As an avid reader, I was excited to go through your recently published book list (100 best novels, 16 May). However, I swiftly became disillusioned at the old-fashioned and frankly elitist lens used to judge the “best”. Why were there so few modern books? Why does “best” so often seem to equate to misery? The article introducing your list (Who’s in, who’s out, and how many have you read? The story...
As an avid reader, I was excited to go through your recently published book list (100 best novels, 16 May). However, I swiftly became disillusioned at the old-fashioned and frankly elitist lens used to judge the “best”. Why were there so few modern books? Why does “best” so often seem to equate to misery? The article introducing your list (Who’s in, who’s out, and how many have you read? The story behind our 100 best novels list, 16 May) says “Never has such a list been more needed” and that “reading for pleasure is a dying pursuit”, adding “we are here to help”. But this list will not help non-readers get into reading. Who is realistically going to make the leap from non-reader straight into a lengthy tome about the people and activities relating to the longest-running case at Chancery (number 12) or to a devastating account of the failure of multiple bigamous marriages and the miserable lives they then accept as punishment (number 70)? Both are excellent books, but given the topics and language style, there’s no way that they could be considered accessible! These challenging books will not cultivate a love of reading in those who have made it to adulthood without falling in love with books. Instead, why not curate a list of the 100 best “gateway” books that might actually help them to get started and form that reading habit? Your judges may consider “popular” to be a dirty word, but we should be actively celebrating the popular books that get people hooked – the Agatha Christies and JRR Tolkiens of the world; dare I even say, the Dan Browns and the JK Rowlings? Then, and only then, might they be able to tackle your 100 most “worthy” ones. And for goodness sake, please allow at least a few in that list to have a happy ending! Sarah Steiner Croydon, London I yield to no one in my admiration of Middlemarch, and I’m not surprised that the greatest novel in world literature, Tom Jones, does not figure in the Guardian’s list of the greatest 100 novels. However, I’m disa...
As an 18-year-old who has grown up in Horden and lived on a street due to be knocked down because of a compulsory purchase order, the housing problem is a stark but unsurprising one that I’ve only seen get worse throughout my lifetime – especially after ownership of the homes went from housing associations to private landlords when I was a kid (A house for £1? What a day at a property auction taug...
As an 18-year-old who has grown up in Horden and lived on a street due to be knocked down because of a compulsory purchase order, the housing problem is a stark but unsurprising one that I’ve only seen get worse throughout my lifetime – especially after ownership of the homes went from housing associations to private landlords when I was a kid (A house for £1? What a day at a property auction taught me about the UK housing crisis, 18 May). I love where I am from so much, but it is an area crying out for change, and the amount of press attention that Horden gets shows it. I myself feel part of the problem as I am relocating to the saturated north-west to start a degree apprenticeship in Manchester – not because I wanted to move away, but I felt as if there wasn’t the same opportunity at home, although I will certainly move back. Maybe I should make clear that there is a lot to be positive about – as shown in your article about Ian McKellen’s visit to Horden to formally open a new space for the theatre company Ensemble ’84 (Ian McKellen ‘emotional’ as he opens County Durham theatre space, 17 May). As a young person I feel a responsibility to beat the drum of optimism from time to time, but I don’t see how the housing spiral in my village will end without a change in legislation instead of putting out individual fires (often literally). I see it as more than ironic, therefore, that when measuring deprivation, Horden scores as one of the lowest (least deprived) areas in the country in terms of housing, and then as one of the highest for every single other measure. I write this letter in the hope that someone with legislative power feels the urge to react, or at least have an honest conversation about how we’ve got to where we are: “Shy bairns get nowt,” as they say. Robert Lodge Horden, County Durham
Tom Clark’s analysis of our “ungovernable country” expertly diagnoses the symptoms of our political malaise but entirely bypasses the fundamental arithmetic of modern British democracy (The ungovernable country? Why Britain keeps losing prime ministers, 17 May). Democracy is, by definition, government by the consent of the governed. Yet our electoral system routinely mistakes a gaming of the syste...
