Getty Images Introduction I’ve been innovation-oriented since the beginning of my investing journey. My interest in innovation and business is a main reason I have an investment portfolio. I study business and economics, I break down companies full-time, and as a result, I’m able to share my thoughts and analyses on different platforms, including Seeking Alpha. Yet, I have a very difficult time wi...
Getty Images Introduction I’ve been innovation-oriented since the beginning of my investing journey. My interest in innovation and business is a main reason I have an investment portfolio. I study business and economics, I break down companies full-time, and as a result, I’m able to share my thoughts and analyses on different platforms, including Seeking Alpha. Yet, I have a very difficult time with what’s been going on with the market lately. The riskiest portfolio of mine, the one where I’ve been experimenting with puts/calls and having major losses as a result (learning to use those instruments), is still up by 25% this year, while the S&P 500 ( SP500 ) has made about 10%. While I’m of course not complaining, I started trimming some positions and entirely closing others, increasing my cash ratio as of the last few weeks. My Portfolio Performance YTD Call me a skeptic, but in 2026, with all of the events that have been happening so far and likely will continue to destabilize the worldwide geopolitical and economic situations, this “explosion” of market positivity looks too powerful even for my taste. Looking at the stretched valuation multiples for most of the AI-related tech stocks and the frenzy around the adoption of this technology, I’d be very curious to see what would happen with the market and with those stocks if, say, the Fed decides to increase rates this year. According to the Fed Watch Tool , the probability of the rates staying unchanged by the year-end is at ~55% (color green on the graph below), with ~45% probability for rates to be increased at least once until December 9th, 2026. As of today, there are no expectations of cuts, which, given the highest inflation of the last 3 years , would be a disaster in the making and won’t serve any good besides making the U.S. President happy . Fed Watch Not only is inflation a metric worth following, but the overall situation as well. The peace talks between the U.S. and Iran are not likely to result in an ac...
halbergman/E+ via Getty Images Invitation Homes's ( INVH ) blended rental rate growth of 2.5% in April and May of 2026 improved from Q1's 1.6% rate, the home rental REIT said Monday. Meanwhile, its average occupancy of 97.2% for the first two months of Q2 2026 climbed from 96.3% in Q1. Millennials and Gen Z are fueling long-term demand for single-family rentals, the company said in its slides for ...
halbergman/E+ via Getty Images Invitation Homes's ( INVH ) blended rental rate growth of 2.5% in April and May of 2026 improved from Q1's 1.6% rate, the home rental REIT said Monday. Meanwhile, its average occupancy of 97.2% for the first two months of Q2 2026 climbed from 96.3% in Q1. Millennials and Gen Z are fueling long-term demand for single-family rentals, the company said in its slides for its presentation at NAREIT's REITweek conference. Furthermore, the increased cost of homeownership is creating a demand tailwind for single-family rentals, it added. "On average, owning costs nearly $1,000 more per month than leasing" in INVH's markets. Invitation Homes ( INVH ) stock rose 0.4% in Monday afternoon trading. More on Invitation Homes Invitation Homes: Like The Rent, Shares Are Just Too High Invitation Homes Is Compelling As Policy Fears Subside Invitation Homes Inc. (INVH) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Homebuilding stocks surge after House passes amended housing bill Land & Buildings adds Invitation Homes, exits National Storage among Q1 trades
IREN (NasdaqGS:IREN) is partnering with BE Networks to use NVIDIA DSX Air to digitally simulate and validate an upcoming deployment of more than 50,000 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs. The partnership aims to create a digital twin of IREN's planned AI infrastructure before physical rollout to help reduce integration and deployment risk. IREN has closed a US$3.65b investment grade GPU financing facilit...
IREN (NasdaqGS:IREN) is partnering with BE Networks to use NVIDIA DSX Air to digitally simulate and validate an upcoming deployment of more than 50,000 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs. The partnership aims to create a digital twin of IREN's planned AI infrastructure before physical rollout to help reduce integration and deployment risk. IREN has closed a US$3.65b investment grade GPU financing facility, described as the first of its kind in the U.S. The financing is tied to IREN's AI cloud...
Audiochuck, the maker of the second most popular podcast in the US, has hired Evelyn Webster, chief executive officer of SoulCycle Inc., to lead the company. Webster, whose background includes stints at Time Inc. and the Guardian, is replacing Matt Starker, a former Conde Nast executive who had been with Audiochuck for just about a year. SoulCycle, which Webster had led for more than five years, i...
