Rickards: Investing In A World In Turmoil Authored by James Rickards via DailyReckoning.com, To say that the world is in turmoil to an extent not seen since the 1960s is an understatement. The war in Ukraine is now in its fifth year. The war in Iran continues with no end in sight, despite Trump’s optimistic talk. NATO may be nearing the break-up stage as Trump pulls U.S. troops out of Germany. Ene...
Rickards: Investing In A World In Turmoil Authored by James Rickards via DailyReckoning.com, To say that the world is in turmoil to an extent not seen since the 1960s is an understatement. The war in Ukraine is now in its fifth year. The war in Iran continues with no end in sight, despite Trump’s optimistic talk. NATO may be nearing the break-up stage as Trump pulls U.S. troops out of Germany. Energy prices are soaring, inflation has accelerated sharply again, consumer confidence has fallen sharply, debt is at an all-time high and supply chains are breaking down. Yet the major U.S. stock indices are at or near all-time highs. What accounts for record stock prices amid almost unprecedented turmoil? There are a number of key factors supporting stocks. The most obvious is the AI frenzy. This has two aspects. The first is that AI applications can improve productivity. The second is that the build-out of data centers with the most advanced semiconductors has led to a $1 trillion capital investment tsunami as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI providers build their server farms. The next factor is related to the first and is often called the picks-and-shovels trade. The idea is that those who benefit in a gold rush are not the gold miners but the merchants who sell tools, clothes, supplies and other goods the miners need. In the AI gold rush, the winners are electricity suppliers, builders, hardware manufacturers (semiconductors and servers) and small towns where the server farms are located. These suppliers will do well today whether AI lives up to its promise or not. Passive Aggression Another major factor is passive investing. An enormous amount of U.S. wealth is held in 401(k)s, IRAs and assets under management by wealth managers. Relatively few of the account holders (or, for that matter, wealth managers) really understand active stock investing or risk management. Instead, they buy index funds, ETFs or other equity basket products that t...
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang introduces Vera Rubin, a next-generation AI data center platform, and Rubin Ultra, a next-generation AI GPU architecture, during the keynote address at the company's annual GTC developers conference in San Jose, California, on March 16, 2026. Josh Edelson | AFP | Getty Images Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is way ahead of estimates on the amount of spending that's coming for AI – ...
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang introduces Vera Rubin, a next-generation AI data center platform, and Rubin Ultra, a next-generation AI GPU architecture, during the keynote address at the company's annual GTC developers conference in San Jose, California, on March 16, 2026. Josh Edelson | AFP | Getty Images Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is way ahead of estimates on the amount of spending that's coming for AI – even the most optimistic ones. During Wednesday evening's earnings call, Huang said he thought AI capital expenditures could get up to $4 trillion. "The capex is at a trillion dollars, and it's growing toward the three to four [trillion-dollar mark]," he said, speaking only of capex for hyperscalers like Alphabet and Amazon , which excludes other segments of the supercomputing market such as neoclouds. Nvidia's chief financial officer Colette Kress was even more specific on the call. "With analysts now forecasting hyperscale capex to exceed $1 trillion in 2027 and agentic AI beginning to proliferate [across] all industries, AI infrastructure spending is on track to reach $3 to $4 trillion annually by the end of this decade," she said. There's just one thing: That's way ahead of Wall Street's estimate trajectories. One analysis by Laura Martin at Needham shows the consensus estimate of hyperscaler capex hitting $1.03 trillion in 2028 – a third to a quarter of what it will be just two years later, if Huang's prediction is correct. "If Jensen Huang's prediction is correct … then the consensus estimates included in the chart below will be revised upwards, we believe," she wrote on Thursday with her colleague Dan Medina. "[His] vision for the hyperscalers is different from what the hyperscalers are saying on their earnings calls, and more interesting." Some on Wall Street have been predicting capex to hit $1 trillion by the end of next year, faster than the consensus, but they're still substantially behind Huang's forecast, which would see the number quadruple over the subsequen...
In trading on Thursday, shares of OAK's 6.550% Series B Preferred Units (Symbol: OAK.PRB) were yielding above the 8% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.6375), with shares changing hands as low as $20.28 on the day. This compares to an average yield of 7.93% in the "Asset Management" preferred stock category, according to Preferred Stock Channel . As of last close, OAK.PRB was t...