Tom Clark’s analysis of our “ungovernable country” expertly diagnoses the symptoms of our political malaise but entirely bypasses the fundamental arithmetic of modern British democracy (The ungovernable country? Why Britain keeps losing prime ministers, 17 May). Democracy is, by definition, government by the consent of the governed. Yet our electoral system routinely mistakes a gaming of the system for a genuine mandate. The current Labour government entered office with a landslide of seats built upon a mere 20% of the total eligible electorate. To mistake the silence of the 40% who chose not to vote for passive compliance is a fatal error. Previous governments and prime ministers were not very different. Thanks to social media and decentralised public spaces, those who abstain from the ballot box do not abstain from politics; they now cast their vote on the competence of the state on a daily basis. The country will continue to chew through leaders and remain “ungovernable” until we adopt a system where the government actually holds the democratic consent required to govern. Dr Lalith Chandrakantha Northampton
Yes, we French people do value taste in cheeses (The French are hitting their protein goals – thanks to a cheese that looks like ectoplasm, 18 May). There is a myriad of flavours in our dairy industry, from extreme farmhouse dungy-funk to sterilised stinky plastic. But most of our industrial cheeses sit firmly in the vicinity of savoury hardened fat. So it’s no surprise that cancoillotte is making...
Yes, we French people do value taste in cheeses (The French are hitting their protein goals – thanks to a cheese that looks like ectoplasm, 18 May). There is a myriad of flavours in our dairy industry, from extreme farmhouse dungy-funk to sterilised stinky plastic. But most of our industrial cheeses sit firmly in the vicinity of savoury hardened fat. So it’s no surprise that cancoillotte is making a comeback! In Paris in my late 20s, every single night out (or in) started with an apéro dînatoire (drinks and snacks). And cancoillotte was a staple. Why? Because if you microwavay it for 30 seconds, you get a great cheese dip for chips, bread, veggies, spoons. Cheap, tasty enough and quick. And now it’s deemed healthy? I rest my case. Mel Garcon Sazeray, France Cancoillotte may be low-fat in its basic version, but at home in Franche-Comté it may be enhanced with butter, white wine, vin jaune or indeed morel mushrooms. Typically it is dolloped on to hot potatoes or smoked sausages. So worry not, there are still people in France who enjoy a hearty meal. But beware! Cancoillotte may come flavoured with garlic or cumin, but also with strawberries. Bon appétit! Harry Forster Besançon, France I can’t say that I’ve met any French people who are unable to pronounce cancoillotte, but certainly its spelling was a mystery for many until it became popular in supermarkets. In fact, in the 1980s, the word figured in one of Bernard Pivot’s dictées nationales (national televised spelling competitions in the form of a dictated passage) and was one of the words used which beat many contestants. We certainly discovered it at that time thanks to the dictée, and it became a firm favourite in our family in the four decades we lived in a Paris suburb, whether poured over hot potatoes or spread on our tartines. David Boydell Northmead, New South Wales, Australia
Welcome to Bay Street Edition, our weekly newsletter devoted to what’s happening in Canadian finance, covering strategy, deals, people moves and economics. I’m Christine Dobby , Bloomberg’s Toronto-based banking reporter, and you’ll find me in your inbox every Friday. This week, we’re talking about the rise and fall and rise of Sherritt, my favorite thing to do after the long weekend and CIBC’s de...
Welcome to Bay Street Edition, our weekly newsletter devoted to what’s happening in Canadian finance, covering strategy, deals, people moves and economics. I’m Christine Dobby , Bloomberg’s Toronto-based banking reporter, and you’ll find me in your inbox every Friday. This week, we’re talking about the rise and fall and rise of Sherritt, my favorite thing to do after the long weekend and CIBC’s defense summit. Plus: An IPO to lose sleep over. Please share this newsletter with your friends and colleagues, and if it was forwarded to you, sign up here to receive it every week. If I Had a Nickel... The Donroe Doctrine was on full display this week. As the tentacles of aggressive US foreign policy creep across the hemisphere, the target this time is a century-old Canadian mining company. Let’s walk through what just happened to Sherritt International, and what led to a proposed deal that would hand majority control of the miner to Dallas-based Gillon Capital — a family office tied to Ray Washburne, former adviser to none other than US President Donald Trump. Sherritt’s most valuable assets are in Cuba, the communist-run island that has been under a smothering US embargo for decades. Trump hit Cuba with new sanctions earlier this month and then this week, the Department of Justice indicted Raúl Castro, its former president, for murder . Sherritt saw its star rise after an audacious foray into the country in the 1990s, when Ian Delaney — the investment banker-turned mining CEO known as the “Smiling Barracuda of Bay Street” — struck a deal with Fidel Castro himself. Sherritt won mining rights in Cuba and became one of the island’s largest foreign investors, defying a US trade embargo. It was a milestone deal for the Canadian firm, as my Bloomberg colleagues Sybilla Gross, Paula Sambo and Stephen Wicary recount in this excellent read on the company’s history and future . Sherritt needed raw material to feed a key asset: a metals refinery in Alberta. The company entered into ...
