Memory has emerged as one of the most critical components in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip stack. While accelerator chips such as central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and graphics cards continue to do the heavy lifting in AI data centers for training and inference, memory chips enable those accelerators to perform optimally. Memory chips don't ...
Memory has emerged as one of the most critical components in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip stack. While accelerator chips such as central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and graphics cards continue to do the heavy lifting in AI data centers for training and inference, memory chips enable those accelerators to perform optimally. Memory chips don't undertake computing tasks. Instead, they store massive amounts of data needed for AI model training and inference -- NAND flash -- and transport huge data volumes to AI accelerators quickly -- dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). 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 » As a result, the demand for both DRAM and NAND flash has taken off, fueling tremendous growth at Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) and Sandisk (NASDAQ: SNDK). Let's take a closer look at the prospects of the memory market and check why these two semiconductor stocks can sustain their red-hot stock market rally. Image source: Micron Technology. The memory industry's revenue is poised for a significant lift-off AI data centers have been lapping up the available NAND flash supply to store massive data volumes, while AI chip designers have been designing accelerators with bigger DRAM, known as high-bandwidth memory (HBM), to unlock the full computing power of their chips. It is estimated that AI data centers will consume 70% of the memory chip supply this year. The AI-driven memory demand is so strong that industry watchers believe that the ongoing shortage could last until 2030. The resulting increase in memory prices and robust demand from data centers is pushing the memory industry's revenue up at an incredible pace. Market research firm TrendForce anticipates a 134% increase in memory revenue to $552 billion in 2026. The growth is pois...
Key Points New ETF products are making it easier than ever before to invest in Dogecoin. Tech billionaire Elon Musk continues to find new ways to build hype and buzz around Dogecoin. While Dogecoin may survive long term, there's no guarantee that its price will ever recover. 10 stocks we like better than Dogecoin › Five years ago, there were approximately 125 meme coins in circulation. Today, ther...
Key Points New ETF products are making it easier than ever before to invest in Dogecoin. Tech billionaire Elon Musk continues to find new ways to build hype and buzz around Dogecoin. While Dogecoin may survive long term, there's no guarantee that its price will ever recover. 10 stocks we like better than Dogecoin › Five years ago, there were approximately 125 meme coins in circulation. Today, there are literally hundreds of thousands of different meme coins, making it statistically improbable that any of them will ever pull away from the pack. But if there's one meme coin capable of surviving long term, it's Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE). It's been around for more than a decade now. 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 » Here are two good reasons why it might hang around for the next decade as well. 1. New Dogecoin ETFs Since its launch, Dogecoin has consistently attracted retail investor support. What it has now is growing support from institutional investors, who increasingly see it as a way to diversify an overall crypto portfolio. After all, with a market cap of approximately $17.5 billion, Dogecoin still ranks among the top 10 cryptocurrencies in the world. Over the past nine months, three different spot Dogecoin ETFs have launched. The first was the REX-Osprey Dogecoin ETF (NYSEMKT: DOJE) in September. That was followed by the launch of new ETFs from Grayscale and 21Shares. Of course, these ETFs may eventually fizzle out and struggle to attract capital if Dogecoin continues to underperform the broader market. But they do suggest that Dogecoin may be able to differentiate itself from meme coin rivals simply because of the number of investment products available to rank-and-file investors. 2. The Elon Musk factor The other catalyst, for lack of a better term, is the "Elon Musk factor." The ...
Key Points The shortage of memory chips isn't going away any time soon, and that's great news for Micron and Sandisk. Both AI stocks are trading at attractive valuations. Memory plays a mission-critical role in AI accelerators, suggesting that Micron and Sandisk will continue witnessing remarkable growth in their revenue and earnings. 10 stocks we like better than Sandisk › Memory has emerged as o...
