July ICE NY cocoa (CCN26) today is down -122 (-3.14%), and July ICE London cocoa #7 (CAN26) is down -74 (-2.53%). Cocoa prices are moving lower today as they consolidate just above Monday's 2-week lows. Today's rally in the dollar index ($DXY) to a 6-week high is pressuring most commodity prices, including cocoa. Don’t Miss a Day: Signs of abundant cocoa supplies are negative for prices, as ICE co...
July ICE NY cocoa (CCN26) today is down -122 (-3.14%), and July ICE London cocoa #7 (CAN26) is down -74 (-2.53%). Cocoa prices are moving lower today as they consolidate just above Monday's 2-week lows. Today's rally in the dollar index ($DXY) to a 6-week high is pressuring most commodity prices, including cocoa. Don’t Miss a Day: Signs of abundant cocoa supplies are negative for prices, as ICE cocoa inventories rose to a 1.75-year high of 2,673,307 bags on Wednesday. Since posting 3.75-month highs last Monday, cocoa prices retreated to 2-week lows on Monday amid an outlook for abundant supplies. Last Thursday, the Ivory Coast boosted its cocoa delivery estimate to 2.2 MMT for the 2025/26 season, up from a previous projection of 1.8-1.9 MMT, citing favorable weather. Increased cocoa supplies from the Ivory Coast are bearish for prices. Monday's cumulative data from the Ivory Coast showed that farmers shipped 1.61 MMT of cocoa to ports in the current marketing year (October 1, 2025, through May 17, 2026), up +1.9% from the same period a year ago. Last Monday, cocoa prices soared to 3.75-month highs amid concerns that the formation of an El Niño weather pattern could lead to warmer, drier conditions in West Africa, potentially damaging cocoa production there. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates a 82% probability that El Niño conditions will emerge between May and July and persist through the end of the year, with a 67% chance of a "Super El Niño." Cocoa prices also have support from early surveys of the 2026/27 West African cocoa crop that show below-average cherelle formation on cocoa trees, signaling a weak outlook for the main cocoa harvest, which begins in October. Signs that consumer demand for chocolate is holding up are a positive factor for cocoa prices. Recent earnings results from top chocolate makers Hershey and Mondelez International were better than expected and show consumer chocolate demand remains steady despite high...
Senior civil servants will get bonuses for exceptional performance for the first time under a new system that Darren Jones, the Cabinet Office minister, said would reward the “doers, not the talkers”. Jones, who is also chief secretary to the prime minister, said most civil servants would get a 3.5% pay rise but senior staff would have a base increase of 2.5%, with 1% held back for bonuses for the...
Senior civil servants will get bonuses for exceptional performance for the first time under a new system that Darren Jones, the Cabinet Office minister, said would reward the “doers, not the talkers”. Jones, who is also chief secretary to the prime minister, said most civil servants would get a 3.5% pay rise but senior staff would have a base increase of 2.5%, with 1% held back for bonuses for the highest-performing officials. The idea of performance-related pay for senior civil servants was announced as a trial by the Conservatives before the last election and has since been championed by Labour. In January, Jones set out his ambition to “rewire” the civil service, pledging to bring in bonuses for top performers across senior ranks to encourage excellence. On Thursday, he said the government wanted to award “higher but fewer bonuses to those exceptional senior civil servants who go above and beyond”. The government did not accept the pay review body’s recommendation for a 3.5% increase for senior staff, instead opting to retain some cash to reward a few top performers. It will bring in an uplift of £5,000 to the lowest band of senior civil servant pay, meaning some officials will get rises. Jones said: “This is just the start to improving our pay system … This is one of the many steps I am taking to power up the system to make sure words are turned into action and what happens in Westminster is followed through to the streets, schools and livelihoods of people in every part of the country.” Lauren Crowley, the assistant general secretary of the FDA, the union for senior civil servants, said the 3.5% overall award compared favourably to the wider public sector and current inflation figures. “Pay systems across the civil service have been blighted by a lack of meaningful pay progression for almost two decades,” she said. “The ability to move up a pay band based on delivery, skills and experience should be a feature of any well-functioning workplace. Its absence has h...
MicroStockHub/iStock via Getty Images Optimism among individual investors about the short-term outlook for stocks decreased in the latest AAII Sentiment Survey. Meanwhile, neutral sentiment and pessimism increased. Bullish sentiment, expectations that stock prices will rise over the next six months, decreased 7.6 percentage points to 31.7%. Bullish sentiment is below its historical average of 37.5...