In trading on Thursday, shares of OAK's 6.550% Series B Preferred Units (Symbol: OAK.PRB) were yielding above the 8% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.6375), with shares changing hands as low as $20.28 on the day. This compares to an average yield of 7.93% in the "Asset Management" preferred stock category, according to Preferred Stock Channel . As of last close, OAK.PRB was trading at a 17.52% discount to its liquidation preference amount, versus the average discount of 16.98% in the "Asset Management" category. Investors should keep in mind that the shares are not, meaning that in the event of a missed payment, the company does not have to pay the balance of missed dividends to preferred shareholders before resuming a common dividend. Looking at the chart above, OAK.PRB's low point in its 52 week range is $19.99 per share, with $22.84 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $20.54. Below is a dividend history chart for OAK.PRB, showing historical dividend payments on OAK's 6.550% Series B Preferred Units : In Thursday trading, OAK's 6.550% Series B Preferred Units (Symbol: OAK.PRB) is currently down about 1.3% on the day. Click here to find out the 50 highest yielding preferreds » Also see: The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Spotify announces a host of AI partnerships and features during its 2026 Investor Day. In this photo illustration, the Spotify logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Load...
Spotify announces a host of AI partnerships and features during its 2026 Investor Day. In this photo illustration, the Spotify logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Launches a new desktop app named Studio by Spotify Labs. Collaborates with AI voice startup ElevenLabs for AI-powered audiobooks. Enters into a licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Spotify Technology (SPOT) share price surged 13% on Thursday, marking its best day in over three months after the audio streaming platform unveiled a sweeping suite of artificial intelligence features and a music industry partnership during its 2026 Investor Day, signaling a major push into AI-driven content creation and monetization. The audio streaming giant introduced software to compete directly with tech giants in the productivity space, rolled out an AI-assisted audiobook publishing tool, and struck a first-of-its-kind licensing agreement to legalize fan-made music derivatives. Read Next Loading... Loading... Spotify’s Answer To Google’s NotebookLM Aiming to capture a share of the growing market for interactive audio-based AI tools, Spotify debuted a new desktop application named Studio by Spotify Labs, designed to generate personalized podcasts from user-uploaded materials. The move positions Spotify as a competitor to Google’s popular NotebookLM. The software lets consumers convert documents, articles, notes, and other written files into fully realized audio discussions. The desktop program processes the textual information and synthesizes conversational audio scripts, which are then read aloud by realistic digital voices. The app includes customizable controls, enabling users to generate tailored daily or weekly summaries based on specific instruct...
onimate/iStock via Getty Images Listen below or on the go on Apple Podcasts and Spotify U.S. government backs quantum firms with funding and equity stakes. (0:14) Walmart issues cautious guidance as higher gas prices pressure consumers. (1:10) OpenAI could launch history’s biggest IPO, raising $60B . (1:59) This is an abridged transcript of the podcast: Our top story so far, the U.S. government is...
onimate/iStock via Getty Images Listen below or on the go on Apple Podcasts and Spotify U.S. government backs quantum firms with funding and equity stakes. (0:14) Walmart issues cautious guidance as higher gas prices pressure consumers. (1:10) OpenAI could launch history’s biggest IPO, raising $60B . (1:59) This is an abridged transcript of the podcast: Our top story so far, the U.S. government is stepping directly into the quantum race, committing billions in incentives — and taking equity stakes in the companies it’s backing. The Department of Commerce signed nine letters of intent to provide more than $2B in funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. IBM ( IBM ) said it signed a letter of intent to launch Anderson, a standalone quantum chip manufacturing company that would operate what it described as America’s first pure-play quantum foundry. Separately, GlobalFoundries ( GFS ) said it received a letter of intent for $375M to accelerate the build-out of its new quantum unit, Quantum Technology Solutions. In addition to funding, the government will take minority, non-controlling stakes in seven quantum computing firms: Atom Computing — $100M Diraq — up to $38M D-Wave ( QBTS ) — $100M Infleqtion — $100M PsiQuantum — $100M Quantinuum — $100M Rigetti ( RGTI ) — up to $100M IBM, D-Wave, Rigetti, GlobalFoundries and Infleqtion are all rallying. Among active stocks, Walmart ( WMT ) is under pressure after it issued cautious guidance amid the high-gas-price environment. For Q2, Walmart forecast EPS of $0.70 to $0.74, below the $0.75 consensus. The full year was also shy, with a range of $2.75 to $2.85 vs. expectations for $2.92. Ralph Lauren ( RL ) is jumping after the apparel giant posted a stronger-than-expected Q4 earnings report and issued strong guidance. CEO Patrice Louvet note a “healthy quality of sales” with balanced contributions across lifestyle categories, geographies and channels. And Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) and AvalonBay Communities (NYSE: AVB) agreed...
Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Triumph Financial Inc (Symbol: TFIN), where a total volume of 2,186 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 218,600 underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out t...
Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Triumph Financial Inc (Symbol: TFIN), where a total volume of 2,186 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 218,600 underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 76.7% of TFIN's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 284,950 shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $80 strike call option expiring August 21, 2026 , with 1,093 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 109,300 underlying shares of TFIN. Below is a chart showing TFIN's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $80 strike highlighted in orange: Peabody Energy Corp (Symbol: BTU) saw options trading volume of 22,139 contracts, representing approximately 2.2 million underlying shares or approximately 75% of BTU's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 3.0 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $24 strike call option expiring June 18, 2026, with 17,633 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 1.8 million underlying shares of BTU. Below is a chart showing BTU's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $24 strike highlighted in orange: And Solstice Advanced Materials Inc (Symbol: SOLS) saw options trading volume of 16,788 contracts, representing approximately 1.7 million underlying shares or approximately 74.7% of SOLS's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.2 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $65 strike put option expiring June 18, 2026, with 15,857 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 1.6 million underlying shares of SOLS. Below is a chart showing SOLS's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $65 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for TFIN options, BTU options...
Among the underlying components of the Russell 3000 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Rivian Automotive Inc (Symbol: RIVN), where a total of 220,407 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 22.0 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 73.2% of RIVN's average daily trading volume over the past month of 30.1 million shares. Particularly high volume was...
Among the underlying components of the Russell 3000 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Rivian Automotive Inc (Symbol: RIVN), where a total of 220,407 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 22.0 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 73.2% of RIVN's average daily trading volume over the past month of 30.1 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $15 strike call option expiring May 22, 2026 , with 41,979 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 4.2 million underlying shares of RIVN. Below is a chart showing RIVN's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $15 strike highlighted in orange: SiriusXM Holdings Inc (Symbol: SIRI) options are showing a volume of 35,612 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 3.6 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 69.7% of SIRI's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 5.1 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $30 strike call option expiring June 18, 2026, with 11,912 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 1.2 million underlying shares of SIRI. Below is a chart showing SIRI's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $30 strike highlighted in orange: And MP Materials Corp (Symbol: MP) saw options trading volume of 45,451 contracts, representing approximately 4.5 million underlying shares or approximately 67.5% of MP's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 6.7 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $61 strike put option expiring May 22, 2026, with 5,185 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 518,500 underlying shares of MP. Below is a chart showing MP's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $61 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for RIVN options, SIRI options, or MP options, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Opt...
There is a moment in every market cycle when a single number stops being a number and becomes a verdict. For me, that moment hinges on two things in 2026: When the Federal Reserve speaks and, more specifically, right now, when Nvidia (NVDA) reports earnings as it did on May 20. For two years, when ...
There is a moment in every market cycle when a single number stops being a number and becomes a verdict. For me, that moment hinges on two things in 2026: When the Federal Reserve speaks and, more specifically, right now, when Nvidia (NVDA) reports earnings as it did on May 20. For two years, when ...
Wimbledon will offer to create a new player council in a meeting with leading player representatives scheduled for Roland Garros next week, with Tim Henman having intervened in the ongoing row over grand slam prize money. The Guardian has learned the former British No 1 and All England Club Board member held talks with several top players, including representatives of the WTA Players’ Council at t...
