Ant DM Shake Shack ( SHAK ) is enjoying more stable same-store traffic despite a choppy macroeconomic background thanks to successful initiatives like the Dubai shake, a value menu, and improved operational standards. With the help of a younger consumer spending more at its restaurants, the chain should sustain in-line same-store sales and earnings growth, earning an upgrade at BofA Securities to ...
Ant DM Shake Shack ( SHAK ) is enjoying more stable same-store traffic despite a choppy macroeconomic background thanks to successful initiatives like the Dubai shake, a value menu, and improved operational standards. With the help of a younger consumer spending more at its restaurants, the chain should sustain in-line same-store sales and earnings growth, earning an upgrade at BofA Securities to Neutral from Underperform and a 15% increase to its price target. Analyst Sara Senatore also notes the company’s supply chain improvements, including producer and geographic diversification, product optimization, transportation and logistics optimizations, and deploying technology more effectively. While beef constitutes a higher share of Shake Shack’s ( SHAK ) cost of goods sold than any of the other fixed costs, supply chain efficiencies will moderate the impact from higher costs. This leads Senatore to raise her FY26 adjusted EBITDA estimate by 3.2% to $288M. Disciplined cost controls were on display last quarter when the company reported a 42% increase in EPS despite higher input prices and beef inflation, maintaining a 22.7% profit margin. This led the company to predict higher net income and adjusted EBITDA for the year. “Our Neutral rating is based on our view that the operating backdrop will remain challenging—with pressures tied to consumer spending and heightened value competition—but SHAK’s offsetting initiatives should help sustain in-line same-store sales growth and earnings growth,” Senatore says. More on Shake Shack Shake Shack: Accelerating Growth And Cash Flow Inflection Support Re-Rating Shake Shack Inc. (SHAK) Presents at UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference Transcript Shake Shack: Tremendous Buy As January Comps Accelerate Wingstop, Shake Shack, and Dutch Bros are top restaurant picks at BNP Paribas Shake Shack outlines 2026 growth strategy with 55–60 new Shacks, targets margin expansion and sustained comp sales gains
NosUA/iStock via Getty Images Setting the scene Today's markets are anything but relaxing. Most equities ( SPY ) are down. Bonds ( BND ) and the so called "60/40" approach ( AOR ) have once again disappointed certain investors. The recent sell-off that has been driven by soaring oil prices and their knock-on effects to inflation, interest rates and overall economic health have negatively affected ...
NosUA/iStock via Getty Images Setting the scene Today's markets are anything but relaxing. Most equities ( SPY ) are down. Bonds ( BND ) and the so called "60/40" approach ( AOR ) have once again disappointed certain investors. The recent sell-off that has been driven by soaring oil prices and their knock-on effects to inflation, interest rates and overall economic health have negatively affected even safest areas of market in which, say, durable income investors tend to seek shelter. For example, REITs ( VNQ ), high-quality dividend growth ( SCHD ) and infrastructure ( UTF ) also have trended downwards since the war in Iran began. I think that two things are pretty clear (or at least embody very high odds of happening): 1. Growth prospects for many high multiple names (but in reality almost across the board) have weakened. Just think of soaring oil prices introducing headwinds to consumer spending, AI CapEx becoming increasingly more expensive, supply chain disruptions (e.g. helium) and less accommodative financing costs. It is hard to imagine how against this kind of backdrop the companies could justify their sky-high valuation multiples . 2. Volatility is likely to remain higher for longer. The combination of rich valuations, very tight spreads and mounting risks in the system is the perfect recipe for a heightened volatility. In the chart below we can see how VIX which measures the implied volatility for the S&P 500 has doubled since the start of the year: Ycharts The same could be said about almost any other volatility measurement index out there, including the MOVE index (volatility of U.S. Treasury yields) that has surged higher this year. The "Almost Perfect" Setup for Covered Calls It is clear that high-growth and richly priced equities are probably not the best picks out there amidst the various economic headwinds and increased uncertainty. Currently, it seems that we have entered into a risk-off phase that can last for quite some time, like until valuatio...
Putin Winning, Ukraine's Position Weakened, From Prolonged Iran War: Zelensky Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that a prolonged Iran war will be a net win for Moscow - and a significant setback for Kyiv. Speaking to Axios , he said bluntly: " I am sure Russia wants long war . They have benefits: The US is focusing on the Middle East and may decrease military help to Ukraine . Furt...