MicroStockHub/iStock via Getty Images Optimism among individual investors about the short-term outlook for stocks decreased in the latest AAII Sentiment Survey. Meanwhile, neutral sentiment and pessimism increased. Bullish sentiment, expectations that stock prices will rise over the next six months, decreased 7.6 percentage points to 31.7%. Bullish sentiment is below its historical average of 37.5% for the first time in five weeks. Neutral sentiment, expectations that stock prices will stay essentially unchanged over the next six months, increased 0.6 percentage points to 24.7%. Neutral sentiment is below its historical average of 31.5% for the 96th time in 98 weeks. Bearish sentiment, expectations that stock prices will fall over the next six months, increased 7.0 percentage points to 43.6%. Bearish sentiment is unusually high and is above its historical average of 31.0% for the 15th consecutive week. The bull-bear spread (bullish minus bearish sentiment) decreased 14.6 percentage points to –11.9%. The bull-bear spread is unusually low and is below its historical average of 6.5% for the 14th time in 15 weeks. This week’s special question asked AAII members how they would describe the earnings guidance given by companies during the first-quarter 2026 earnings season. Here is how they responded: Better than I expected: 51.9% Approximately what I expected: 27.6% Worse than I expected: 2.8% Not sure/no opinion: 17.7% This week’s Sentiment Survey results: Bullish: 31.7%, down 7.6 percentage points Neutral: 24.7%, up 0.6 percentage points Bearish: 43.6%, up 7.0 percentage points Historical averages: Bullish: 37.5% Neutral: 31.5% Bearish: 31.0% The AAII Sentiment Survey has been conducted weekly since July 1987.
Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan has been named music director designate of the San Francisco Symphony, capping months of intense industry speculation over her next permanent posting. The orchestra announced on May 21 that Chan will officially begin her tenure in September 2027. She will serve an initial six-year term, becoming the first woman and 13th music director in the institution’s 115-yea...
Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan has been named music director designate of the San Francisco Symphony, capping months of intense industry speculation over her next permanent posting. The orchestra announced on May 21 that Chan will officially begin her tenure in September 2027. She will serve an initial six-year term, becoming the first woman and 13th music director in the institution’s 115-year history. The announcement marks a significant milestone for the conductor and places one of Hong Kong’s most famous classical music exports at the helm of a premier cultural institution in the United States. Advertisement “The San Francisco Symphony is one of the truly great orchestras of the world, and I am honoured to take the podium as its next Music Director,” Chan said in the press release. “The Bay Area has long been the place where the future gets invented. This orchestra carries that same restless, forward-looking energy in everything it does. […] I also look forward immensely to interacting with the San Francisco Symphony’s audiences and my new community as we begin this exciting journey together”. Her “new community” in San Francisco will include one of the most culturally active and historic Chinese-American communities in North America, and the orchestra already has a Hong Kong-born choral director, Jenny Wong. Elim Chan, who has recently conducted the BBC Proms and major orchestras in Chicago, New York and Boston, in front of the San Francisco skyline. Photo: Cody Pickens San Francisco Symphony chief executive officer Matthew Spivey praised the appointment, stating, “In Elim Chan, we have found a musician of unusual gifts and a leader of equal substance – a rare combination, and the one behind her remarkable international rise”.
It’s bot v bobby. The row over whether the controversial US AI company Palantir should be paid £50m to help the Metropolitan police goes to the heart of how public services will be delivered in the coming years. A similar dynamic is playing out in hospitals, schools and town halls, but right now police chiefs are turning to AI to escape a fiscal bind. The UK’s largest police force is shrinking; a ...
It’s bot v bobby. The row over whether the controversial US AI company Palantir should be paid £50m to help the Metropolitan police goes to the heart of how public services will be delivered in the coming years. A similar dynamic is playing out in hospitals, schools and town halls, but right now police chiefs are turning to AI to escape a fiscal bind. The UK’s largest police force is shrinking; a £125m funding shortfall means it faces cutting 1,150 posts. Scotland Yard wants to use AI to deploy Palantir’s systems to comb through human intelligence reports, email caches, phone records and the rest of the torrent of digital evidence trail left by 21st century crime. The implication is clear – AI is now seen as a plausible alternative for at least some human labour in policing and is on its way to becoming a mainstay of the national security apparatus. Human police officers deal with some of society’s most vulnerable people, and also some of the most confidential data and sources. The police want AI to do it too. Scotland Yard is not an outlier in looking at AI. Forces such as Bedfordshire and Leicestershire have used Palantir tech. Despite trying to keep out of the Palantir row by calling it an “operational matter for the Met and mayor of London”, the Home Office is setting the pace. Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, in January called for police to “ramp up use of AI” and to adopt the technology “at pace and scale”. Labour has set up a national centre called Police AI and is deploying AI as an agent of efficiency in the NHS, the military and the justice system, but the problem is this: the government doesn’t have its own AI systems and the companies that could help are increasingly controversial with the public and politicians. Sadiq Khan’s stated reason for blocking the Met’s Palantir deal was a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules, but politics lies not far behind. He has also cited “concerns about using public money to support firms who act contrary t...
