Glenview Trust Co lifted its position in Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,987 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,994 shares during the period. Glenview Trust Co's holdings in Adv...
Glenview Trust Co lifted its position in Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,987 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,994 shares during the period. Glenview Trust Co's holdings in Advanced Micro Devices were worth $7,493,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMD. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its holdings in Advanced Micro Devices by 326.5% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 52,068 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock worth $8,424,000 after acquiring an additional 39,861 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Advanced Micro Devices by 6,228.8% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 308,021 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock worth $65,966,000 after acquiring an additional 303,154 shares in the last quarter. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC increased its holdings in Advanced Micro Devices by 127.6% in the 3rd quarter. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC now owns 72,602 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock worth $11,746,000 after acquiring an additional 40,708 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Advanced Micro Devices by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 84,256 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock worth $13,632,000 after acquiring an additional 6,095 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Advanced Micro Devices by 338.5% in the 4th quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 6,157 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock worth $1,319,000 afte...
PlayStation is not integrating XRP, and there is no partnership between Sony and Ripple in any corporate filing, press release, or regulatory disclosure reviewed for this article. The claim, which has circulated with renewed intensity across crypto social media, centers on the term ‘North Star,’ which Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has used publicly to describe the company’s internal strategic direc...
PlayStation is not integrating XRP, and there is no partnership between Sony and Ripple in any corporate filing, press release, or regulatory disclosure reviewed for this article. The claim, which has circulated with renewed intensity across crypto social media, centers on the term ‘North Star,’ which Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has used publicly to describe the company’s internal strategic direction, not a product code name or a consumer-brand integration roadmap. #Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse Reaffirms $XRP Is Key: “All Roads Lead Back to Ripple’s North Star, XRP”. Garlinghouse has again emphasized the central role of XRP to the vision and direction of the Ripple ecosystem. He reaffirmed Ripple’s north star as XRP in reaction to a… pic.twitter.com/G6L2N2C1Ov — TheCryptoBasic (@thecryptobasic) April 29, 2026 This is not simply a viral rumor. It is a structural misreading of corporate strategy language, and the misreading follows a pattern that has produced phantom Sony, Amazon, and Apple partnerships for XRP at regular intervals since at least 2021. We suspect the confusion persists because Garlinghouse’s rhetoric is genuinely expansive; ‘all roads lead back to XRP’ is a statement about ecosystem design philosophy, not a disclosure, and XRP communities have developed a reading practice that treats executive ambition as confirmatory evidence of undisclosed deals. (SOURCE: TradingView) The Ripple North Star Strategy: What the Internal Framework Actually Means and Why It Is Not a PlayStation Partnership The term functions as follows: ‘North Star’ is standard corporate strategy language for a guiding organizational objective – the fixed directional reference against which product decisions, capital allocation, and partnership activity are evaluated. Garlinghouse applied the label to XRP in early 2026 during community events and interviews, describing XRP as the anchor asset around which Ripple’s full product stack, RippleNet, On-Demand Liquidity, and RLUSD, is designe...
Morningstar Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,784 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 10,189 shares during the period. Oracle makes up 0.7% ...
Morningstar Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,784 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 10,189 shares during the period. Oracle makes up 0.7% of Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $11,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SLT Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $218,000. Glenview Trust Co increased its position in shares of Oracle by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 290,762 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $56,672,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Elite Life Management LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 76.5% during the 4th quarter. Elite Life Management LLC now owns 2,248 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the period. Allen Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,061 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $792,000 after purchasing an additional 785 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthquest Corp acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $416,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock. Get Oracle alerts: Sign Up Oracle Stock Performance Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $192.13 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.66. The stock has a market ...
Morningstar Investment Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM - Free Report) by 61.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,337 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 62,972 shares during the...