Key Points The shortage of memory chips isn't going away any time soon, and that's great news for Micron and Sandisk. Both AI stocks are trading at attractive valuations. Memory plays a mission-critical role in AI accelerators, suggesting that Micron and Sandisk will continue witnessing remarkable growth in their revenue and earnings. 10 stocks we like better than Sandisk › Memory has emerged as one of the most critical components in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip stack. While accelerator chips such as central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and graphics cards continue to do the heavy lifting in AI data centers for training and inference, memory chips enable those accelerators to perform optimally. Memory chips don't undertake computing tasks. Instead, they store massive amounts of data needed for AI model training and inference -- NAND flash -- and transport huge data volumes to AI accelerators quickly -- dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). 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 » As a result, the demand for both DRAM and NAND flash has taken off, fueling tremendous growth at Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) and Sandisk (NASDAQ: SNDK). Let's take a closer look at the prospects of the memory market and check why these two semiconductor stocks can sustain their red-hot stock market rally. The memory industry's revenue is poised for a significant lift-off AI data centers have been lapping up the available NAND flash supply to store massive data volumes, while AI chip designers have been designing accelerators with bigger DRAM, known as high-bandwidth memory (HBM), to unlock the full computing power of their chips. It is estimated that AI data centers will consume 70% of the memory chip supply this year. The AI-driven memory demand is so strong ...
Bet_Noire/iStock via Getty Images Crude (WTI July contract) prices traded above $104 in early Wednesday trading. Ten-year Treasury yields were at 4.68%, up 12 bps w-t-d to the high since January 2025, while long-bond yields reached 5.20% (up 13bps w-t-d) - the high back to July 2007. Japanese 30-year yields traded intraday Monday to a record 4.19%. UK yields traded Monday up to 5.86%, the highest ...
Bet_Noire/iStock via Getty Images Crude (WTI July contract) prices traded above $104 in early Wednesday trading. Ten-year Treasury yields were at 4.68%, up 12 bps w-t-d to the high since January 2025, while long-bond yields reached 5.20% (up 13bps w-t-d) - the high back to July 2007. Japanese 30-year yields traded intraday Monday to a record 4.19%. UK yields traded Monday up to 5.86%, the highest yield since May 1998. At Tuesday's lows, the MAG7 Index was down 2.5% w-t-d. Yet another well-timed intervention: "Trump Says US in 'Final Stages" With Iran." Crude closed Wednesday trading at $98.26, down almost 6% from earlier trading highs. The MAG7 Index traded up 1.4% from intraday lows, ending the session 1.3% higher. The Nasdaq 100 jumped 1.7% Wednesday, with the Semiconductors surging 4.5%. The S&P 500 advanced 1.1%, as the small cap Russell 2000 jumped 2.6%. The Goldman Sachs Most Short Index advanced 3.2%. Ten-year Treasury yields ended the week at 4.56%, 12 bps below Wednesday's trading high. May 22 - CBS News (James LaPorta, Jennifer Jacobs and Margaret Brennan): "The Trump administration was preparing Friday for a fresh round of military strikes against Iran, according to sources with direct knowledge of the planning, even as diplomacy continued. No final decision on strikes had been reached as of Friday afternoon. 'Circumstances pertaining to Government' are keeping President Trump from attending his son Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding this weekend… The president had planned to spend Memorial Day weekend at his golf property in New Jersey but will now return to the White House. Some members of the U.S. military and intelligence community canceled their plans for the Memorial Day weekend in anticipation of possible strikes, several sources said." May 22 - Axios (Barak Ravid): "President Trump convened a meeting with his senior national security team on the war with Iran on Friday morning, two U.S. officials told Axios. Trump is seriously considering launching new st...
Shares of HubSpot Inc NYSE: HUBS are trading right around $200, having recovered from the $174 low they set following the May 7 earnings report. The software stock is still down more than 75% from last year's high and has shed roughly half its value since January alone. This kind of price action means HubSpot has become known as one of the more brutal casualties of the broader SaaS selloff over th...