Putin Winning, Ukraine's Position Weakened, From Prolonged Iran War: Zelensky Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that a prolonged Iran war will be a net win for Moscow - and a significant setback for Kyiv. Speaking to Axios , he said bluntly: " I am sure Russia wants long war . They have benefits: The US is focusing on the Middle East and may decrease military help to Ukraine . Further he highlighted that "Sanctions are partially lifted" on Russian energy and so "I see only benefits for Russia from the war with Iran continuing." Ukrainian Presidential Press Service, via Agence France-Presse The logic is simple, he explained: higher oil prices and softer sanctions boost Russia, while US focus shifts away from Ukraine - as well as attention from Western partners - which ultimately results in tightening weapons supply . "I am not just concerned, I am sure we will have such challenges. Absolutely," he continued. Zelensky has also been reminding Western audiences that Moscow is actively aiding Iran, including targeting support via intelligence: "I think Russia is supporting Iran directly, 100%… the same format of sharing satellite images like they did in the case of Ukraine," Zelensky asserted. This will in the long-run result in a weaker Ukraine, particularly given the surging demand for interceptors in the Middle East. But Zelensky has for weeks been arguing that Ukraine needs these defensive missiles, such as Patriots, the most - repeatedly calling the issue a matter of "life and death". Interestingly and somewhat ironically, this has led to Zelensky sounding like a dove and a peacenik : "Our advice, when they asked us, was to stop the war as soon as possible and sit for negotiations - even if they can't sit together with Iran - and find a diplomatic way to end the war. But it is up to the sides ," he stressed. Zelensky himself has at various times throughout the war refused any negotiations with Moscow which hinge on making territorial concessions, whi...
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM) Gains from Strong Demand and Its Industry-Leading Manufacturing Capabilities insidermonkey.com
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM) Gains from Strong Demand and Its Industry-Leading Manufacturing Capabilities insidermonkey.com
champc/iStock via Getty Images U.S. information technology stocks have endured a volatile month marked by sharp declines amid escalating Middle East tensions, though a late chip rally provided some relief. The S&P 500 Information Technology sector shed roughly 12% over the past four weeks through late March, with the XLK ETF down about 7%. Below is a list of the top 10 performing information techn...
champc/iStock via Getty Images U.S. information technology stocks have endured a volatile month marked by sharp declines amid escalating Middle East tensions, though a late chip rally provided some relief. The S&P 500 Information Technology sector shed roughly 12% over the past four weeks through late March, with the XLK ETF down about 7%. Below is a list of the top 10 performing information technology stocks ranked by their March price performance. The list includes market capitalization data and Quant Ratings for each stock, spanning subsectors such as Internet Services and Infrastructure, Semiconductor Materials & Equipment, Application Software, Systems Software, and Technology Hardware. The list is topped by DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. ( DOCN ), with a one-month performance of 39.71%. AXT, Inc. ( AXTI ) and Fastly, Inc. ( FSLY ) follow closely behind as the next best performers. Braze, Inc. ( BRZE ) and Intapp, Inc. ( INTA ) round out the top five with gains of 23.70% and 13.33%, respectively. Among the stocks on the list, Fastly, Inc. ( FSLY ) and Dell Technologies Inc. ( DELL ) stand out with Strong Buy Quant Ratings of 4.99 and 4.94, respectively. Other notable entries include Cloudflare, Inc. ( NET ), Unity Software Inc. ( U ), and Akamai Technologies, Inc. ( AKAM ), all of which carry Hold ratings while posting solid one-month gains. Here is the list: DigitalOcean Holdings ( DOCN ), 1 month performance percentage: 39.71% AXT ( AXTI ), 1 month performance percentage: 39.13% Fastly ( FSLY ), 1 month performance percentage: 33.47% Braze ( BRZE ), 1 month performance percentage: 23.70% Intapp ( INTA ), 1 month performance percentage: 13.33% Cloudflare ( NET ), 1 month performance percentage: 13.03% Unity Software ( U ), 1 month performance percentage: 12.67% Akamai Technologies ( AKAM ), 1 month performance percentage: 12.02% Adeia ( ADEA ), 1 month performance percentage: 11.79% Dell Technologies ( DELL ), 1 month performance percentage: 11.20% Tech ETFs: ( V...
After years of leading the market higher, large-cap technology stocks have hit a speed bump in 2026. Concerns around artificial intelligence (AI) disruption, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and a softer macro backdrop have weighed on the sector. That pullback has created an opportunity to revisit some of the market’s top names at more reasonable valuations. Microsoft (MSFT), Palantir (PL...
After years of leading the market higher, large-cap technology stocks have hit a speed bump in 2026. Concerns around artificial intelligence (AI) disruption, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and a softer macro backdrop have weighed on the sector. That pullback has created an opportunity to revisit some of the market’s top names at more reasonable valuations. Microsoft (MSFT), Palantir (PLTR), and CrowdStrike (CRWD) are all down 25% or more from their 52-week highs. Which of these three
Union says there has been ‘far too little progress’ in talks over pay and career development UK politics live – latest updates Senior doctors in England are to be balloted over the prospect of strikes, the British Medical Association has announced. The union said that simultaneous ballots of consultants and specialist, associate specialist and speciality (SAS) doctors would run from 11 May to 6 Ju...
Union says there has been ‘far too little progress’ in talks over pay and career development UK politics live – latest updates Senior doctors in England are to be balloted over the prospect of strikes, the British Medical Association has announced. The union said that simultaneous ballots of consultants and specialist, associate specialist and speciality (SAS) doctors would run from 11 May to 6 July as both sets of medics escalate their disputes with the government. Continue reading...