Morningstar Investment Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM - Free Report) by 61.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,337 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 62,972 shares during the period. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing comprises 0.7% of Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $11,954,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SLT Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. SLT Holdings LLC now owns 2,449 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 45,038 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $13,687,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 23.9% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 46,101 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $14,010,000 after purchasing an additional 8,885 shares in the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp bought a new position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 4th quarter worth about $441,000. Finally, Dilation Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 4th quarter worth about $10,238,000. Institutional investors own 16.51...
Main Street Research LLC lessened its holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 218,147 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 2,724 shares during the period. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing makes up ap...
Main Street Research LLC lessened its holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 218,147 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 2,724 shares during the period. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing makes up approximately 3.7% of Main Street Research LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Main Street Research LLC's holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $66,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of TSM. Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 82.0% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 91 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 91.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 134 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.51% of the company's stock. Get TSM alerts: Sign Up Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on TSM shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Taiwan Se...
Pope Leo called for the “disarming” of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology on Monday, and warned of “new forms of slavery” behind its rise. The “just war” theory – espoused recently by the Trump administration – was “outdated”, Pope Leo XIV wrote in his first encyclical, which he presented in person at the Vatican, alongside AI experts includi...
Pope Leo called for the “disarming” of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology on Monday, and warned of “new forms of slavery” behind its rise. The “just war” theory – espoused recently by the Trump administration – was “outdated”, Pope Leo XIV wrote in his first encyclical, which he presented in person at the Vatican, alongside AI experts including the co-founder of US giant Anthropic. The first US pope, who has clashed with the White House over the Iran war and its use of religion to justify conflict, sounded the alarm over AI-directed weaponry, saying it was “not permissible to entrust lethal” decisions to tech. Advertisement US giant Anthropic, which has staked its position as an ethical AI company , is embroiled in a legal battle with the US military after opposing the use of its technology for lethal autonomous warfare and mass surveillance. Without naming US President Donald Trump, Leo stressed it was “important to reaffirm that the ‘just war’ theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated”. Co-founder of US artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic, Christopher Olah, attends the presentation of Pope Leo’s first Encyclical Letter ‘Magnifica Humanitas’, focused on the rise of artificial intelligence, in the Vatican on Monday. Photo: AFP “No algorithm can make war morally acceptable,” he added.
Oil prices have fallen below $100 a barrel and stock markets have risen on hopes that the US and Iran are inching closer to a peace deal. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, were down 5.5% to just below $98 a barrel, the lowest levels in two weeks, with hopes that an agreement to end the US-Israeli war on Iran can be struck. However, the US and Iran remain at odds over key issues such a...
Oil prices have fallen below $100 a barrel and stock markets have risen on hopes that the US and Iran are inching closer to a peace deal. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, were down 5.5% to just below $98 a barrel, the lowest levels in two weeks, with hopes that an agreement to end the US-Israeli war on Iran can be struck. However, the US and Iran remain at odds over key issues such as Iran’s blockade of the strait of Hormuz. The strait’s de facto closure sent energy prices soaring after the US and Israel first launched missile strikes on Tehran on 28 February. Warren Patterson, the head of commodities strategy at ING, told Reuters: “We’ve been at this stage before, only for talks to break down. Therefore, the market will likely be more cautious about overreacting.” Japan’s Nikkei rose nearly 3% and the pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up 0.8%. Several markets were closed on Monday for a public holiday, including in the US and the UK. The dollar dipped 0.25% against a basket of major currencies on Monday. The pound gained 0.5% to $1.3492, the highest since 14 May. Stephen Innes, an independent analyst, said: “Treasury futures rallied, gold climbed and equity futures pushed higher as investors started pricing the possibility that the world’s most dangerous energy choke point may soon reopen to something resembling normal flow. “The market response made perfect sense given how much inflation fear and hawkish rate pricing had been embedded into the curve during the recent energy shock.” Inflation fears have risen around the world because of the higher cost of oil, gas and many other materials including fertiliser, which is expected to drive food prices sharply higher in the coming months. As a result, expectations of interest rate cuts from central banks prior to the Iran war quickly gave way to predictions of rate increases. Markets expect the Bank of England to raise rates twice this year.