Audiochuck, the maker of the second most popular podcast in the US, has hired Evelyn Webster, chief executive officer of SoulCycle Inc., to lead the company. Webster, whose background includes stints at Time Inc. and the Guardian, is replacing Matt Starker, a former Conde Nast executive who had been with Audiochuck for just about a year. SoulCycle, which Webster had led for more than five years, is owned by the Equinox Group Ltd., which operates gyms around the world. Starker and Equinox didn’t respond to requests for comment. “Evelyn’s appointment is a next step of strategic growth and operational scaling for Audiochuck,” the company said in a statement Monday. “Evelyn's visionary leadership will allow us to scale the company’s global footprint, fortify our creator ecosystem, deepen our commitment to our community, and amplify the real-world impact of our advocacy work on an even grander scale.” The Indianapolis-based company was founded by Ashley Flowers, co-host of Crime Junk ie. In 2025, Flowers raised $40 million from the Chernin Group, the investment firm of media mogul Peter Chernin that had previously backed Barstool Sports and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. Flowers’ goal with taking on the funding was to diversify the company beyond her main podcast, adding new shows and building out a team of reporters who could bring fresh stories to the crowded true-crime space. Last year, Audiochuck signed a multiyear distribution deal with the Tubi Media Group, part of Fox Corp. Under the agreement, Audiochuck programming is being distributed on the Tubi streaming service, while Red Seat Ventures, a Tubi subsidiary, sells ads on the shows. The shift in leadership arrives as podcasting, a traditionally audio-only medium, shifts to video programming and new distribution partners like Tubi and Netflix Inc., which are trying to attract viewers with popular content that is cheaper to make than standard TV shows.
We just covered the Jeff Bezos Stock Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks and GRAIL, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRAL) ranks 8th on this list. The interest of Jeff Bezos in GRAIL, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRAL) can be understood in context of the history of Bezos as a backer of disruptive, foundational healthcare platforms that use data computing. In January 2016, […]
We just covered the Jeff Bezos Stock Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks and GRAIL, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRAL) ranks 8th on this list. The interest of Jeff Bezos in GRAIL, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRAL) can be understood in context of the history of Bezos as a backer of disruptive, foundational healthcare platforms that use data computing. In January 2016, […]
Reporters and the public will be allowed to attend a key hearing for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, after a Utah judge on Monday denied a defence request to restrict access. Tyler Robinson’s defence had asked Judge Tony Graf to close portions of the preliminary hearing on July 6–10, when prosecutors must show they have enough evidence to warrant a trial. It will mark the most significant...
Reporters and the public will be allowed to attend a key hearing for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, after a Utah judge on Monday denied a defence request to restrict access. Tyler Robinson’s defence had asked Judge Tony Graf to close portions of the preliminary hearing on July 6–10, when prosecutors must show they have enough evidence to warrant a trial. It will mark the most significant presentation of evidence to date in a case that has so far focused on matters of media...
We just covered the Jeff Bezos Stock Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks and Remitly Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELY) ranks 7th on this list. Jeff Bezos’s relationship with Remitly Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELY) began during the digital remittance platform’s formative startup phase over a decade ago. In 2012, Bezos’s personal investment arm, Bezos Expeditions, stepped in as a […]
We just covered the Jeff Bezos Stock Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks and Remitly Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELY) ranks 7th on this list. Jeff Bezos’s relationship with Remitly Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELY) began during the digital remittance platform’s formative startup phase over a decade ago. In 2012, Bezos’s personal investment arm, Bezos Expeditions, stepped in as a […]
Bitcoin is back in every headline this week, with the world’s largest cryptocurrency hovering around $73,673 and traders debating whether the dip is the bottom. But here’s what you should actually be watching. Bitcoin is the crowded trade dressed up as a contrarian one. It is down 15.8% year to date and down 30.22% over ... Forget Bitcoin! 1 Historically Cheap Stock to Buy Right Now Instead of the...