Shares of HubSpot Inc NYSE: HUBS are trading right around $200, having recovered from the $174 low they set following the May 7 earnings report. The software stock is still down more than 75% from last year's high and has shed roughly half its value since January alone. This kind of price action means HubSpot has become known as one of the more brutal casualties of the broader SaaS selloff over the past year. HubSpot Today HUBS HubSpot $202.18 +3.81 (+1.92%) 52-Week Range $173.25 ▼ $627.49 P/E Ratio 105.85 Price Target $311.00 Add to Watchlist For additional context on just how bad the chart looks, HubSpot is back trading at the same levels it was at in 2019, despite the company continuing to deliver record revenue prints every quarter. That's the core tension facing HubSpot and would-be investors today. The stock price and chart tell a story of a business in serious trouble, but the fundamentals tell a very different one. Get HubSpot alerts: Sign Up Last week's earnings report saw HubSpot once again beat expectations, delivering 23% year-on-year revenue growth, raising its full-year guidance, and hitting its 2027 operating margin target a full year ahead of schedule. In that light, is there an argument to be made that the market has got this one horribly wrong, and we're actually looking at a serious buying opportunity? Poor Initial Reaction to Earnings There's no getting away from the fact that the initial reaction to the May 7 earnings results was ugly, with shares selling off about 30% from their pre-earnings levels and setting a fresh multi-year low. Despite the headline beat, investors were understandably spooked when management admitted that the quarter had gotten off to a slow start, but the broader context matters. HubSpot is mid-way through a transition to an outcome-based pricing model for its AI agents, which naturally extends sales cycles as sales teams are retrained and customers evaluate the new tools. If there was a short-term disruption at the start...
Memory has emerged as one of the most critical components in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip stack. While accelerator chips such as central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and graphics cards continue to do the heavy lifting in AI data centers for training and inference, memory chips enable those accelerators to perform optimally. Memory chips don't ...
Memory has emerged as one of the most critical components in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip stack. While accelerator chips such as central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and graphics cards continue to do the heavy lifting in AI data centers for training and inference, memory chips enable those accelerators to perform optimally. Memory chips don't undertake computing tasks. Instead, they store massive amounts of data needed for AI model training and inference -- NAND flash -- and transport huge data volumes to AI accelerators quickly -- dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). As a result, the demand for both DRAM and NAND flash has taken off, fueling tremendous growth at Micron Technology (MU 1.23%) and Sandisk (SNDK 4.12%). Let's take a closer look at the prospects of the memory market and check why these two semiconductor stocks can sustain their red-hot stock market rally. The memory industry's revenue is poised for a significant lift-off AI data centers have been lapping up the available NAND flash supply to store massive data volumes, while AI chip designers have been designing accelerators with bigger DRAM, known as high-bandwidth memory (HBM), to unlock the full computing power of their chips. It is estimated that AI data centers will consume 70% of the memory chip supply this year. Expand NASDAQ : SNDK Sandisk Today's Change ( -4.12 %) $ -63.55 Current Price $ 1478.69 Key Data Points Market Cap $219B Day's Range $ 1473.52 - $ 1528.00 52wk Range $ 36.21 - $ 1600.00 Volume 9.7M Avg Vol 17.1M Gross Margin 56.04 % The AI-driven memory demand is so strong that industry watchers believe that the ongoing shortage could last until 2030. The resulting increase in memory prices and robust demand from data centers is pushing the memory industry's revenue up at an incredible pace. Market research firm TrendForce anticipates a 134% increase in memory revenue to $552 billion in 2026. The growth is poised to continue in 2027, ...
A group of Hongkongers have started the city’s first corpse restoration team, aiming to bring an affordable service in reconstructing badly disfigured bodies, allowing the dead to be buried with dignity and consoling their families. The six-member team, under local funeral information sharing platform RIPHK, has handled more than 10 cases since it started operations last December, including victim...
A group of Hongkongers have started the city’s first corpse restoration team, aiming to bring an affordable service in reconstructing badly disfigured bodies, allowing the dead to be buried with dignity and consoling their families. The six-member team, under local funeral information sharing platform RIPHK, has handled more than 10 cases since it started operations last December, including victims who died in the Tai Po fire in November. After the disaster, a professional corpse restoration team from Taiwan was invited to handle the bodies of fire victims and the team’s members helped out during the process. Advertisement “Then we started our own team so that we could offer affordable services to locals,” Chan Yan, a restorer at RIPHK, said. The inferno broke out at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex on November 26 last year, killing 168 people and displacing about 5,000 residents. It was the worst blaze in the city since 1948. Advertisement “When we restored the bodies, family members were satisfied that the deceased could leave the world with dignity,” Chan added.