Exclusive: Cache of internal documents leaked to the Guardian and the ABC’s Four Corners show multinational has war-gamed ways to massively delay decarbonisation Revealed: the internal BHP memo that slammed the brakes on world’s biggest miner’s climate push Read more from the BHP files investigation here Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The world’s biggest miner has hal...
Exclusive: Cache of internal documents leaked to the Guardian and the ABC’s Four Corners show multinational has war-gamed ways to massively delay decarbonisation Revealed: the internal BHP memo that slammed the brakes on world’s biggest miner’s climate push Read more from the BHP files investigation here Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The world’s biggest miner has halted or delayed projects to cut vast amounts of emissions and has quietly war-gamed options to push major climate investments in its Western Australian iron ore operations into the next two decades, internal documents show. An exclusive investigation based on documents leaked to the Guardian and the ABC’s Four Corners can reveal that BHP , one of Australia’s biggest historic emitters, has dumped plans for a facility that could have significantly reduced emissions and has put on ice renewable projects designed to power its iron ore operations in the vast, resource-rich Pilbara region. Continue reading...
The revelation that BHP cancelled and delayed commitments to act on the climate crisis should be a wake-up call. It matters in its own right: millions of tonnes of additional heat-trapping pollution will go into the atmosphere, adding to climate harm and making Australia’s climate targets that much harder to reach. It also matters for the influence the world’s biggest miner could have in accelerat...
The revelation that BHP cancelled and delayed commitments to act on the climate crisis should be a wake-up call. It matters in its own right: millions of tonnes of additional heat-trapping pollution will go into the atmosphere, adding to climate harm and making Australia’s climate targets that much harder to reach. It also matters for the influence the world’s biggest miner could have in accelerating use of technology needed to cut pollution from major industrial operations. BHP is not alone among its peers in stepping back its climate action. Rio Tinto has slashed spending on projects to reduce emissions and disbanded its specialist decarbonisation unit. Other major corporations have either jumped in fear of Donald Trump or used his rise as an excuse to drop climate commitments. But the scale of BHP’s reversal, revealed in documents leaked to the Guardian and the ABC, is significant. 4:18 BHP files: leaked memo shows miner backtracking on key climate projects in Australia – video It shelved the first big investment planned under its decarbonisation plan – a huge solar farm – after it was approved and funded by its board. A much larger solar, wind and battery development that would have run most of its inland operations in northern Western Australia has been delayed for at least five years. BHP has also doubled down on using diesel-powered trucks, despite a promise to switch to a fleet of electric vehicles running on renewable energy. Internal documents acknowledge this is inconsistent with its climate pledges. Making promises to cut emissions is the easy part. Designing and spending up on plans to achieve those cuts is a tougher exercise. Inevitably, there will be bumps on that road. But the leaked documents show that is not what has happened here. Instead, BHP has balked at commitments that a company of its heft and worth could prioritise if it chose. The company’s own estimates suggest that its full decarbonisation could cost US$7.5bn over the next 25 years. It b...
Nour Haydar speaks with Christopher Knaus about the BHP files – the cache of internal documents leaked to the Guardian and the ABC’s Four Corners – which show that the world’s biggest miner has war-gamed ways to massively delay decarbonisation Additional audio in this episode was sourced by Financial Times Live Read more: Continue reading...
Nour Haydar speaks with Christopher Knaus about the BHP files – the cache of internal documents leaked to the Guardian and the ABC’s Four Corners – which show that the world’s biggest miner has war-gamed ways to massively delay decarbonisation Additional audio in this episode was sourced by Financial Times Live Read more: Continue reading...
In the middle of 2019, London was sweltering through a heatwave. Temperature records tumbled. Frail, ill and elderly people died in their hundreds. In a city not built for heat, trains were brought to a halt. Railway lines threatened to buckle and sagging power lines caused spot fires along the tracks. Across the channel, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany also hit record temperatures. During th...