George Frey/Getty Images News Generac ( GNRC ) up 7.5% in Friday's trading as Jefferies upgrades shares to Buy from Hold with a $302 price target, raised from $239, saying the manufacturer of backup power generation products is nearing a "moment of truth" in securing major hyperscaler data center contracts tied to the AI infrastructure boom. "Given the continued strong environment for data center ...
George Frey/Getty Images News Generac ( GNRC ) up 7.5% in Friday's trading as Jefferies upgrades shares to Buy from Hold with a $302 price target, raised from $239, saying the manufacturer of backup power generation products is nearing a "moment of truth" in securing major hyperscaler data center contracts tied to the AI infrastructure boom. "Given the continued strong environment for data center development, and potential indications of activity with hyperscalers, we see an asymmetric positive risk/reward setup" for Generac ( GNRC ), according to Jefferies analysts led by Tanner James. Generac ( GNRC ) proclaimed in April to be on the "one-yard line" in negotiations toward a final agreement with its first hyperscaler with a non-binding $600M notice to proceed already disclosed; "process timing can be notoriously fickle, but we feel incrementally confident in [management's] ability to convert, James says. While long-term execution in the data center market remains uncertain given entrenched competition, there are multiple potential contracts in the works, the analyst says, adding that Baudouin engines are finding their way into hyperscaler configurations, pointing to market acceptance for a product only Generac ( GNRC ) can ably scale. Finally, Generac ( GNRC ) shares are "pricing in less while potentially offering more" after correcting 12% from their post-Q1 reporting high, James says. More on Generac Generac Is A Tricky Trade Opportunity After The Positive Quarterly Report Generac Suffers Growing Backup Power Demand - AI Beneficiary At Hefty Price Generac: Strong C&I Momentum, But Residential Risk Remains
Hollie Adams/Getty Images News Uber Technologies ( UBER ) is considering options for a full takeover of Delivery Hero SE ( DELHY ) ( DLVHF ). Shares of Uber fell 1.7%, while Delivery Hero ADRs jumped 10%. The ride-hailing service disclosed a raised stake in Delivery Hero this week, and Uber ( UBER ) is now working with advisers as it evaluates ways to increase its holdings, according to a Bloomber...
Hollie Adams/Getty Images News Uber Technologies ( UBER ) is considering options for a full takeover of Delivery Hero SE ( DELHY ) ( DLVHF ). Shares of Uber fell 1.7%, while Delivery Hero ADRs jumped 10%. The ride-hailing service disclosed a raised stake in Delivery Hero this week, and Uber ( UBER ) is now working with advisers as it evaluates ways to increase its holdings, according to a Bloomberg report on Friday, which cited people familiar with the matter. Uber has also been talking to other investors in Delivery Hero ( DELHY ) about its interest in a deal. On Monday, Uber ( UBER ) disclosed it increased its stake in Delivery Hero ( DELHY ) t o ~19.5% , including 5.6% in options. Uber ( UBER ) said at the time that it does not intend to increase its stake in the company to 30% or more. Uber declined to comment to Bloomberg. Delivery Hero didn’t immediately provide a comment. Shares in Delivery Hero (DELJHY) have risen almost 50% in Frankfurt trading this year, giving the company a market cap of €10.2 billion ($11.8 billion). Uber has a market value of $150 billion. Uber ( UBER ) is set to present at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference on Thursday. More on Uber, Delivery Hero SE Uber Technologies: The Orchestrator Of The Autonomous Revolution Uber Technologies: 2026 AI Budget Blown, But Margin Expansion Should Boost FCF Uber: Accelerating Flywheel With Superapp And Robotaxis Upside What’s next for Uber after Q1 earnings and its aggressive autonomous push? Uber raises stake in Delivery Hero
Extending its 19.5% rise through the first half of May, Astera Labs (ALAB +2.41%) stock is soaring this week. Investors are bidding shares of the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure specialist higher after a firm established a new, auspicious price target. According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, shares of Astera Labs are up 34.3% from the end of trading last Friday th...
