and consumer hardware across Quest, Horizon, the broad portfolio of Meta glasses, and more. More on Meta Meta Platforms: Investors' Concerns Are Valid Meta Platforms: A Call Option On The AI Race Why Meta's 'Alarming' Capex Is Actually Bullish Largest 10 companies reshuffle as Nvidia claims top spot in Russell reconstitution Britain’s AI watchdog becomes global m...
Stockyme Andrew Bosworth, Meta's ( META ) outspoken chief technology officer, has a new mission: transforming the company's workforce using AI, according to the Wall Street Journal. The report states that Bosworth is known for being outspoken and aggressive in pushing Meta’s technical direction, especially in areas like AI and infrastructure. He reportedly did not offer flexibility or apologies wh...
Stockyme Andrew Bosworth, Meta's ( META ) outspoken chief technology officer, has a new mission: transforming the company's workforce using AI, according to the Wall Street Journal. The report states that Bosworth is known for being outspoken and aggressive in pushing Meta’s technical direction, especially in areas like AI and infrastructure. He reportedly did not offer flexibility or apologies when employees asked to opt out of certain initiatives. On privacy concerns over employee tracking, he advised employees not to use personal email on company devices. In an internal memo, Bosworth told employees, “Our role is to direct, review and help them improve,” as it scales efforts to build AI agents that can do work on their behalf. “We’re already seeing some tasks that used to take hours now take minutes, and soon we won’t need to be in the loop on some tasks at all,” he added. It is suggested that he wants large teams with a few or no managers. Furthermore, he plans to eliminate traditional planning documents and written proposals; he prefers teams to build and test working prototypes directly. The social media giant has reportedly started alerting thousands of employees that they’re being laid off, part of a previously announced restructuring aimed at improving efficiency and reducing costs while investing heavily in artificial intelligence. Boz joined Facebook in 2006 as their ~10th engineer, and in his 20-year tenure, he built the original News Feed, Messenger and Groups, as well as many early anti-abuse and infrastructure systems. Boz currently leads Meta's efforts in building the next computing platform and consumer hardware across Quest, Horizon, the broad portfolio of Meta glasses, and more. More on Meta Meta Platforms: Investors' Concerns Are Valid Meta Platforms: A Call Option On The AI Race Why Meta's 'Alarming' Capex Is Actually Bullish Largest 10 companies reshuffle as Nvidia claims top spot in Russell reconstitution Britain’s AI watchdog becomes global m...
Asian equities mixed on Tuesday as investors turned cautious following fresh US strikes in southern Iran that heightened geopolitical tensions and pushed oil prices sharply higher. Gold prices slipped below $4,550 an ounce, paring gains from the previous session. WTI crude futures climbed toward $92 per barrel, recouping some losses. The benchmark KOSPI climbed nearly 3% to around 8,050. Japan's (...
Asian equities mixed on Tuesday as investors turned cautious following fresh US strikes in southern Iran that heightened geopolitical tensions and pushed oil prices sharply higher. Gold prices slipped below $4,550 an ounce, paring gains from the previous session. WTI crude futures climbed toward $92 per barrel, recouping some losses. The benchmark KOSPI climbed nearly 3% to around 8,050. Japan's ( NKY:IND ) fell 0.07% to below 65,000, while the broader Topix Index slipped 0.1% to 3,938, with both benchmarks easing from record highs, and the Japanese yen steadied near 159 per dollar. Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino stated that the central bank plans to increase interest rates, depending on the impact of the Middle East conflict on Japan’s economy and inflation. He noted that real interest rates are still very low. China's ( SHCOMP ) fell 0.77% to 4,130, while the Shenzhen Component tumbled 1.2% to 15,677, with both benchmarks retreating from the previous session, and the offshore yuan weakened to around 6.78 per dollar, retreating from a more-than three-year high reached in the previous session. Hong Kong ( HSI ) rose 0.14% to around 25,660, as optimism surrounding a potential US-Iran agreement earlier supported Asian equities and weighed on oil prices. Bucking the broader positive sentiment, market positioning on Xiaomi Corporation turned highly bearish. Short interest on the tech giant climbed to an all-time high as investors grew increasingly jittery over mounting memory manufacturing costs and brutal domestic EV competition. India ( SENSEX ) rose 0.16% at 76,479, after last session’s two-week high. The Indian rupee hovered near 95.4 per dollar. Australia ( AS51 ) fell 0.38% to 8,647. The Australian dollar edged lower around $0.71, but stayed near a one-week high. Wall Street was closed on Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. U.S. stock futures jumped as Wall Street reopened following a holiday-extended weekend : Dow +0.62% ; S&P 500 +0.64% ; Nasdaq +0....