Wimbledon will offer to create a new player council in a meeting with leading player representatives scheduled for Roland Garros next week, with Tim Henman having intervened in the ongoing row over grand slam prize money. The Guardian has learned the former British No 1 and All England Club Board member held talks with several top players, including representatives of the WTA Players’ Council at the Italian Open in Rome earlier this month. A formal meeting between Wimbledon officials and player agents at the French Open will follow. Some players may join the meeting depending on their tournament schedules with Jannik Sinner’s representative, Alex Vittur, one of several leading agents to have confirmed their attendance. Wimbledon, the French Open and US Open have been open to meeting the top players’ representatives to discuss concerns over prize money, welfare and representation since December. But the representatives have insisted they will not discuss the formation of a player council until the grand slam organisers address requests for a greater percentage of revenue for players and contributions to welfare initiatives, such as pension funds. In March, the representatives rejected a proposed joint meeting at the Indian Wells Masters with the three slams on those grounds. It is not clear if Wimbledon will entertain those requests in Paris. Wimbledon will offer to create their own player council and reaffirm their commitment to growing the sport and increasing prize money, with this year’s Championships prize fund to be revealed at a press conference on 11 June. The players’ representatives will also meet with the French Tennis Federation and United States Tennis Association, but Tennis Australia will not be involved in any discussions in Paris. In a sign of the sport’s fractured governance the Australian Open has aligned with the Professional Tennis Players’ Association, which is suing the other three grand slam governing bodies in New York’s district court over a...
is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. Its name might be dull and uninspired, but the Philips 24B2D5300 Business Monitor brings a novel feature I’ve never seen on a display before: screens on either side. The design will primarily benefit people who are constantly angling their computer ...
is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. Its name might be dull and uninspired, but the Philips 24B2D5300 Business Monitor brings a novel feature I’ve never seen on a display before: screens on either side. The design will primarily benefit people who are constantly angling their computer screen so those on both sides of a desk can see it, like a car salesperson walking a buyer through configuration options or a doctor conferring with a patient. But there are some potential co-working applications, too. Starting next month, the dual-sided monitor will be released in parts of Europe for £359.99 (around $484), according to Digital Camera World. It’s currently listed on both the UK and Ireland versions of Philips’ website. A wider release has not yet been announced. The monitor’s ports, including a pair of both USB-C and HDMI ports, are located on the side of its swiveling base. Image: Philips Featuring back-to-back 23.8-inch LCD panels with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 120 Hz, the monitor can be connected to one or multiple devices using either a pair of power-delivering USB-C ports, or a pair of HDMI ports. In most scenarios it will be connected to a single computer with the same thing mirrored on both sides, but the dual displays can also be used as two extended displays with one side showing public-facing info and the other for private details. Repositioning the monitor could be tricky since it can’t be mounted to an articulated arm, but its base swivels 180-degrees so you can still spin it around to easily double-check what’s displayed on the other side.
Elon Musk has incredible sway over the companies he leads. And while he already calls himself “TechnoKing” at Tesla, he is a real ruler over SpaceX, wielding an unprecedented level of control over one of the most valuable companies in the world. Musk’s monarchical grip on SpaceX was finally laid bare in the company’s IPO filing made public on Wednesday. Post-IPO, Musk will be CEO, CTO, and chairma...
Elon Musk has incredible sway over the companies he leads. And while he already calls himself “TechnoKing” at Tesla, he is a real ruler over SpaceX, wielding an unprecedented level of control over one of the most valuable companies in the world. Musk’s monarchical grip on SpaceX was finally laid bare in the company’s IPO filing made public on Wednesday. Post-IPO, Musk will be CEO, CTO, and chairman of SpaceX’s board, and will have more than 50% of the voting power, giving him the ability to appoint directors as he sees fit. He essentially cannot be fired. The company has placed limits on how shareholders can file legal challenges, and it will benefit from a far more permissive regulatory regime in Texas, its home state – an environment Musk helped create when he loudly moved Tesla’s incorporation there from Delaware. As SpaceX bluntly tells prospective investors in the filing: “This will limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters and the election of our directors.” More control than Mark Tech founders have enjoyed increased control over public companies over the last two decades, especially as Google, Meta (then Facebook) and other tech firms went public with dual-class shares. But Musk and SpaceX are taking things much further, according to Ann Lipton, professor of law at the University of Colorado. Lipton argued, in a blog published last Friday, that Musk is obliterating the three most powerful levers that shareholders can typically pull to pressure a public company’s top executive. The first is voting. SpaceX uses a dual-class structure, with Musk holding 93.6% of the Class B super-voting shares that won’t be available to the public in the offering. Despite aiming to become the largest IPO in history, Musk will still hold more than 50% of the voting power once SpaceX lists. That makes it a “controlled company” by stock exchange standards, and controlled companies are allowed to exempt themselves from rules requiring independent oversight. Space...