Extending its 19.5% rise through the first half of May, Astera Labs (ALAB +2.41%) stock is soaring this week. Investors are bidding shares of the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure specialist higher after a firm established a new, auspicious price target. According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, shares of Astera Labs are up 34.3% from the end of trading last Friday through 11:01 a.m. ET today. One firm has a more optimistic outlook than most others do Maintaining an outperform rating on Astera Labs stock, Evercore ISI boosted its price target more than 38% to $297 from $215 on Tuesday. Based on Astera Labs stock closing at $215.58 on Monday, the new price target implied 38% upside. Expand NASDAQ : ALAB Astera Labs Today's Change ( 2.41 %) $ 7.18 Current Price $ 305.02 Key Data Points Market Cap $51B Day's Range $ 300.00 - $ 315.75 52wk Range $ 84.78 - $ 315.75 Volume 216.5K Avg Vol 5.4M Gross Margin 75.99 % According to Thefly.com, Evercore ISI based its upwardly revised price target on the belief that demand for Astera Labs' connectivity solutions is growing. Evercore ISI's optimism regarding Astera Labs stock mirrors that of several other firms. Earlier this month, for example, Barclays raised its price target to $200 from $165, and Needham lifted its price target to $260 from $220. Is it too late to pick up shares of Astera Labs? From companies specializing in AI software to those that provide the infrastructure that enables AI computing, there are a variety of options for investors interested in AI stocks. Trading today at 91 times forward earnings, Astera Labs stock is hardly inexpensive, but the company is flourishing. It recently reported record quarterly revenue of $308.4 million, a 93% year-over-year increase in Q1 2026. Those seeking a compelling AI stock with plenty of growth potential left in the tank should certainly consider Astera Labs, and not be deterred by the stock's current valuation.
Key Points Evercore ISI hiked its price target on Astera Labs stock. Several firms raised their price targets last week. 10 stocks we like better than Astera Labs › Extending its 19.5% rise through the first half of May, Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) stock is soaring this week. Investors are bidding shares of the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure specialist higher after a firm established a...
Key Points Evercore ISI hiked its price target on Astera Labs stock. Several firms raised their price targets last week. 10 stocks we like better than Astera Labs › Extending its 19.5% rise through the first half of May, Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) stock is soaring this week. Investors are bidding shares of the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure specialist higher after a firm established a new, auspicious price target. According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, shares of Astera Labs are up 34.3% from the end of trading last Friday through 11:01 a.m. ET today. 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 » One firm has a more optimistic outlook than most others do Maintaining an outperform rating on Astera Labs stock, Evercore ISI boosted its price target more than 38% to $297 from $215 on Tuesday. Based on Astera Labs stock closing at $215.58 on Monday, the new price target implied 38% upside. According to Thefly.com, Evercore ISI based its upwardly revised price target on the belief that demand for Astera Labs' connectivity solutions is growing. Evercore ISI's optimism regarding Astera Labs stock mirrors that of several other firms. Earlier this month, for example, Barclays raised its price target to $200 from $165, and Needham lifted its price target to $260 from $220. Is it too late to pick up shares of Astera Labs? From companies specializing in AI software to those that provide the infrastructure that enables AI computing, there are a variety of options for investors interested in AI stocks. Trading today at 91 times forward earnings, Astera Labs stock is hardly inexpensive, but the company is flourishing. It recently reported record quarterly revenue of $308.4 million, a 93% year-over-year increase in Q1 2026. Those seeking a compelling AI stock with plenty of gro...
Key Points Navitas is an Nvidia partner and is developing key technology for the next generation of data centers. The company is well-positioned for a significant revenue jump in 2027 as the new data centers launch. 10 stocks we like better than Navitas Semiconductor › Navitas Semiconductor (NASDAQ: NVTS) has moved away from its previous core market of power chips for mobile and consumer products ...