Evoke Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,470 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after buying an additional 1,448 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC's holdings in Tesla were worth $7,407,000 at the end ...
Evoke Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA - Free Report) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,470 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock after buying an additional 1,448 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC's holdings in Tesla were worth $7,407,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Get Tesla alerts: Sign Up Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in TSLA. Chapman Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Networth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Tesla by 79.4% in the 4th quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 61 shares of the electric vehicle producer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Prism Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Tesla in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.20% of the company's stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research firms have recently commented on TSLA. Phillip Securities dropped their target price on shares of Tesla from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Tigress Financial began coverage on shares of Tesla in a research report on Monday, April 27th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $490.00 target price on shares of Tesla in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Morga...
Evoke Wealth LLC boosted its position in Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 28.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,528 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,964 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC's holdings in Qualcomm w...
Evoke Wealth LLC boosted its position in Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 28.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,528 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,964 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC's holdings in Qualcomm were worth $5,393,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Get Qualcomm alerts: Sign Up Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of QCOM. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 116.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,356 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $2,666,000 after purchasing an additional 9,343 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,542 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 44.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,325 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 6.1% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 5,778 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 9.7% in the second quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.35% of the com...
Cumberland Partners Ltd lifted its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM - Free Report) by 79.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 71,152 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 31,450 shares during the quarter. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing comp...
Cumberland Partners Ltd lifted its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM - Free Report) by 79.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 71,152 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 31,450 shares during the quarter. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing comprises 1.3% of Cumberland Partners Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Cumberland Partners Ltd's holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $21,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Get TSM alerts: Sign Up A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of TSM. SurgoCap Partners LP acquired a new position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the third quarter valued at about $360,443,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 3,164.9% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,192,927 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $333,172,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,389 shares in the last quarter. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the third quarter valued at about $232,924,000. Man Group plc raised its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 337.1% in the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,053,421 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $238,589,000 after purchasing an additional 812,404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 13,394,299 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,070,393,000 after purchasing an additional 802,757 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.51% of the company's stock....
When investing in tech, there is nothing wrong with owning members of the "Magnificent Seven." Those companies are the leaders in the tech sector and can continue to reward long-term investors. There are, however, issues with having a portfolio too full and overly reliant on the Magnificent Seven, as it can overly tie your overall portfolio's success to just a handful of companies, creating concen...
When investing in tech, there is nothing wrong with owning members of the "Magnificent Seven." Those companies are the leaders in the tech sector and can continue to reward long-term investors. There are, however, issues with having a portfolio too full and overly reliant on the Magnificent Seven, as it can overly tie your overall portfolio's success to just a handful of companies, creating concentration risk. That's why, for those looking for stock price appreciation from growth stocks and seeking to invest $500 or more beyond the usual suspects, one investment to consider is Uber Technologies (UBER 2.43%). Disrupt yourself or get disrupted The word disruptor gets tossed around a lot, but that's truly what Uber was when it started offering rides as UberCab in San Francisco in 2010. Previously, catching a ride wasn't typically easy, as it depended on taxi availability, being in the right place at the right time, and sometimes a lot of pre-planning. Uber changed that, as you could just pull out your phone, request a ride, and a vehicle would appear in front of you in mere minutes or less. It's been a good business for Uber; revenue has surged from $6.5 billion in 2016 to more than $52 billion in 2025. It's also becoming increasingly profitable, with Uber reporting net income of more than $10 billion in 2025. For its next act, however, Uber is entering an era in which it must once again become a disruptor. New market, new opportunities Uber's business is often classified in different ways, typically landing on a hybrid of a software-based tech company in the logistics and transportation sector. But for what comes next, it's becoming an even more tech-focused enterprise. Because it doesn't own its fleet, the future looked murky with the rise of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and robotaxis. If Uber was the evolution of the traditional taxi, robotaxis go a step further with autonomous on-demand ride-hailing. In July 2025, Goldman Sachs Research found that 1,500 robotaxis were...
