winhorse/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Overview Rakuten Group ( RKUNY ) is a Japan-based global internet conglomerate whose primary positioning is the creation of the internet ecosystem consisting of over 70 services which includes online retail, travel, credit cards, banking, securities, and mobile. This business model has a significant impact in terms of having a unified user id system and ...
winhorse/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Overview Rakuten Group ( RKUNY ) is a Japan-based global internet conglomerate whose primary positioning is the creation of the internet ecosystem consisting of over 70 services which includes online retail, travel, credit cards, banking, securities, and mobile. This business model has a significant impact in terms of having a unified user id system and more cross-selling opportunities which leads to a higher customer lifetime value. The list of companies are given below for each of the spaces. Rakuten Group Businesses (Rakuten Group Annual Report) The Fintech segment serves as the primary profit engine for Rakuten Group while the Internet Services drives user growth and the mobile business acts as the long-term customer acquisition platform and data generation. By leveraging data, AI, and cross-platform synergies, Rakuten aims to create a self-reinforcing digital ecosystem that enhances user retention, monetization, and long-term growth. What acts as a key tailwind for Rakuten’s business is the ecosystem model ensures that consumer stickiness remains high as shifting away from Rakuten implies looking at not one but multiple such substitutes for each of the services procured under Rakuten. The figure below shows the three major business segments that Rakuten officially reports and the proportion of sales that they take up along with their revenue growth. The mobile segment takes up the smallest proportion of sales, but it is also delivering strong growth in terms of sales while the highest sales growth is coming from FinTech. Segment-wise Revenue Breakdown (Rakuten Financials) Rakuten’s segments are not just diversified—they are strategically interdependent. The mobile segment is utilized for the purpose of ecosystem expansion and future growth, internet services is used for user acquisition and engagement and the fintech segment is used as the profit machine. Therefore, Rakuten’s FinTech business is essentially subsidizin...
Gorkem Yorulmaz/E+ via Getty Images The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF ( XME ) is a high conviction vehicle for the growing importance of the metals industry, providing equal weight exposure to domestic producers that are driving America’s industrial and technological revolution. XME has evolved from a traditional cyclical investment and has become a strategic investment in artificial intelligence i...
Gorkem Yorulmaz/E+ via Getty Images The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF ( XME ) is a high conviction vehicle for the growing importance of the metals industry, providing equal weight exposure to domestic producers that are driving America’s industrial and technological revolution. XME has evolved from a traditional cyclical investment and has become a strategic investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure, benefiting from a structural tailwind of record copper demand for infrastructure and uranium for base load power generation. With the support of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" and the $10 billion "Project Vault" mineral stockpile program, XME has become a vehicle with significant regulatory tailwinds. With its unique blend of domestic steel, coal, and critical minerals, XME is at the nexus of national security and next-gen compute. Data by YCharts We will give our overview of the fund, compare it to peer funds and discuss the ongoing short and long term catalysts for the fund, as well as valuation and potential risks. Let’s go. The Fund The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF ( XME ) main goal is to provide investors an exposure to a variety of metals and mining companies, consisting of subindustries such as aluminium, coal, copper, gold, silver, steel. We’ll talk about the prospects of some of these anchor metals and the industry as a whole in a short while, let’s focus on the fund for now. The ETF seeks to replicate the performance, before fees and expenses of the S&P® Metals and Mining Select Industry® Index. The weighting is modified equal weighted, preventing significant concentration and providing exposure to large, mid and small cap companies alike. On that matter, the weighted average market cap of a company in the fund is $16.1 billion, the total number of holdings in the index is 37. The companies must be US based. You can check in details the fund and index criteria here . We’ll focus on some key fund characteristics using the Seeking Alpha grading syst...
Rasi Bhadramani/iStock via Getty Images Listen below or on the go via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Oil prices jump as Trump threatens to hit Iran ‘extremely hard.’ (00:16) Sleep Number ( SNBR ) seeks rescue financing to avoid bankruptcy -- report. (01:25) Sam's Club ( WMT ) raises its annual membership fees - matches BJ's ( BJ ), still lower than Costco ( COST ). (02:09) This is an abridged transcri...