Key Points Navitas is an Nvidia partner and is developing key technology for the next generation of data centers. The company is well-positioned for a significant revenue jump in 2027 as the new data centers launch. 10 stocks we like better than Navitas Semiconductor › Navitas Semiconductor (NASDAQ: NVTS) has moved away from its previous core market of power chips for mobile and consumer products toward potentially more lucrative high-power markets. The latter includes AI data centers, high-performance computing, grid and energy, and electrification. It's an Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) partner too, and set to play a major role in the next generation of data centers set to hit the market next year. That fact has a major role to play in the stock's 16.7% rise by 12 p.m. today. Nvidia and Navitas Semiconductor Traders like to take speculative positions in stocks around events that drive high volatility, and one such event is Nvidia's earnings this week. What Nvidia's management says about the AI data center end markets is obviously critical to Navitas, because the latter is developing power chips that are integral to the new 800V high-voltage direct current (HVDC) data centers Nvidia is building. 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 previously outlined, Navitas' stock soared last month as the company announced the development of its latest power delivery board, and short sellers were forced to close positions amid continued positive updates on the AI data center market. What happened this week with Nvidia The same trading conditions were replicated in a microcosm ahead of Nvidia's earnings this week. The short interest ratio (the number of days it takes to unwind short positions based on average daily trading volume) jumped from about 0.8 to more than 1.5 in the days leading up to the report,...
JHVEPhoto UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) shares set to snap six straight sessions of losses on Friday, as the stock rose 1.6% to $388.9 in afternoon trading. The health insurer lost over 4% in the preceding six sessions. Overall, the stock has risen nearly 17% so far this year, compared to the over 9% rise in the broader S&P 500 Index. UNH is up 9% over the past one month. The stock closed 0.2% lower ...
JHVEPhoto UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) shares set to snap six straight sessions of losses on Friday, as the stock rose 1.6% to $388.9 in afternoon trading. The health insurer lost over 4% in the preceding six sessions. Overall, the stock has risen nearly 17% so far this year, compared to the over 9% rise in the broader S&P 500 Index. UNH is up 9% over the past one month. The stock closed 0.2% lower on Thursday at $382.48. May has been a neutral month for the company so far, with seven sessions in green and eight sessions in red. Looking at Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating, UNH has a Hold rating with a score of 3.48 out of 5. The company received an A+ in the prospect of profitability, while it got an F in the growth factor. Turning to the Wall Street community, 22 analysts gave UNH a Buy and above, five analysts have given the stock a Hold recommendation, and one recommended Strong Sell. Seeking Alpha analysts are also bullish and see the stock as a Buy. “The company remains undervalued with solid bottom-line growth expectations. Now, it operates above-market net income margins. Also, I love management's proactive approach to the capital structure and debt reduction. If that wasn't enough, UNH expects more buybacks to come,” noted a Seeking Alpha analysis by The J Thesis. Another recent Seeking Alpha analysis by Treading Softly believes that UNH is expected to continue to see EPS growth and shareholder returns going forward. However, the biggest risk remains government intervention in the sector and the ongoing DOJ antitrust investigation. The company posted solid double-beat quarterly results in April. UnitedHealth reported first-quarter revenue of $111.7B, up 2% from a year earlier and above estimates, while adjusted earnings per share of $7.23 beat expectations by $0.63. The company also raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to more than $18.25 from prior guidance of above $17.75. More on UnitedHealth UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) Presents at Bank of A...
President Donald Trump abruptly canceled an event on Thursday just hours before he was scheduled to sign an executive order granting the government the power to test frontier AI models before their public release. As The New York Times explained , Trump had been hoping that top executives from leading AI firms would attend the signing. He decided to pull the plug after learning that some CEOs coul...
President Donald Trump abruptly canceled an event on Thursday just hours before he was scheduled to sign an executive order granting the government the power to test frontier AI models before their public release. As The New York Times explained , Trump had been hoping that top executives from leading AI firms would attend the signing. He decided to pull the plug after learning that some CEOs couldn't make the event. That made Trump unhappy, even though he'd only given them 24 hours' notice. Other AI executives who quickly rearranged their schedules to go "were midair on their way to the Oval Office" when they found out that the trip was for nothing. Reporting from Semafor indicated that OpenAI "supported" the signing. However, xAI founder Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly helped "derail" the executive order, supposedly urging Trump to "call it off." Additionally, Trump's former AI advisor David Sacks—whose special government employee designation expired in March, The Information noted —joined the push to delay the signing, Semafor reported. Read full article Comments
Morsa Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images Almost exactly a year ago, on May 30th of 2025, I issued a stern warning for my readers . I argued that shares of ServisFirst Bancshares ( SFBS ) were dangerously approaching the point where a downgrade might be necessary. At the time, I had the company rated a ‘hold’. And to some investors, such a warning might have seemed absurd. After all, the company...