Ranked among the top 5 richest people in the world, Larry Ellison is chairman, chief technology officer and cofounder of software giant Oracle. He warned people to remain cautious and maintain a balance between virtual interactions and real human relationships. Quote of the day by Larry Ellison: “Be careful about virtual relationships with artificially intelligent pieces of software.” What does th...
Ranked among the top 5 richest people in the world, Larry Ellison is chairman, chief technology officer and cofounder of software giant Oracle. He warned people to remain cautious and maintain a balance between virtual interactions and real human relationships. Quote of the day by Larry Ellison: “Be careful about virtual relationships with artificially intelligent pieces of software.” What does this quote mean? Warning about virtual relationships, Larry Ellison's quote carries an important message for the young harnessing latest technology in today’s digital age. At a time when people are increasingly interacting with AI-powered systems such as chatbots, virtual assistants, and social media algorithms, this quote carries an important message, urging people to remember that AI software does not possess genuine human emotions, empathy, or understanding. It operates based on programmed data and algorithms. Also Read | Trump to name Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison and Jensen Huang to Tech Panel This quote emphasises that artificially intelligent software may imitate conversation and emotional responses, but it cannot truly replace human connection. What is the relevance of this quote in today's world? With growing advancement in technology, Larry Ellison’s warning becomes even more relevant. More and more young people are choosing virtual reality, and AI companions to spend time rather than interact with family or friends which is changing the way people communicate. Since excessive dependence on virtual communication can weaken interpersonal skills and reduce meaningful human interaction. People may start preferring Since, artificial conversations seem easier and less complicated than real relationships, people are increasingly becoming dependent on virtual communication. Larry Ellison’s words of wisdom emphasize that excessive dependence on virtual communication weakens interpersonal skills and reduces meaningful human interaction. This quote also teaches us that we sh...
Key Points Jerome Powell's term as Fed chair ended on May 15, paving the way for President Trump's nominee, Kevin Warsh, to succeed him. Powell's final year as Fed chair was marred by two price shocks: Trump's tariffs and the Iran war. The now-former Fed chair offered a sobering reminder about inflation and interest rates in his final Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. 10 stocks we like...
Key Points Jerome Powell's term as Fed chair ended on May 15, paving the way for President Trump's nominee, Kevin Warsh, to succeed him. Powell's final year as Fed chair was marred by two price shocks: Trump's tariffs and the Iran war. The now-former Fed chair offered a sobering reminder about inflation and interest rates in his final Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. 10 stocks we like better than S&P 500 Index › A new era is upon us at the Federal Reserve, and it's ushering in a period of heightened uncertainty for Wall Street and its major stock indexes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI), S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), and Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC). After a contentious final year in which President Donald Trump and Fed Chair Jerome Powell regularly feuded over interest rates, Powell's term as head of the Fed came to a close on May 15. Succeeding him is Kevin Warsh, a former member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (Feb. 24, 2006 – March 31, 2011), who played an instrumental role in navigating the U.S. economy through the financial crisis. 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 » Though Powell is staying on the Board of Governors and intends to keep a low profile with Warsh steering the ship, he ended his eight-year tenure as Fed chair with a bang. In his final Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) press conference on April 29, Powell delivered a 20-word reality check on inflation that Wall Street and investors may not appreciate but have to respect. Powell's final year as Fed chair was marred by two price shocks Since early April 2025, the FOMC -- the 12-person body responsible for setting the nation's monetary policy -- has dealt with two separate price shocks. The first was President Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff and trade policy anno...
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images Investors have learned to look past the ongoing war in Iran and surge in energy prices. Stocks have not only recovered but have marked new highs. In my last post, I suggested that stocks could get past a temporary conflict based on the strength of the economy, U.S. energy independence and the diminishing wallet share dedicated to energy. I still believe equiti...