Rasi Bhadramani/iStock via Getty Images Listen below or on the go via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Oil prices jump as Trump threatens to hit Iran ‘extremely hard.’ (00:16) Sleep Number ( SNBR ) seeks rescue financing to avoid bankruptcy -- report. (01:25) Sam's Club ( WMT ) raises its annual membership fees - matches BJ's ( BJ ), still lower than Costco ( COST ). (02:09) This is an abridged transcript. Oil prices are up again after President Trump said the country will strike Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks. Oil prices had been down for the last two days as hopes of a potential de-escalation rose after Trump hinted at ending the conflict soon. As of the time of this recording, crude futures ( CL1:COM ) are up 7% to $107 a barrel, and Brent crude futures ( CO1:COM ) are up 7.3% to $108 per barrel. In a rare prime-time address on Wednesday, Trump portrayed the Iran war as nearing success, saying U.S. forces had largely achieved their objectives, including crippling Iran’s missile capabilities and degrading its air force, navy, and industrial base. He said the campaign would weaken Tehran’s proxies and block its path to nuclear weapons. Trump signaled a potential escalation in military action, saying the U.S. could intensify strikes over the next two to three weeks and warning Iran would be pushed “back to the stone ages.” At the same time, he left the door open to diplomacy, saying talks are ongoing. Sleep Number ( SNBR ) is down 21% in premarket action. The company is seeking rescue financing to prevent bankruptcy. In its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last month, the company warned that it had “substantial doubt” it could continue as a going concern due to “high debt, weak sales, and expected financial covenant breaches.” In its most recent quarterly results, the mattress manufacturer reported an 8% decline in fourth-quarter sales and a $32M drop in gross profit due to a $9.6M inventory obsolescence charge. Over ...
(RTTNews) - French stocks fell on Thursday, snapping a three-day winning streak, as U.S. President Donald Trump vowed more strikes on Iran, raising the risk of more extensive damage to energy infrastructure throughout the Gulf, which in turn could trigger inflation and slowdown g
(RTTNews) - French stocks fell on Thursday, snapping a three-day winning streak, as U.S. President Donald Trump vowed more strikes on Iran, raising the risk of more extensive damage to energy infrastructure throughout the Gulf, which in turn could trigger inflation and slowdown g
sanfel Chipotle ( CMG ) plans to bring back its Burrito Vault game this year to celebrate National Burrito Day on April 2, right smack in the middle of the March-to-May timeframe that is informally considered burrito season. The game, which attracted significant attention on social media last year, features a new gameplay mode called Double Protein Power Hour and more than $2M in various Chipotle ...
sanfel Chipotle ( CMG ) plans to bring back its Burrito Vault game this year to celebrate National Burrito Day on April 2, right smack in the middle of the March-to-May timeframe that is informally considered burrito season. The game, which attracted significant attention on social media last year, features a new gameplay mode called Double Protein Power Hour and more than $2M in various Chipotle prizes. Available to guests in the U.S. and Canada, Burrito Vault: Double Protein Edition challenges Chipotle Rewards members to guess the hourly burrito order combination for a chance to unlock prizes. Double Protein Power Hour will occur once each day, doubling the number of prizes compared with regular gameplay hours, and all prizes include double protein. The fast-casual chain is also offering a $0 delivery fee on National Burrito Day. Last year, Chipotle ( CMG ) saw strong engagement around its National Burrito Day promotion and recorded 3.5M plays of Burrito Vault. The inclusion of “protein” in this year's game plays into Chipotle's recently introduced High-Protein Menu featuring curated builds ranging from 15 to 81 grams of protein per item. Featured items include the Double High-Protein Bowl, High-Protein–High Fiber Bowl, High-Protein Taco, and the brand's first-ever snack, the High-Protein Cup. Other chains with National Burrito Day promotions include Del Taco, Fat Bastard Burrito, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Taco John's, and Qdoba. The mini burrito promotion battle has some significance, with the industry typically seeing higher burrito sales in the spring and summer than in the fall and winter. More on Chipotle Mexican Grill Chipotle Mexican Grill: Not A Buy, Pending Sales Growth And P/E Moderation Chipotle: The 'Slop Bowl' Narrative Is Creating A Generational Buying Opportunity Chipotle Mexican Grill Doesn't Taste As Good These Days (Rating Downgrade) Chipotle Mexican Grill earns upgrade as fan favorite drives traffic Dutch Bros, Chipotle, Wingstop, and First Watch t...