Elon Musk has incredible sway over the companies he leads. And while he already calls himself “TechnoKing” at Tesla, he is a real ruler over SpaceX, wielding an unprecedented level of control over one of the most valuable companies in the world. Musk’s monarchical grip on SpaceX was finally laid bare in the company’s IPO filing made public on Wednesday. Post-IPO, Musk will be CEO, CTO, and chairma...
Elon Musk has incredible sway over the companies he leads. And while he already calls himself “TechnoKing” at Tesla, he is a real ruler over SpaceX, wielding an unprecedented level of control over one of the most valuable companies in the world. Musk’s monarchical grip on SpaceX was finally laid bare in the company’s IPO filing made public on Wednesday. Post-IPO, Musk will be CEO, CTO, and chairman of SpaceX’s board, and will have more than 50% of the voting power, giving him the ability to appoint directors as he sees fit. He essentially cannot be fired. The company has placed limits on how shareholders can file legal challenges, and it will benefit from a far more permissive regulatory regime in Texas, its home state – an environment Musk helped create when he loudly moved Tesla’s incorporation there from Delaware. As SpaceX bluntly tells prospective investors in the filing: “This will limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters and the election of our directors.” More control than Mark Tech founders have enjoyed increased control over public companies over the last two decades, especially as Google, Meta (then Facebook) and other tech firms went public with dual-class shares. But Musk and SpaceX are taking things much further, according to Ann Lipton, professor of law at the University of Colorado. Lipton argued, in a blog published last Friday, that Musk is obliterating the three most powerful levers that shareholders can typically pull to pressure a public company’s top executive. The first is voting. SpaceX uses a dual-class structure, with Musk holding 93.6% of the Class B super-voting shares that won’t be available to the public in the offering. Despite aiming to become the largest IPO in history, Musk will still hold more than 50% of the voting power once SpaceX lists. That makes it a “controlled company” by stock exchange standards, and controlled companies are allowed to exempt themselves from rules requiring independent oversight. Space...
Elon Musk has incredible sway over the companies he leads. And while he already calls himself “TechnoKing” at Tesla, he is a real ruler over SpaceX, wielding an unprecedented level of control over one of the most valuable companies in the world. Musk’s monarchical grip on SpaceX was finally laid bare in the company’s IPO filing made public on Wednesday. Post-IPO, Musk will be CEO, CTO, and chairma...
Elon Musk has incredible sway over the companies he leads. And while he already calls himself “TechnoKing” at Tesla, he is a real ruler over SpaceX, wielding an unprecedented level of control over one of the most valuable companies in the world. Musk’s monarchical grip on SpaceX was finally laid bare in the company’s IPO filing made public on Wednesday. Post-IPO, Musk will be CEO, CTO, and chairman of SpaceX’s board. His current 85% voting power will drop following the IPO, but it will still be above 50%, giving him the ability to appoint directors as he sees fit. He essentially cannot be fired. The company has placed limits on how shareholders can file legal challenges, and it will benefit from a far more permissive regulatory regime in Texas, its home state – an environment Musk helped create when he loudly moved Tesla’s incorporation there from Delaware. As SpaceX bluntly tells prospective investors in the filing: “This will limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters and the election of our directors.” More control than Mark Tech founders have enjoyed increased control over public companies over the last two decades, especially as Google, Meta (then Facebook) and other tech firms went public with dual-class shares. But Musk and SpaceX are taking things much further, according to Ann Lipton, professor of law at the University of Colorado. Lipton argued, in a blog published last Friday, that Musk is obliterating the three most powerful levers that shareholders can typically pull to pressure a public company’s top executive. The first is voting. SpaceX uses a dual-class structure, with Musk holding 93.6% of the Class B super-voting shares that won’t be available to the public in the offering. Despite aiming to become the largest IPO in history, Musk will still hold more than 50% of the voting power once SpaceX lists. That makes it a “controlled company” by stock exchange standards, and controlled companies are allowed to exempt themselves from rul...