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images Investors have learned to look past the ongoing war in Iran and surge in energy prices. Stocks have not only recovered but have marked new highs. In my last post, I suggested that stocks could get past a temporary conflict based on the strength of the economy, U.S. energy independence and the diminishing wallet share dedicated to energy. I still believe equities can continue to advance, but with markets 12% above the March lows, it’s worth spending a moment on how to hedge gains. In this case, the obvious candidate is probably the right one: own more energy stocks. Bonds & Gold: No Protection Before discussing what is working, it is worth highlighting what isn’t. Two traditional portfolio hedges, bonds and gold, are having a tough time. Since the start of the conflict, real 10-year yields, derived from the TIPS market, have risen approximately 0.25%. Not only have yields risen, but on a day-to-day basis, bonds are increasingly moving with stocks. Since the start of the war, the S&P 500 and long-duration bonds have had a 0.45 correlation. Rather than mitigating risk, owning bonds has compounded it as investors increasingly worry about the pass-through impact of higher oil to broader inflation. Gold has performed even worse. Prices have dropped roughly -13%, with the stock/gold correlation rising to approximately 0.50. Here the relationship is a little less intuitive. While gold is often thought of as a hedge against geopolitical uncertainty, as an asset with no cash flow, it is also highly sensitive to interest rates, particularly real rates. With rates rising and gold having previously enjoyed a historic run, rising more than 50% from late August through the end of February, investors have been selling gold to de-risk portfolios. Oil earnings surging While traditional hedges have not worked, energy stocks have held up much better. From the start of the conflict to the April 'ceasefire,’ the energy sector gained roughly 7.5%, ver...
Preserving the European Central Bank ’s credibility is a strong argument in favor of an interest-rate increase next month, according to Governing Council member Yannis Stournaras . Inflation prospects are worsening in the absence of a peace deal between the US and Iran, and euro-area consumers will start to wonder at some point whether policymakers mean it when they say they’re ready to react, Sto...
Preserving the European Central Bank ’s credibility is a strong argument in favor of an interest-rate increase next month, according to Governing Council member Yannis Stournaras . Inflation prospects are worsening in the absence of a peace deal between the US and Iran, and euro-area consumers will start to wonder at some point whether policymakers mean it when they say they’re ready to react, Stournaras said in Nicosia, Cyprus, where he’s attending a meeting of European finance chiefs. “An interest-rate hike comes at a cost — for people, for employment — and that’s why I wish we didn’t have to do it. But if the situation continues and we don’t, it’s going to be problematic,” said Stournaras, who also heads the Greek central bank. “For the credibility of the ECB and our reaction function, we will probably have to raise rates in June.” Policymakers already discussed lifting borrowing costs at their last meeting. They’ve left little doubt since then that such a move will be unavoidable if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, oil prices stay elevated and price stability in the 21-nation euro zone comes under threat. “If there is an agreement, we might see energy prices falling very, very quickly, and then rates may be able to stay where they are,” said Stournaras. “But without an agreement they might move into another level and inflation will become steeper.” In March, the ECB predicted consumer price gains would average 2.6% this year. That projection will probably be revised up in June, Governing Council member Alexander Demarco said in a separate interview, also pointing to signs of weakening growth momentum. Output increased just 0.1% in the first quarter and a survey of purchasing managers has recently signaled shrinking activity . “I have the feeling inflation is sticky,” said Stournaras, expressing concerns that expectations may become unhinged. “The fact that the PMI is so weak won’t help us much. There are so many rigidities in the economy.” He argued that me...
Five years ago, there were approximately 125 meme coins in circulation. Today, there are literally hundreds of thousands of different meme coins, making it statistically improbable that any of them will ever pull away from the pack. But if there's one meme coin capable of surviving long term, it's Dogecoin (DOGE 6.05%). It's been around for more than a decade now. Here are two good reasons why it ...