Morsa Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images Almost exactly a year ago, on May 30th of 2025, I issued a stern warning for my readers . I argued that shares of ServisFirst Bancshares ( SFBS ) were dangerously approaching the point where a downgrade might be necessary. At the time, I had the company rated a ‘hold’. And to some investors, such a warning might have seemed absurd. After all, the company had exhibited strong deposit growth, high asset quality, and other positive metrics. However, even with these factored in, the company was trading at a premium compared to other similar firms. Since that time, we have seen the stock rise up just a hair. That increase has been just 4.5%, which has fallen woefully short of the 26.9% increase that the S&P 500 saw. To be honest with you, I probably should have downgraded it at that time since I define a ‘sell’ candidate as any that should underperform the market for the foreseeable future. But you can't fix the past. Looking at the data today, I actually see that the stock is a bit cheaper in relation to earnings. Asset quality has also improved. So that's a positive. I would say that this combination of factors necessitates a bit more flexibility when it comes to assessing the company. But not so much that upgrading it is appropriate here. Shares need to be cheaper before I can bank on this name I would say that, right now, the best place to start with analyzing ServisFirst Bancshares would be to look at changes in the company's balance sheet. At the end of 2025, as an example, the firm had deposits on its books of $14.22 billion. But that grew to $14.49 billion in the first quarter of this year . Typically when you see a bump higher of that size in such a short window it's because of a rise in high cost brokered deposits. But according to management, at the end of the quarter, the company had no such thing on its books. This does not mean that it doesn't have anything problematic from a deposit standpoint. In fact, the compa...
Memorial Day is nearly here, meaning the seasonal sales are in full swing. If your weekend plans involve pool parties or barbecues, now is a great time to pick up a portable speaker or set of solar lights , as many of our favorite models are currently on sale. You can also find deals on everything from 4K OLED TVs and noise-canceling earbuds to tents , robot vacuums , and plenty of our favorite ev...
Memorial Day is nearly here, meaning the seasonal sales are in full swing. If your weekend plans involve pool parties or barbecues, now is a great time to pick up a portable speaker or set of solar lights , as many of our favorite models are currently on sale. You can also find deals on everything from 4K OLED TVs and noise-canceling earbuds to tents , robot vacuums , and plenty of our favorite everyday essentials . To give you more options, we’ve also included a selection of deals from retailers that aren’t necessarily running their own Memorial Day sales but are still offering limited-time deals in the run-up to May 25th. Savings are savings, after all. Earbuds and headphones AirPods Pro 3 The AirPods Pro 3 have a new design that improves their fit, superior noise cancellation, better bass, and fairly accurate heart rate sensors. Read our review . Where to Buy: $249 $199.99 at Amazon $249 $199.99 at Walmart $249.99 $199.99 at Best Buy Nothing Headphone A Nothing’s second over-ear headphones may not offer everything found on the pricier Nothing Headphone 1, but you do get physical controls, good sound, and more than five days of battery life per charge. Their design is also a bit more discreet, for better or worse. Read our review . Where to Buy: $199 $169 at Amazon $199 $169 at Nothing Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) The second-gen QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have dynamic, rich sound and the best noise cancellation currently available in a pair of true wireless earbuds. They’re a terrific pick if you want to listen to your music in peace. Read our review . Where to Buy: $299 $249 at Amazon $299 $249 at Walmart $299 $249 at Best Buy Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are on sale for $149.99 ($100 off) at Best Buy , which matches their all-time low price. The wireless earbuds are our top pick for Samsung Galaxy phone device owners , thanks to their comfortable AirPods-inspired design, terrific sound quality, and good noise cancellation. They also offer helpful voi...
In 2016, when Pep Guardiola took his place in the dugout for his first game in charge of Manchester City, the fashion plates in the Premier League included José Mourinho, in a quarter zip and mac at Manchester United and Arsène Wenger, dapper in his suit and unzippable puffer jacket at Arsenal. Guardiola, dressed like an overgrown schoolboy in V-neck, shirt, tie and blazer, didn’t seem as if he wa...