In the middle of 2019, London was sweltering through a heatwave. Temperature records tumbled. Frail, ill and elderly people died in their hundreds. In a city not built for heat, trains were brought to a halt. Railway lines threatened to buckle and sagging power lines caused spot fires along the tracks. Across the channel, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany also hit record temperatures. During the hottest week in late July, the then global chief executive of one of the world’s worst polluters was preparing to take the stage at a high-profile London event. BHP’s Andrew Mackenzie stood before a collection of Britain’s most powerful – lords, MPs and diplomats – and gave a climate speech that made the world take notice. Mackenzie warned that the world’s dependence on fossil fuels was causing risks that “could be existential”. Global heating was indisputable, he said, and would have catastrophic consequences. “The planet will survive,” he said. “Many species may not.” 4:18 BHP files: leaked memo shows miner backtracking on key climate projects in Australia – video Here was one of the most powerful corporate leaders in the world making an impassioned call to arms on the problem his company helped cause. Mackenzie said global warming required the “biggest global mobilisation since World War II”. The company later pledged to reduce emissions from its operations, largely from energy and diesel use at its mines, by 30% by 2030 and had already set a goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050. It also sought to curtail indirect emissions – from the use of its iron ore and coal by others – which at that stage were the equivalent of pollution from roughly 126m cars. double quotation mark According to its annual report, BHP pumped 8.7m tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere last financial year – more than about 80 individual countries Six years after Mackenzie’s speech, long after he had left the company, senior BHP executives were presented with an internal memo dated May 2025. The mem...
Long throws You will almost certainly be aware that there have been a load of set-piece goals this season, and an extraordinary proliferation of long throws. At times the self-styled greatest league in the world has drowned in a torrent of guileless ball-flinging. I can date my disapproval of long throws back to a single afternoon in November 1996, during which I endured an FA Cup tie between Nort...
Long throws You will almost certainly be aware that there have been a load of set-piece goals this season, and an extraordinary proliferation of long throws. At times the self-styled greatest league in the world has drowned in a torrent of guileless ball-flinging. I can date my disapproval of long throws back to a single afternoon in November 1996, during which I endured an FA Cup tie between Northampton and Watford, a game that took place long enough ago for me to have forgotten everything about it but for these basic facts: Darren Bazeley scored the only goal, and long throws are rubbish. Reports on the game – a mind-numbing non-event which Sky had foolishly chosen for television coverage – suggest these were indeed sensible takeaways. “Watford patented the use of the long ball so they could not complain at Northampton’s reliance on the tactic,” wrote the Telegraph. “A succession of long throws and high crosses nearly produced something on several occasions.” Oh, they did produce something: boredom, swelling over time and by repetition to a kind of weary fury, an outrage bubbling just below the surface because it couldn’t be arsed to break out. Nearly 30 years on, the mere sight of a player towelling down the ball and taking several backwards steps awakens some dark corner of my brain. Unless your team are in possession of a Rory Delap character – in which case fill your boots (gloves?) – it’s just feeding a footballing fruit machine in lieu of developing actual tactics. Stop it. View image in fullscreen Brentford’s Michael Kayode dries the ball before one of his trademark long throws against Liverpool in October. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty Images Funny kits Not funny-looking kits – we’ve always had those – but kits with actual comedic intent. Polyester jesters, if you will. There is simply no need. We refer of course to Manchester City’s 2025-26 third kit, which uses a fabric designed to look like a rain-flecked window on a particularly dismal, grey day (wit...
“I’ve been shocked by the attention the issue as far as my mediating cases that are before me has gotten because in my view it’s just a label,” US Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan said, addressing the scrutiny surrounding his role as a mediator in cases pending before him. Bankruptcy judges “have always brought parties into chambers in an effort to settle matters when it’s consensual.” In a convers...