Five years ago, there were approximately 125 meme coins in circulation. Today, there are literally hundreds of thousands of different meme coins, making it statistically improbable that any of them will ever pull away from the pack. But if there's one meme coin capable of surviving long term, it's Dogecoin (DOGE 6.05%). It's been around for more than a decade now. Here are two good reasons why it might hang around for the next decade as well. 1. New Dogecoin ETFs Since its launch, Dogecoin has consistently attracted retail investor support. What it has now is growing support from institutional investors, who increasingly see it as a way to diversify an overall crypto portfolio. After all, with a market cap of approximately $17.5 billion, Dogecoin still ranks among the top 10 cryptocurrencies in the world. Over the past nine months, three different spot Dogecoin ETFs have launched. The first was the REX-Osprey Dogecoin ETF (DOJE 2.23%) in September. That was followed by the launch of new ETFs from Grayscale and 21Shares. Of course, these ETFs may eventually fizzle out and struggle to attract capital if Dogecoin continues to underperform the broader market. But they do suggest that Dogecoin may be able to differentiate itself from meme coin rivals simply because of the number of investment products available to rank-and-file investors. 2. The Elon Musk factor The other catalyst, for lack of a better term, is the "Elon Musk factor." The tech billionaire has been a longtime backer of Dogecoin. In addition to posting about Dogecoin on social media, Musk famously appeared as "The Dogefather" in a skit on NBC's Saturday Night Live. And, last year, he created an entirely new government entity: the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE. Musk has also used his corporate holdings to boost Dogecoin's prospects. For example, Tesla currently accepts Dogecoin for some merchandise. The social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has been attempting to integrate D...
Memory has emerged as one of the most critical components in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip stack. While accelerator chips such as central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and graphics cards continue to do the heavy lifting in AI data centers for training and inference, memory chips enable those accelerators to perform optimally. Memory chips don't ...
Memory has emerged as one of the most critical components in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip stack. While accelerator chips such as central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and graphics cards continue to do the heavy lifting in AI data centers for training and inference, memory chips enable those accelerators to perform optimally. Memory chips don't undertake computing tasks. Instead, they store massive amounts of data needed for AI model training and inference -- NAND flash -- and transport huge data volumes to AI accelerators quickly -- dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). As a result, the demand for both DRAM and NAND flash has taken off, fueling tremendous growth at Micron Technology (MU 1.23%) and Sandisk (SNDK 4.12%). Let's take a closer look at the prospects of the memory market and check why these two semiconductor stocks can sustain their red-hot stock market rally. The memory industry's revenue is poised for a significant lift-off AI data centers have been lapping up the available NAND flash supply to store massive data volumes, while AI chip designers have been designing accelerators with bigger DRAM, known as high-bandwidth memory (HBM), to unlock the full computing power of their chips. It is estimated that AI data centers will consume 70% of the memory chip supply this year. Expand NASDAQ : SNDK Sandisk Today's Change ( -4.12 %) $ -63.55 Current Price $ 1478.69 Key Data Points Market Cap $219B Day's Range $ 1473.52 - $ 1528.00 52wk Range $ 36.21 - $ 1600.00 Volume 9.7M Avg Vol 17.1M Gross Margin 56.04 % The AI-driven memory demand is so strong that industry watchers believe that the ongoing shortage could last until 2030. The resulting increase in memory prices and robust demand from data centers is pushing the memory industry's revenue up at an incredible pace. Market research firm TrendForce anticipates a 134% increase in memory revenue to $552 billion in 2026. The growth is poised to continue in 2027, ...
While the S&P 500 (^GSPC) includes industry leaders, not every stock in the index is a winner. Some companies are past their prime, weighed down by poor execution, weak financials, or structural headwinds. Even among blue-chip stocks, not all investments are created equal - which is why we built StockStory to help you navigate the market. That said, here are two S&P 500 stocks that could deliver g...
While the S&P 500 (^GSPC) includes industry leaders, not every stock in the index is a winner. Some companies are past their prime, weighed down by poor execution, weak financials, or structural headwinds. Even among blue-chip stocks, not all investments are created equal - which is why we built StockStory to help you navigate the market. That said, here are two S&P 500 stocks that could deliver good returns and one best left off your watchlist. One Stock to Sell: Honeywell (HON) Market Cap: $141.8 billion Originally founded in 1906 as a thermostat company, Honeywell (NASDAQ:HON) is a multinational conglomerate known for its aerospace systems, building technologies, performance materials, and safety and productivity solutions. Why Do We Avoid HON? Organic sales performance over the past two years indicates the company may need to make strategic adjustments or rely on M&A to catalyze faster growth Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last five years as its operating margin fell by 4 percentage points Shrinking returns on capital suggest that increasing competition is eating into the company’s profitability Honeywell’s stock price of $224.64 implies a valuation ratio of 20.4x forward P/E. If you’re considering HON for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more. Two Stocks to Buy: Meta (META) Market Cap: $1.54 trillion Famously founded by Mark Zuckerberg in his Harvard dorm, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) operates a collection of the largest social networks in the world - Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, along with its metaverse focused Reality Labs. Why Are We Bullish on META? Customers are spending more money on its platform as its average revenue per user has increased by 29.6% annually over the last two years Healthy EBITDA margin of 61.8% shows it’s a well-run company with efficient processes, and its operating leverage amplified its profits over the last few years Performance over the past three years was turboc...