Editor's note: Seeking Alpha is proud to welcome Rubicon Research as a new contributing analyst. You can become one too! Share your best investment idea by submitting your article for review to our editors. Get published, earn money, and unlock exclusive SA Premium access. Click here to find out more » J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Investment Thesis My exploration of investment opportun...
Editor's note: Seeking Alpha is proud to welcome Rubicon Research as a new contributing analyst. You can become one too! Share your best investment idea by submitting your article for review to our editors. Get published, earn money, and unlock exclusive SA Premium access. Click here to find out more » J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Investment Thesis My exploration of investment opportunities that relate to Artificial Intelligence led me to focus on Brand Engagement Network Inc. ( BNAI ), which I believe has an exciting product story. However, based on what I've seen in BNAI's financials, I don't think the company currently reflects a reasonable valuation based on its ability to achieve a significant level of commercial success. BNAI offers Enterprise-level AI Agents through the BEN platform . As I understand it, BNAI is attempting to create a market for enterprise-level AI agents that can operate within a "closed loop" environment, utilize approved Customer Data, and provide a means by which User Intent can be tied into the Enterprise Workflow. There are clearly many opportunities available in such a space. BNAI does, however, remain quite early commercially while trading as though a Major Revenue Inflection Point was near. To my way of thinking, there is simply no reason why investors should pay such high valuations for so little evidence. While BNAI may ultimately demonstrate that its AI Agents have value in the marketplace, Investors today are essentially paying for that outcome prior to the company demonstrating any durable recurring revenue, positive cash flow, or a stable share count. Overview of the Company The company describes itself as an Artificial Intelligence company with a focus on the "engagement layer" of artificial intelligence. Where human interaction meets enterprise systems, workflows, and real-world outcomes. Using its proprietary Engagement Language Model ("ELM"), BNAI’s technology is designed to operate inside secure environments us...
Thousands of Hongkongers were stuck for hours at multiple land checkpoints in what one traveller called “unprecedented” large crowds on Monday night, as more than 673,000 residents returned to the city from mainland China after the long weekend. Some were also reportedly turned away from the Shenzhen Bay border before its closing time on Monday night. Among the 740,000 residents entering the city ...
Thousands of Hongkongers were stuck for hours at multiple land checkpoints in what one traveller called “unprecedented” large crowds on Monday night, as more than 673,000 residents returned to the city from mainland China after the long weekend. Some were also reportedly turned away from the Shenzhen Bay border before its closing time on Monday night. Among the 740,000 residents entering the city on Monday, 90 per cent returned via land control points. Advertisement According to statistics released by the Immigration Department on Tuesday, the Lo Wu border saw over 165,000 Hongkongers entering the city the day before. Official figures showed that the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line recorded 129,000 residents entering the city, while the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint saw 124,000 local arrivals. Residents returning to Hong Kong after the Buddha’s Birthday long weekend ran into long, winding queues and huge crowds at the border, with some waiting for over three hours to clear immigration. Advertisement One user, who posted videos of the packed Shenzhen Bay border at around 8pm, said that multiple buses were stuck in a jam on the road outside the checkpoint as travellers lugging suitcases made their way through on foot.
Thitima Uthaiburom/iStock via Getty Images Our "Broken Record " Track Record We started covering RADCOM ( RDCM ) in 2020, when the stock was briefly trading at an enterprise value of roughly $4 million—i.e., the market was essentially giving away the company's accumulated R&D for free. We said it was not a matter of if , but when . Since then we have come back to this name a few times, basically w...