“I’ve been shocked by the attention the issue as far as my mediating cases that are before me has gotten because in my view it’s just a label,” US Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan said, addressing the scrutiny surrounding his role as a mediator in cases pending before him. Bankruptcy judges “have always brought parties into chambers in an effort to settle matters when it’s consensual.” In a conversation with Bloomberg Intelligence’s Negisa Balluku at the Beard Group’s Distressed Investing Media N
Key Points Strategy's Bitcoin treasury playbook makes it a unique business in the world of finance and capital markets. Through its opportunistic funding mechanism, it has acquired almost 844,000 Bitcoins. As a leveraged Bitcoin play, Strategy shares have tremendous upside potential, but their volatility will be hard for many investors to stomach. 10 stocks we like better than Strategy › Thanks to...
Key Points Strategy's Bitcoin treasury playbook makes it a unique business in the world of finance and capital markets. Through its opportunistic funding mechanism, it has acquired almost 844,000 Bitcoins. As a leveraged Bitcoin play, Strategy shares have tremendous upside potential, but their volatility will be hard for many investors to stomach. 10 stocks we like better than Strategy › Thanks to the rise of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), capital markets are evolving. The world's top digital asset, which has a market capitalization of about $1.5 trillion, is blending with the traditional financial services industry. Investors are taking notice. Strategy (NASDAQ: MSTR), co-founded by billionaire Michael Saylor, is the perfect example of this. Although its shares are now trading 66% below their peak, the company's unusual playbook makes it a potential millionaire-maker stock for long-term investors. 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 » This is not your typical company Strategy does run a software business that generates hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. It's introducing artificial intelligence (AI) features for its enterprise customers in an attempt to benefit from the major tech trend shaping the economy. However, in terms of the real value of the company, that legacy software business has become an afterthought. Its main financial activity is now being a Bitcoin treasury. As of Friday, Strategy owned nearly 844,000 Bitcoins valued at a total of about $65 billion. It's the single largest holder of the digital asset. The business regularly taps equity and fixed-income markets to raise capital, which it uses to purchase more Bitcoin. One of Strategy's most successful offerings, called STRC (Short Duration High Yield Credit), has raised $10.5 billion since its launch in July last ...
Commemorating the 90th anniversary of Social Security, a program signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, the folks at AARP commissioned a survey to assess Americans' understanding of this vital program. The survey's findings were both surprising and alarming. Here's a look at some of them. The survey says... Let's start with a big problem that the survey exposed: Fully 64% of s...
Commemorating the 90th anniversary of Social Security, a program signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, the folks at AARP commissioned a survey to assess Americans' understanding of this vital program. The survey's findings were both surprising and alarming. Here's a look at some of them. The survey says... Let's start with a big problem that the survey exposed: Fully 64% of survey respondents didn't understand the impact of Social Security's surplus running dry. When asked about what will happen once the Social Security Trust Funds are no longer able to pay full benefits, 34% chose the correct answer: Benefits will be paid at a reduced level. But 36% of respondents thought that no benefits would be paid. Another 28% said neither was true, or that they just didn't know. Some 47% thought that benefits would be cut at least in half -- which is wrong. Yikes. Here's the correct answer: The Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, in their latest report, for 2025, have estimated that: The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund will be able to pay 100 percent of total scheduled benefits until 2033, unchanged from last year's report. At that time, the fund's reserves will become depleted and continuing program income will be sufficient to pay 77% of total scheduled benefits. So benefits won't fall to zero, and they won't be slashed in half. But they will drop significantly -- enough to wreak havoc on millions of retirements. Don't give up on Social Security, but be prepared Here's some good news: There are multiple ways to fix Social Security. For example, the current tax rate on workers' earnings, which feeds the fund, could be increased a bit. Currently, most workers pay 6.2%, with their employers kicking in another 6.2%, for a total of 12.4%. Another possible fix is taxing high earners more. Right now, there's an earnings cap, beyond which income is not taxed for Social Security; it's adjusted annually and the cap is $184...
KE ZHUANG/E+ via Getty Images As most investors know by now, NextEra Energy ( NEE ) is acquiring Dominion Energy ( D ), an 80-yr old utility company, based on acquiring regulatory and shareholder approval. It is an all-stock offer where D shareholders receive .813 shares of NEE, representing a 23% premium to the pre-announcement valuation. Without changes, NEE investors will own 75% of the new com...