Key Points It's a landlord to numerous companies in the cannabis business. This makes it the most prominent REIT specializing in marijuana industry properties. 10 stocks we like better than Innovative Industrial Properties › Any marijuana stock investor, even the more casual among that crowd, is at least glancingly familiar with the web of multistate operators (MSOs) that operate in this country, ...
Key Points It's a landlord to numerous companies in the cannabis business. This makes it the most prominent REIT specializing in marijuana industry properties. 10 stocks we like better than Innovative Industrial Properties › Any marijuana stock investor, even the more casual among that crowd, is at least glancingly familiar with the web of multistate operators (MSOs) that operate in this country, or the relatively large pot conglomerates atop the sector in Canada. They might not necessarily know the top specialty real estate investment trust (REIT) in weed world, Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE: IIPR). Innovative matters, not only because it's by far the most prominent cannabis REIT on the market, but also because of a major plank of its business strategy makes it a notable financial player in the American marijuana industry. Let's dive into this outlier of a marijuana company. 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 » Landlord to the weedies It's no secret that marijuana businesses, beset by a host of challenges, are often unprofitable and frequently cash-strapped. Innovative offers an elegant solution through sale-leaseback deals, in which it purchases a property owned by such a business and then leases it back to the original owner. Done well, this arrangement is a win for both the REIT and its new tenant -- the former adds another specialty property to its portfolio, while the counterparty gets a pile of much-needed capital for its operations. Nearly all of Innovative's 110 properties, across 19 U.S. states and occupied by 38 tenants, were acquired through sale-leasebacks. In its first quarter of this year, that set of properties brought in nearly $69 million in rental revenue for the REIT. This translated into attributable net income of $30.2 million ($1.02 per share). Adjusted f...
Alistair Berg/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the BlackRock Enhanced Global Dividend Trust ( BOE ), I issued a buy rating due to the potential to collect tax-efficient income from a diverse portfolio of equities. Since then, the fund's share price has slightly increased and the total return remains positive. The fund has released an updated annual report and the m...
Alistair Berg/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the BlackRock Enhanced Global Dividend Trust ( BOE ), I issued a buy rating due to the potential to collect tax-efficient income from a diverse portfolio of equities. Since then, the fund's share price has slightly increased and the total return remains positive. The fund has released an updated annual report and the macroeconomic environment has shifted since then, so I wanted to reassess the fund's current value proposition for investors. I believe that BOE is directly aligned to participate in the expansion of the AI market but there are some caveats. Looking at the performance over the last twelve months, we can see that BOE's share price has increased by about 6.6%. When including all distributions paid out to shareholders, the total return jumps up to 16% over the same time frame. BOE now offers investors a starting dividend yield of 8.3% while issuing those payouts on a monthly basis. After reviewing the latest reporting, it is clear that BOE can continue to support its distributions as long as markets continue with their positive momentum. Data by YCharts The provides exposure to many of the leading technology companies in the world. Therefore, BOE is capable of directly participating in the continued growth of the AI markets. However, investors must understand that BOE isn't the most efficient choice to get that exposure. For instance, the fund has severely underperformed a peer global dividend fund over the last decade. BOE has attractive growth potential but it needs to improve the rate of NAV growth in the future. Fund Strategy According to the latest portfolio overview , BOE has total managed assets of $730M that are concentrated to just 55 holdings. The fund's primary objective is to provide a high current income and provide capital gains. The fund is primarily allocated to dividend-paying securities and it keeps the strategy relatively straightforward. The fund doesn't inc...