In 2016, when Pep Guardiola took his place in the dugout for his first game in charge of Manchester City, the fashion plates in the Premier League included José Mourinho, in a quarter zip and mac at Manchester United and Arsène Wenger, dapper in his suit and unzippable puffer jacket at Arsenal. Guardiola, dressed like an overgrown schoolboy in V-neck, shirt, tie and blazer, didn’t seem as if he was going to be that much of a sartorial threat. But 10 years down the line, he is the undisputed champion of dugout style. Guardiola can be credited as the man to relax the unwritten manager dress code, which swung between wedding-worthy smart suits or club-issued tracksuits. Instead, he chose clothes that worked beyond that small patch of grass managers stand on: blouson jackets, nice brogues, three-quarter coat. By 2019, his style was a talking point – and he had a hand in making cardigans a trend for men. He wore a £1,200 “lucky” grey knit 30 times in the season Man City won a domestic treble. View image in fullscreen Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Manchester City at Turf Moor on 28 April 2019 in Burnley, United Kingdom. Photograph: Visionhaus Guardiola’s loosening up continued – he brought sneakers to the dug out, preferring baseball boots by catwalk designer Rick Owens as well as combat-style trousers and Stone Island jackets. If he was increasingly praised for what he wore, in 2022 he credited his then-wife, Cristina Serra, as the person to pick his outfits. “Absolutely, ever since I met her,” he told Sky Sports “before I was a disaster, now I’m elegant, thanks to her.” View image in fullscreen Pep Guardiola. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA When Guardiola wore a slacker-style checked shirt by Swedish brand Our Legacy to a Champions League game in March, the look – which GQ described as “cool stoner” – went viral across fashion and football time lines. Some speculated the look was the influence of his Gen Z dau...
EvgeniyShkolenko/iStock via Getty Images Thesis My buy case, Rocket Lab Corporation ( RKLB ), is pretty much centered on their transition into a vertically integrated space/defense platform. And the contracts we’re now starting to see validate that transition once you break down the kind of tech this company is getting involved with. We have a growing exposure to higher-margin Space Systems and na...
EvgeniyShkolenko/iStock via Getty Images Thesis My buy case, Rocket Lab Corporation ( RKLB ), is pretty much centered on their transition into a vertically integrated space/defense platform. And the contracts we’re now starting to see validate that transition once you break down the kind of tech this company is getting involved with. We have a growing exposure to higher-margin Space Systems and national security contracts, which drive long-term revenue visibility. If we see management execute on the Neutron and continue scaling their backlog, particularly in defense and GEO-related programs, then I see a path toward sustained high-growth and multiple support. It makes Rocket Lab a compelling, albeit high-risk, buy for me. The stock has also seen a lot of strong momentum and is actually up about 72% since my previous coverage , which looked at Rocket Lab going into Q1 '26 earnings. Seeking Alpha SpaceX IPO Filing The way I see it, what’s actually driving this momentum from a potential Space Exploration Technologies Corp./SpaceX ( SPCX ) IPO isn’t just that it proves to us vertical integration works for Rocket Lab; their contracts do that. Rather, it forces the market to explicitly quantify what a fully built space ecosystem is worth here. In the sense that it reframes how investors look at every adjacent player, including Rocket Lab. If SpaceX’s filing breaks out revenue streams, such as launch, satellite services like Starlink, defense contracts, manufacturing, and a lot of other data/communications revenue, then it essentially turns what has been a black box into a sum-of-the-parts benchmark. And it will be for everyone to see, which matters because it shows that launch is often the lowest-margin, most commoditized layer. I think the real value accrues in owning downstream capacity with upstream control. Once that financial stack is visible to us, investors can then start mapping which parts of that hefty stack other companies are building toward. In that scenario,...
Key Points Iren just gained a valuable partner with Nvidia to help accelerate its data center expansion plans. Nvidia's five-year option to invest up to $2.1 billion in Iren only vests if certain performance milestones are triggered. This partnership comes as Iren recently announced global expansion plans in Spain and Australia. 10 stocks we like better than Iren › Iren (NASDAQ: IREN) just landed ...