KE ZHUANG/E+ via Getty Images As most investors know by now, NextEra Energy ( NEE ) is acquiring Dominion Energy ( D ), an 80-yr old utility company, based on acquiring regulatory and shareholder approval. It is an all-stock offer where D shareholders receive .813 shares of NEE, representing a 23% premium to the pre-announcement valuation. Without changes, NEE investors will own 75% of the new company I call NEE+D, and D investors will own 25%. I owned D from 2013 to 2021 and sold after they announced the addition of an albatross to their necklace collection, often referred to as offshore wind power. I am a current shareholder of NEE common shares, purchasing in 2018 and again in 2023 and have been a previous holder owner of various NEE Equity Units over time, such as NEE-PO. SA has published 11 commentaries on D between 2012 and 2023 and 4 articles on NEE between 2018 and 2020. Overall and over time, the acquisition should be positive for NEE. There has been plenty written about the acquisition, and here is my take. New NextEra Energy (NEE+D) The acquisition will give a substantial boost to the regulated side of NextEra Energy. Management’s announcement of the acquisition states that NEE+D will be more than 80% regulated, serving 10 million customers. Currently, NEE is 70% regulated, serving 6 million customers through its Florida Power and Light FPL and Gulf Power subsidiaries. NEE will remain one of the largest renewable energy infrastructure development companies through its ownership in XPLR Infrastructure LLC ( XIFR ). NEE will gain 3.4 million regulated electric customers in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, in addition to 500,000 regulated natural gas customers in SC. Much like the natural gas infrastructure spinoffs from oil companies into MLPs, NextEra has its own financially engineered limited partnership connected at the hip. Originally known as NextEra Energy Partners NEP when it separated from the mothership in 2014, it owns and operates re...
No Deal - Again Another weekend, and another wait for the Iran deal. And another disappointment. No deal - again. Let's rewind: Last weekend Iran sent their counterproposal to the US, and the US rejected it. Then, Trump stated that he "delayed" the planned resumption of kinetic war activities with another strike on Iran - to give it one last chance to negotiate a peaceful solution. This weekend we...
No Deal - Again Another weekend, and another wait for the Iran deal. And another disappointment. No deal - again. Let's rewind: Last weekend Iran sent their counterproposal to the US, and the US rejected it. Then, Trump stated that he "delayed" the planned resumption of kinetic war activities with another strike on Iran - to give it one last chance to negotiate a peaceful solution. This weekend we got a very optimistic story from all sides, especially the US, with Trump stating that " the deal is largely negotiated ." But then on Sunday, Trump stated that he is in " no rush to make the deal " - with implication that the deal has not been reached - again. Yet, the negotiations continue, and the planned bombing remains delayed. The Last Chance - Time is Running Out However, the unfolding negotiations are likely the last chance to make a diplomatic solution before the war resumes. Specifically, the US has to reopen the Strait of Hormuz immediately - before a major crude oil shortage starts in June, with oil spiking above $150/barrel. After Hormuz closed on February 28th, the oil shortage has been filled with inventories from strategic reserves, but these inventories are expected to reach critical levels in June. At that point, the crude oil price is expected to start spiking, causing a massive global inflationary shock. These are the May IEA recent predictions : Total March–April inventory draws: 250 mb Only April OECD inventory draw: 146 mb Draw rate: 4–8 mb/day Gulf supply loss: 14 mb/day Summer demand peak begins in June At a 4–8 mb/day deficit, June alone removes 120–240 million barrels. This pushes global inventories into the 90–92 days of forward cover zone, which is the threshold the industry defines as minimum operational level. So, that's it. Hormuz has to reopen in June; otherwise, this will be the biggest energy supply shock ever. Now, imagine what happens if Hormuz remains closed through September. Complete economic collapse. Thus, Trump has to reopen Hormu...