Wheat futures are trading in the red through Thursday’s midday. Chicago SRW futures are down 3 to 4 cents on the day. KC HRW is showing 5 to 6 cent losses. MPLS spring wheat is just fractionally lower so far on the day. There were 0 deliveries notices against CBT wheat overnight, with 4 issued for KC wheat. Export Sales data showed 474,875 MT in all wheat sales for the week that ended on 9/5, whic...
Wheat futures are trading in the red through Thursday’s midday. Chicago SRW futures are down 3 to 4 cents on the day. KC HRW is showing 5 to 6 cent losses. MPLS spring wheat is just fractionally lower so far on the day. There were 0 deliveries notices against CBT wheat overnight, with 4 issued for KC wheat. Export Sales data showed 474,875 MT in all wheat sales for the week that ended on 9/5, which was up 39.7% from last year and in the middle of the estimates of 300,000 to 550,000 MT. Taiwan was the largest buyer of 105,400 MT, with the Philippines buying 98,900 MT and South Korea purchasing 91,200 MT. USDA’s monthly WASDE update showed no change to the US balance sheet, with the 2024/25 US carryout left at 828 mbu. On the world side, USDA increased the stocks total by 0.6 MMT to 257.22 MMT. That was mainly caused by larger carryover due to revisions of the Canadian stocks higher. The EU production total was cut by 4 MMT, with the Ukrainian wheat output up 0.7 MMT. The EU wheat crop was estimated at 114.4 MMT by Strategie Grains, down 10% from a year ago and 2.1 MMT below the August release. Egypt’ GASC purchased 430,000 MT of Russian wheat in a private purchase overnight, all for October shipment. Sep 24 CBOT Wheat is at $5.63 3/4, up 5 cents, Dec 24 CBOT Wheat is at $5.75 3/4, down 3 1/2 cents, Sep 24 KCBT Wheat is at $5.80 3/4, up 1 cent, Dec 24 KCBT Wheat is at $5.82, down 6 1/4 cents, Sep 24 MGEX Wheat is at $5.89, up 6 1/2 cents, Dec 24 MGEX Wheat is at $6.15 3/4, down 3/4 cent, On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Cotton futures are trading with contracts down 300 to 366 points on the Thursday session. The US dollar index was $0.306 higher at $99.320. Crude oil is up $1.75 on the day to $100.08. USDA’s Export Sales report from Thursday morning showed 131,792 RB of cotton sold for 2025/26 in the week of 5/14. That was a 3-week high and 7.86% above the same week last year. There was also 215,962 RB in new cro...
Cotton futures are trading with contracts down 300 to 366 points on the Thursday session. The US dollar index was $0.306 higher at $99.320. Crude oil is up $1.75 on the day to $100.08. USDA’s Export Sales report from Thursday morning showed 131,792 RB of cotton sold for 2025/26 in the week of 5/14. That was a 3-week high and 7.86% above the same week last year. There was also 215,962 RB in new crop sales in that week, a MY high. Shipments were tallied at 289,351 RB, a 9-week low. Don’t Miss a Day: The Cotlook A Index was back down 140 points on May 20 at 92.25 cents. ICE certified cotton stocks were up 6,820 on Wednesday with the certified stocks level at 210,223 bales. The Adjusted World Price was up another 228 points last week at 71.87 cents/lb. Jul 26 Cotton is at 77.94, down 366 points, Dec 26 Cotton is at 79.73, down 323 points, Mar 27 Cotton is at 80.54, down 323 points On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Live cattle futures are $3 to $4.90 across most contracts on Thursday. Cash trade has been limited so far this week with a few $260 sales in KS and $265 in the North. The Thursday Fed Cattle Exchange online auction showed no sales on the 652 head offered, with bids of $260. Feeder cattle futures are falling on the Thursday session, with contracts down the $9.25 limit, with expiring May down $1.725...