Key Points Iren just gained a valuable partner with Nvidia to help accelerate its data center expansion plans. Nvidia's five-year option to invest up to $2.1 billion in Iren only vests if certain performance milestones are triggered. This partnership comes as Iren recently announced global expansion plans in Spain and Australia. 10 stocks we like better than Iren › Iren (NASDAQ: IREN) just landed a strategic partnership with Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), which could accelerate its efforts to build data centers optimized for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. The deal gives Iren a $3.4 billion AI cloud contract over five years to run Nvidia's internal workloads. It also supports Iren's plans to deploy up to 5 gigawatts of data center capacity powered by Nvidia hardware. For a business transitioning from Bitcoin mining to a leading AI cloud infrastructure provider, this deal validates that opportunity and could change Iren's growth trajectory forever. 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 » Nvidia has incentive to help Iren win Iren is tackling key constraints in AI's physical infrastructure. As co-CEO Daniel Roberts said, "Power, land, data center construction -- the pieces that cause delays for others are the pieces we own and control." These assets become increasingly valuable in a compute-constrained world. Goldman Sachs estimates there will be a 45-gigawatt power shortfall for U.S. data centers by 2028, requiring 72 gigawatts of new capacity through 2030. This power shortage could lead to higher contract prices for Iren, which owns grid-connected power ready to energize new data centers as they are completed. Goldman Sachs estimates the cost to build new AI data centers at $15 million to $20 million per megawatt, which implies a substantial sum for Iren's 5-gigawatt power portfol...
White House And Pentagon Clash Over $80M ReElement Critical Minerals Deal The Pentagon is reconsidering an $80 million conditional loan to rare-earths refiner ReElement Technologies, raising tensions with the White House over efforts to reduce US reliance on China for critical minerals, according to Bloomberg . The loan, announced in November through the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC...
White House And Pentagon Clash Over $80M ReElement Critical Minerals Deal The Pentagon is reconsidering an $80 million conditional loan to rare-earths refiner ReElement Technologies, raising tensions with the White House over efforts to reduce US reliance on China for critical minerals, according to Bloomberg . The loan, announced in November through the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), was part of a broader $1.4 billion critical-minerals initiative alongside Vulcan Elements. But officials reviewing the deal have questioned ReElement’s ability to scale production and meet long-term revenue targets, according to people familiar with the matter. The loan has not been canceled, and no funds have been disbursed. Pentagon officials emphasized from the outset that ReElement still needed to pass financial, legal, and technical due diligence before receiving funding. The dispute highlights a broader divide inside the Trump administration between moving quickly to build domestic rare-earth supply chains and conducting rigorous vetting. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro criticized OSC’s review process as too burdensome for emerging companies, calling ReElement “exactly the kind of asymmetric bet we should be making.” Bloomberg writes that Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended OSC’s oversight, saying the office balances speed with disciplined dealmaking. The effort is overseen by Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg. ReElement CEO Mark Jensen said the company’s work with the government is ongoing and confirmed plans to continue developing its Indiana refining facility. Under the agreement, ReElement would produce rare-earth oxides from recycled materials, while Vulcan would turn them into magnets used in defense and energy technologies. The Pentagon previously said the companies aimed to produce up to 10,000 metric tons of magnet materials over the coming years. Despite concerns, the government’s backing helped ReElement attract additional private in...
Key Points Infleqtion is getting $100 million in funding from the United States government. The company is researching new quantum computing technologies. The stock's shares look overvalued right now. 10 stocks we like better than Infleqtion › Shares of Infleqtion (NYSE: INFQ) have soared 41% this week, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The quantum research firm is receiving $...
Key Points Infleqtion is getting $100 million in funding from the United States government. The company is researching new quantum computing technologies. The stock's shares look overvalued right now. 10 stocks we like better than Infleqtion › Shares of Infleqtion (NYSE: INFQ) have soared 41% this week, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The quantum research firm is receiving $100 million in funding from the United States government to further its research into the exciting new technology. The stock went public earlier this year, but is already catching the eye of Wall Street. Should you follow and buy some Infleqtion stock for your portfolio? 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 » New funds for research Infleqtion is a publicly traded quantum research lab with technologies spanning both hardware and software across its "single neutral atom" platform. The United States government has deemed quantum computing a strategic interest and has therefore invested $2 billion across the sector, including $100 million into Infleqtion. Looking at the business, it is clear that the company is still well in the research stage. It generated just $9.5 million in revenue last quarter and had an operating loss of $33.5 million. Expect losses like these for many years to come. Time to buy? Quantum technologies are exciting. However, it is meaningless that the U.S. government has invested in them. The technology has never been commercialized, even though hundreds of research labs have invested in it over the last few decades. Don't think Infleqtion is the magic quantum stock that will take you to the moon. Should you buy stock in Infleqtion right now? Before you buy stock in Infleqtion, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 ...