Thitima Uthaiburom/iStock via Getty Images Our "Broken Record " Track Record We started covering RADCOM ( RDCM ) in 2020, when the stock was briefly trading at an enterprise value of roughly $4 million—i.e., the market was essentially giving away the company's accumulated R&D for free. We said it was not a matter of if , but when . Since then we have come back to this name a few times, basically with the same core thesis and, we must admit, an increasing sense that the market's patience for this story was much shorter than ours. We probably sounded to readers like a broken record. But here we are in 2026, and a few things have changed—not the thesis, but the context around it. A group of shareholders that includes the founder's own children decided they had waited long enough too. And the business, quietly, probably too slowly, has continued to do exactly what we always thought it would. So let 's try to review the company 's status and go through the latest developments. The Recent Activist Trigger In March 2026, founder Zohar Zisapel's two children joined forces with Value Base, an Israeli investment house, to demand a special shareholder meeting. Together they held roughly 19% of the company, well over the 10% threshold required to force such a meeting. Their complaint, stripped of the legal language, was simple: RADCOM had over $110 million in cash on its balance sheet, no debt, and a market capitalization that was barely twice that amount. The board had failed to do anything meaningful about it. Five of the seven directors chose to resign rather than contest the vote. The chairman's farewell statement was gracious. He said the board preferred to avoid a 'prolonged process' harmful to the company. There is a family drama angle here: among the directors the founder 's children were seeking to oust was Rachel (Heli) Bennun—their late father's partner. The case for the stock was never really complicated. The company has a unique product, a first-mover advantage in ...
(RTTNews) - European shares are seen opening mixed on Tuesday as negotiations to end the war in Iran continue, with Qatar acting as the most immediate mediator. Talks are going on and it's a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the U.S. military carried out "self-defense" strikes in southern Iran, inc...
(RTTNews) - European shares are seen opening mixed on Tuesday as negotiations to end the war in Iran continue, with Qatar acting as the most immediate mediator. Talks are going on and it's a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the U.S. military carried out "self-defense" strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines. In a post on Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Iran to hand over its enriched uranium to the United States to be destroyed, or have it destroyed in Iran with an international witness. Iran has publicly denied reports that it had agreed to transfer its enriched uranium stockpile abroad, exposing the fragile and uncertain nature of the ongoing talks. The Israeli military has begun a wave of strikes against Hezbollah in the Bekaa Vally in the east of Lebanon and other parts of the country following an announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his country will intensify its attacks on Hezbollah. Defense forces across the Gulf are on high alert as Iran pressed ahead with waves of missile and drone attacks on the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain. Meanwhile, after Trump reignited debate over the Abraham Accords, Pakistan said it would not support any agreement that conflicts with the country's "fundamental ideologies." Saudi Arabia said it would not normalize relations with Israel unless there is a clear and irreversible pathway towards the creation of a Palestinian state. Asian markets were mixed as investors parsed the latest developments in the Middle East and monitored oil price movements. Brent crude futures climbed above $98 a barrel due to continued tensions around Hormuz following reports of American and Israeli strikes on Iranian vessels. The dollar wobbled amid uncertainty over the U.S.-Iran draft agreement, while gold fell nearly 1 percent to $4,530 an ounce on Fed rate hike bets. U.S. ...
Key Takeaways Apple's anticipated entry into the foldable smartphone market in H2 2026 is poised to dramatically reshape the competitive landscape, particularly in North America. is poised to dramatically reshape the competitive landscape, particularly in North America. Counterpoint Research projects Apple could capture a staggering 46% of the North American foldable market and 28% globally in its...
Key Takeaways Apple's anticipated entry into the foldable smartphone market in H2 2026 is poised to dramatically reshape the competitive landscape, particularly in North America. is poised to dramatically reshape the competitive landscape, particularly in North America. Counterpoint Research projects Apple could capture a staggering 46% of the North American foldable market and 28% globally in its launch year, instantly becoming a dominant player. of the North American foldable market and globally in its launch year, instantly becoming a dominant player. While the foldable market is still nascent, Apple's move could elevate book-type foldables from a niche to a mainstream productivity-focused flagship category, driving significant growth for AAPL. Is Apple's Foldable iPhone a Game-Changer for AAPL Stock? Apple's long-anticipated foray into the foldable smartphone market, expected in the second half of 2026, is shaping up to be more than just another product launch; it's a potential market redefinition. Counterpoint Research's bold projection that Apple could seize a staggering 46% of the North American foldable market in its debut year, alongside 28% globally, suggests a seismic shift is on the horizon. This isn't just about Apple entering a new category; it's about setting a new standard and potentially unlocking a significant growth vector for the tech giant. The current foldable market, while growing rapidly, remains a relatively small fraction of the overall smartphone landscape, accounting for just 1.6% of total shipments in 2025. However, it's a segment with immense potential, projected to expand from $26 billion in 2023 to a remarkable $188.4 billion by 2033, boasting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.9%. Apple's entry could act as a powerful catalyst, accelerating this growth and drawing in a new wave of consumers who have historically waited for Apple's polished take on emerging technologies. This isn't merely about capturing existing market share;...