Live cattle futures are $3 to $4.90 across most contracts on Thursday. Cash trade has been limited so far this week with a few $260 sales in KS and $265 in the North. The Thursday Fed Cattle Exchange online auction showed no sales on the 652 head offered, with bids of $260. Feeder cattle futures are falling on the Thursday session, with contracts down the $9.25 limit, with expiring May down $1.725. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was down $2.98 to $372.44 on May 19. The weekly Export Sales report showed 8,095 MT of beef sold for 2026 in the week ending on May 14. That was the back up slightly from the week prior. Shipments were pegged at 12,263 MT, which was the third lowest for the calendar year. Don’t Miss a Day: Wholesale Boxed Beef prices were lower in the Thursday morning report, with the Chc/Sel spread at $5.33. Choice boxes were down 77 cents to $392.85, while Select was $3.61 lower at $387.52. USDA estimated federally inspected cattle slaughter for Wednesday at 108,000 head, with the weekly total at 321,000 head. That was up 3,000 head from the week prior but 36,571 head below the same week last year. Jun 26 Live Cattle are at $250.250, down $3.025, Aug 26 Live Cattle are at $240.400, down $4.900, Oct 26 Live Cattle are at $232.075, down $4.700, May 26 Feeder Cattle are at $369.000, down $1.725 Aug 26 Feeder Cattle are at $356.525, down $9.250 Sep 26 Feeder Cattle are at $353.375, down $9.250 On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Lean hog futures are down $1.65 to $1.92 across most contracts on Thursday. USDA’s national base hog price was not reported on Thursday morning due to thin trade. The CME Lean Hog Index was up 45 cents on May 19 at $91.00. Export Sales data from USDA showed pork sales for 2026 at 31,561 MT for the week ending on 5/14, a 3-week high. Shipments were tallied at 34,297 MT, a calendar year low. Don’t M...
Lean hog futures are down $1.65 to $1.92 across most contracts on Thursday. USDA’s national base hog price was not reported on Thursday morning due to thin trade. The CME Lean Hog Index was up 45 cents on May 19 at $91.00. Export Sales data from USDA showed pork sales for 2026 at 31,561 MT for the week ending on 5/14, a 3-week high. Shipments were tallied at 34,297 MT, a calendar year low. Don’t Miss a Day: USDA’s pork carcass cutout value from the Thursday AM report was down 36 cents at $95.11 per cwt. The rib and ham primals were lower, with the belly leading the charge, down $9.06. USDA estimated federally inspected hog slaughter for Wednesday at 482,000 head, taking the week to date total to 1.421 million. That is down 8,000 head from the previous week and 24,713 head below the same week last year. Jun 26 Hogs are at $95.625, down $1.650, Jul 26 Hogs are at $100.050, down $1.925 Aug 26 Hogs are at $100.150, down $1.675, On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
An international coalition of law enforcement agencies announced Thursday that they took down a popular virtual private network service used by cybercriminals and arrested its administrator. The FBI said in an alert that First VPN was so popular that “at least” 25 ransomware gangs used the service to hide their malicious activity. Cybercriminals also relied on the VPN to scan the internet, run bot...
An international coalition of law enforcement agencies announced Thursday that they took down a popular virtual private network service used by cybercriminals and arrested its administrator. The FBI said in an alert that First VPN was so popular that “at least” 25 ransomware gangs used the service to hide their malicious activity. Cybercriminals also relied on the VPN to scan the internet, run botnets, launch distributed denial-of-service attacks, and for running scams. First VPN operated servers across 27 different countries, according to the bureau. Europol said in an announcement that, apart from offering anonymous connections, First VPN offered cybercriminals anonymous payments, hidden infrastructure, and other services specifically marketed for criminal hackers. “First VPN had become deeply embedded in the cybercrime ecosystem, appearing in almost every major cybercrime investigation supported by Europol in recent years,” read the announcement. “Criminals used it to conceal their identities and infrastructure while carrying out ransomware attacks, large-scale fraud, data theft, and other serious offences.” The service advertised on known cybercrime forums, including at least two Russian-speaking marketplaces, promising criminals protection against being identified. “We are for anonymity. We do not store any logs that would allow us or third parties to link an IP address in a specific period of time with a user of our service,” FirstVPN said in one post that TechCrunch has seen. “The only data we store is e-mail and username, but it is impossible to link a user’s online activity with a specific user of our service.” Europol, however, said that First VPN users were notified of the shutdown and “informed that they have been identified.” Investigators said they did this by obtaining the service’s user database and identifying VPN connections, which “exposed thousands of users linked to the cybercrime ecosystem.” The international law enforcement agency also said Fi...