Fast Retailing Co. shares rose to a record after the Japanese retailer raised its full-year operating profit outlook, thanks to strong margins and gains driven by strong Uniqlo demand in the US and Europe. The stock climbed as much as 8.8% in early morning trading in Tokyo on Friday, touching a new historic high after going public in July 1994. The Japanese clothing company now sees operating inco...
Fast Retailing Co. shares rose to a record after the Japanese retailer raised its full-year operating profit outlook, thanks to strong margins and gains driven by strong Uniqlo demand in the US and Europe. The stock climbed as much as 8.8% in early morning trading in Tokyo on Friday, touching a new historic high after going public in July 1994. The Japanese clothing company now sees operating income of ¥700 billion ($4.4 billion), compared with its previous guidance of ¥650 billion for the fiscal period through August, it announced on Thursday after markets in Tokyo closed. That’s well above analysts’ average estimate for ¥657 billion. The results suggest that Uniqlo’s growth will become increasingly driven by overseas markets, particularly the US and Europe, while Japan remains a steady base. As Fast Retailing founder and Chief Executive Officer Tadashi Yanai pushes toward his ¥10 trillion sales target with global expansion at the core, the outlook upgrade is another indication of whether that momentum can hold as demand diverges across regions. The full-year revenue forecast is now ¥3.9 trillion instead of ¥3.8 trillion, and higher than analysts’ prediction for ¥3.8 trillion. Fast Retailing said it now expects to achieve its full-year revenue targets of ¥500 billion in Europe and ¥300 billion in North America during this fiscal year, a year ahead of schedule. The share climb extends Fast Retailing’s gain this year to almost 30%. The benchmark Topix index has climbed around 10% in comparison. Asked about the impact of the Iran conflict in the Middle East, Yanai said that the impact has been limited so far and that the company has already secured supplies through August. “Much will depend on how long and how intense the conflict becomes — we’ll continue to closely monitor the situation and assess any potential impact,” he said. For the three months ended February, operating profit was ¥190 billion. That compares with the ¥161 billion average projection by analysts, ...
bluebay2014/iStock via Getty Images In yesterday's Chart of the Day, we highlighted how the S&P 500 moved back above both its 50- and 200-DMAs in the same session. We also highlighted how, even though the US-based index saw strong performance, that was at the low end of returns relative to two dozen international markets. In the table below, we show the performance of 25 global stock market ETFs y...
bluebay2014/iStock via Getty Images In yesterday's Chart of the Day, we highlighted how the S&P 500 moved back above both its 50- and 200-DMAs in the same session. We also highlighted how, even though the US-based index saw strong performance, that was at the low end of returns relative to two dozen international markets. In the table below, we show the performance of 25 global stock market ETFs yesterday versus their performance from the start of the Iran War through Tuesday's close. As shown, there was only one country, Norway ( ENOR ), that traded lower yesterday, as it fell nearly 2%. However, ENOR entered yesterday at 52-week highs with a high single-digit percentage gain over the prior month and change. That compares to sizable losses for nearly every other country. As for the rest of the pack, most regions saw gains yesterday in the range of 3% to 6%. South Korean equities ( EWY ) were the top performer, rallying double-digits on the day. As may be evident in the table above, the big move yesterday resulted in many of these 25 stock markets moving back above their 50 DMAs. In fact, over three-quarters of these ETFs closed above their 50 DMAs yesterday compared to a low of only 4% (or a single ETF: ENOR) in the final days of March. That is the highest share of those 25 country ETFs trading above their 50 DMAs since the first trading day of March. Not only are these country ETFs above their 50 DMAs, but nine of them are now overbought too, with a handful of others, such as Italy ( EWI ), teetering on joining them in overbought territory. Original Post Editor's Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors.
If you are a retiree looking to supplement your Social Security checks with income you derive from dividend stocks, you'll want to get to know Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) . It has a dividend record that no other healthcare company can match, suggesting that it could set you up for a lifetime of reliable income. Here's what you need to know. J&J is a Dividend King . There are only four healthcare...
If you are a retiree looking to supplement your Social Security checks with income you derive from dividend stocks, you'll want to get to know Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) . It has a dividend record that no other healthcare company can match, suggesting that it could set you up for a lifetime of reliable income. Here's what you need to know. J&J is a Dividend King . There are only four healthcare companies that make that elite grouping, which requires at least 50 consecutive annual dividend increases to join. And of the four, one is AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) , a spin-off that basically "shares" its streak with its former parent Abbot (NYSE: ABT) . J&J's streak is the longest at 63 years, which is nine years longer than the 54 years of the other four healthcare Dividend Kings. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Trump’s overhaul of the US visa system for highly skilled immigrants is undergoing its first major test. If the $100,000 bar inspires foreign-born tech workers to leave the US...or not to come at all...Bloomberg News' Saritha Rai finds India is well positioned to benefit. (Source: Bloomberg)
Trump’s overhaul of the US visa system for highly skilled immigrants is undergoing its first major test. If the $100,000 bar inspires foreign-born tech workers to leave the US...or not to come at all...Bloomberg News' Saritha Rai finds India is well positioned to benefit. (Source: Bloomberg)
Melissa Chiu, 54, director of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, led the institution for 12 years A museum director at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington has announced that she is leaving to take over at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Melissa Chiu has been director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on the National Mall for 12 years. In an interview on Thursday, she insist...
Melissa Chiu, 54, director of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, led the institution for 12 years A museum director at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington has announced that she is leaving to take over at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Melissa Chiu has been director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on the National Mall for 12 years. In an interview on Thursday, she insisted that her departure is not related to Donald Trump’s efforts to interfere with the Smithsonian. Continue reading...
blanscape/iStock Editorial via Getty Images The Walt Disney Company ( DIS ) had a near disaster the last time a new CEO was selected. Therefore, the real question this time is what is being done to prevent a lot of what happened the last time around. The last article touched on this very important issue. Part of the problem was that former CEO Bob Chapek ran smack into the covid challenges in addi...
blanscape/iStock Editorial via Getty Images The Walt Disney Company ( DIS ) had a near disaster the last time a new CEO was selected. Therefore, the real question this time is what is being done to prevent a lot of what happened the last time around. The last article touched on this very important issue. Part of the problem was that former CEO Bob Chapek ran smack into the covid challenges in addition to being new to the CEO job. The challenges of COVID were enough to "do in" far more experienced CEOs throughout the industry and several other industries for that matter. The succession itself turned out to be very poor timing. This time, a major challenge like that is not on the horizon. However, a possible recession and sky-high oil prices do offer anyone at Disney a challenge in running the company for the immediate future. Experiences High gasoline prices may well "score a direct hit" on this part of the company. It is likely the biggest threat to the first quarter guidance that has emerged since the last article. Disney Summary Of First Quarter Experiences Division Financial Results (Disney First Quarter 2026, Earnings Press Release) Higher prices hurt consumer spending. Disney may well be less hurt than other entertainment ideas because of its diversification. But the coming second quarter report should offer a view on the total situation. Wall Street has also long worried about a potential recession. For me, these worries are "gaining ground" because I believe that a lot of the foreign actions taken are to divert attention from some really tough problems at home. Probably the biggest domestic issue is sky-high healthcare costs. As such, the Disney division shown above benefits when there is spare income. But spare income is becoming a scarce resource as more and more people struggle financially. The current foreign policy emphasis would appear to have no answers for the average person's struggle. There are other divisions that may pick up at least some of the s...