Bitcoin is back in every headline this week, with the world’s largest cryptocurrency hovering around $73,673 and traders debating whether the dip is the bottom. But here’s what you should actually be watching. Bitcoin is the crowded trade dressed up as a contrarian one. It is down 15.8% year to date and down 30.22% over ... Forget Bitcoin! 1 Historically Cheap Stock to Buy Right Now Instead of the World’s Largest Cryptocurrency
We just covered the Jeff Bezos Stock Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks and Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) ranks 5th on this list. Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) has a dual-layered financial partnership with Jeff Bezos, as the former is the central hardware element of Amazon’s corporate climate initiative. In February 2019, Bezos personally directed Amazon to […]
We just covered the Jeff Bezos Stock Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks and Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) ranks 5th on this list. Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) has a dual-layered financial partnership with Jeff Bezos, as the former is the central hardware element of Amazon’s corporate climate initiative. In February 2019, Bezos personally directed Amazon to […]
CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman arrives at the courthouse on the day of the trial in Elon Musk's lawsuit over OpenAI for-profit conversion at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, U.S., May 12, 2026. Carlos Barria | Reuters Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman , alleging that the artificial intelligence company knowingly released a...
CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman arrives at the courthouse on the day of the trial in Elon Musk's lawsuit over OpenAI for-profit conversion at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, U.S., May 12, 2026. Carlos Barria | Reuters Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman , alleging that the artificial intelligence company knowingly released an unsafe product that could harm users. The 83-page complaint claims that OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot has aided and abetted mass shooters in "deadly rampages," driven vulnerable people to suicide, harmed users' critical thinking skills and caused minors to become addicted to the tool, which "feigns human compassion." "This litany of harms is driven by Defendants' insatiable quest to win the AI arms race and amass large fortunes, despite knowing the danger of ChatGPT," the filing said. With the lawsuit, Uthmeier's office is seeking to hold Altman personally liable for the alleged harm he has caused to Florida residents because of his conduct as CEO, including his "utter disregard for the risk to human life," according to the complaint. It is also seeking to force OpenAI to comply with obligations under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. OpenAI did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. Read more CNBC tech news SpaceX skeptics have added reason for concern after Musk comments diverge from IPO filing Infighting, court battles could put long-hyped air taxi breakthrough in jeopardy Blue Origin rocket explodes on launchpad during ground test Nvidia is investing billions into an emerging technology that could change the AI industry Uthmeier's lawsuit is the latest example of OpenAI's mounting legal woes. The company is being sued by seven families of the victims of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, which took place in Canada in February. The families allege that the attacker used OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot to plan the attack, and that the company did n...
isil terzioglu/iStock via Getty Images With travel demand remaining healthy and U.S. resort fundamentals showing no signs of a slowdown, Goldman Sachs takes a more constructive view of the timeshare space and now sees Marriott Vacations and Travel + Leisure Co. ( TNL ) as a Buy, and views Hilton Grand Vacations ( HGV ) with a balanced risk/reward. “Investor debate has increasingly shifted away fro...
isil terzioglu/iStock via Getty Images With travel demand remaining healthy and U.S. resort fundamentals showing no signs of a slowdown, Goldman Sachs takes a more constructive view of the timeshare space and now sees Marriott Vacations and Travel + Leisure Co. ( TNL ) as a Buy, and views Hilton Grand Vacations ( HGV ) with a balanced risk/reward. “Investor debate has increasingly shifted away from macro concerns, integration issues, and execution missteps in 2024 and 2025 towards execution-driven earnings growth and self-help,” Goldman Sachs analysts led by Lizzie Dove write in their note to clients. As one of the more compelling self-help stories in gaming, lodging, and leisure, with an attractive valuation and current earnings “materially” understating the structural EBITDA potential of the business, Dove and team upgrade Marriott Vacations Worldwide ( VAC ) to Buy from Neutral with a revised price target of $100, representing 17% upside to Friday’s closing price. More importantly, VAC management appears to be gaining traction on a number of controllable operational initiatives, while underlying demand trends remain healthy, Dove adds. Travel + Leisure ( TNL ) also earned an upgrade to Buy on its “compelling long-term algo of mid-single-digit EBITDA growth and EPS growth in the teens,” which Dove views as unachievable elsewhere in Goldman’s travel coverage at TNL’s current valuation. “TNL has avoided some of the mistakes of its peers and instead stuck to its bread and butter and focused on execution of its core business. Additionally, we believe TNL’s 2026 guidance is too conservative,” the analyst team notes. TNL is assigned a new price target of $85, translating to 25% upside to Friday’s closing price. Finally, Hilton Grand Vacations ( HGV ) is no longer considered a Sell by the analyst team, as the reasons for the bearish rating are no longer relevant. “HGV has come through the [Bluegreen Vacation] integration and is starting to harvest the benefits from HGV M...