Bali’s reputation as a carefree tropical escape has been shaken by a string of brutal crimes, including the kidnapping and dismemberment of a Ukrainian man and the fatal stabbing of a Dutch visitor. The cases – some involving foreign suspects and bearing the hallmarks of organised or premeditated violence – have fuelled growing alarm, prompting residents and visitors to the Indonesian holiday isla...
Bali’s reputation as a carefree tropical escape has been shaken by a string of brutal crimes, including the kidnapping and dismemberment of a Ukrainian man and the fatal stabbing of a Dutch visitor. The cases – some involving foreign suspects and bearing the hallmarks of organised or premeditated violence – have fuelled growing alarm, prompting residents and visitors to the Indonesian holiday island to ask: Is Bali becoming a stage for international crime? Observers say the cases do not indicate...
Is Trump About To Crush The Cartels In Ecuador? Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, President Trump is taking the fight directly to the drug cartels by launching aggressive military operations in Ecuador with the full backing of the country’s right-wing president. Trump believes that the time has come to directly confront the narco-terrorists flooding American communities with poison. Rec...
Is Trump About To Crush The Cartels In Ecuador? Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, President Trump is taking the fight directly to the drug cartels by launching aggressive military operations in Ecuador with the full backing of the country’s right-wing president. Trump believes that the time has come to directly confront the narco-terrorists flooding American communities with poison. Recent developments include joint US-Ecuador operations under “Operation Total Extermination,” with strikes on narco-terrorist targets along the Colombia-Ecuador border using special forces support, helicopters, boats, and drones. 🚨 BREAKING: President Trump is now going ALL-OUT on the cartels in Ecuador after their new right-wing President Daniel Noboa gave the US Pentagon a greenlight THAT'S how you do it. Mexico should do the same, President Sheinbaum should STOP catering to the cartels! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KLZ3je4tzN — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 30, 2026 Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has invited US assistance, including intelligence and kinetic actions, as part of a broader 17-country alliance Trump launched at the Shield of the Americas summit. This builds directly on Trump’s consistent stance against the cartels. As we reported earlier, Trump hinted at military strikes, noting “we know their front door” Plans for ground troops and drone strikes in Mexico were also floated: Former Green Berets have pointed out that Trump could unleash elite units like Delta Force. While border czar Tom Homan has repeatedly emphasized that US special operations forces will wipe out the cartels. The contrast with Mexico remains glaring. President Claudia Sheinbaum has resisted deeper US involvement, drawing criticism for appearing to prioritize other concerns over dismantling the networks. Trump’s approach extends across the region. Venezuelan exiles hailed the raid that removed Nicholas Maduro as essential, with no alternative but to smash the cartel-linked regime. Trump also sug...
MIAMI BEACH, Fla., April 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AirSculpt Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AIRS)(“AirSculpt” or the “Company”), a national provider of premium body contouring procedures, today announced results for the fourth quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2025.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla., April 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AirSculpt Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AIRS)(“AirSculpt” or the “Company”), a national provider of premium body contouring procedures, today announced results for the fourth quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2025.
The stock market is off to a rough start to 2026. The benchmark S&P 500 index is down almost 9% from its all-time high, and the Nasdaq-100 technology index has officially entered correction territory with a loss of 11%. Ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have sent oil prices soaring, creating economic uncertainty and clouding the earnings outlook for corporate America. But historical...
The stock market is off to a rough start to 2026. The benchmark S&P 500 index is down almost 9% from its all-time high, and the Nasdaq-100 technology index has officially entered correction territory with a loss of 11%. Ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have sent oil prices soaring, creating economic uncertainty and clouding the earnings outlook for corporate America. But historically, investors who bought stock market dips while staying focused on the long term have typically been rewarded, and this time probably won't be different. It might be a good idea to use this opportunity to buy trillion-dollar market leaders like Nvidia at a discount, but many lesser-known stocks could also produce blistering returns in the coming years. Here's why Lemonade (NYSE: LMND) and Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) are two under-the-radar stocks investors might want to scoop up during the recent market sell-off. Continue reading