Alifia Doriwala, co-chief investment officer at RockCreek, joins Scarlet Fu on "Bloomberg Markets." A standoff between the US and Iran over key issues lifted oil prices, dragging down stocks and bonds on concern that a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could worsen energy disruptions and fuel inflation. (Source: Bloomberg)
Alifia Doriwala, co-chief investment officer at RockCreek, joins Scarlet Fu on "Bloomberg Markets." A standoff between the US and Iran over key issues lifted oil prices, dragging down stocks and bonds on concern that a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could worsen energy disruptions and fuel inflation. (Source: Bloomberg)
Solskin/DigitalVision via Getty Images Shattuck Labs, Inc. ( STTK ) has recently undergone a big pipeline reset. Up to 2024, their main focus was oncology; however, after Phase 1b trials revealed that the drug does not actually improve the overall survival rate of leukemia patients compared to the current standard of care, management decided to fully discontinue this pipeline and slash their workf...
Solskin/DigitalVision via Getty Images Shattuck Labs, Inc. ( STTK ) has recently undergone a big pipeline reset. Up to 2024, their main focus was oncology; however, after Phase 1b trials revealed that the drug does not actually improve the overall survival rate of leukemia patients compared to the current standard of care, management decided to fully discontinue this pipeline and slash their workforce by 40% . The whole company pivoted toward autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. This pivot has drastically reduced their spending. In 2024 alone, the company spent $75.4 million on R&D, mainly on the “back then” lead asset SL-172154. By 2025, the restructuring reduced the net loss to only $48.8 million, but it also left them starting from scratch, with only $90.4 million in cash and equivalents (in Q1 2026). Today, Shattuck is relying entirely on the success of their new flagship asset, the SL-325. At this point, I rate the company as a Sell, as its main asset is still very early in the pipeline, and despite the company having decent cash reserves, the probability of success is statistically very low, and in my opinion, the current share price does not reflect this risk at all. Despite the cash preservation from the restructuring, the company is heavily reliant on very early-stage clinical data, and therefore I believe that holding such overpriced shares of Shattuck through Phase 1 data release in Q2 2026 might not be the best idea. After the data is released, my rating might likely change if the results are positive, but right now, I believe that there is more risk than reward involved. Main Pipeline Drug Shattuck’s primary asset, SL-325, focuses on treating severe Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), specifically Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis. The drug does have good potential despite entering a somewhat crowded market (if it is approved). The reason for this is that the current therapeutics for IBD often rely on broad immunosuppressants and come with unwanted ...
Tech stocks were higher Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF Upgrade to read this MT Newswires article and get so much more. A Silver or Gold subscription plan is required to access premium news articles.
Tech stocks were higher Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF Upgrade to read this MT Newswires article and get so much more. A Silver or Gold subscription plan is required to access premium news articles.
Key Points Altria is paying reliable dividends as its core business evolves. Realty Income is one of the best REITs for conservative investors. 10 stocks we like better than Altria Group › As the S&P 500 trades near its all-time highs, many investors might be reluctant to buy more stocks. That might be the prudent move, considering the S&P 500 looks historically expensive at 32 times earnings and ...
Key Points Altria is paying reliable dividends as its core business evolves. Realty Income is one of the best REITs for conservative investors. 10 stocks we like better than Altria Group › As the S&P 500 trades near its all-time highs, many investors might be reluctant to buy more stocks. That might be the prudent move, considering the S&P 500 looks historically expensive at 32 times earnings and is being propped up by a handful of high-flying AI stocks. However, it might be smart to shop for undervalued dividend stocks that pay dividends higher than the 10-Year Treasury's yield of about 4.6%. These defensive dividend stocks will attract a lot more investors if the market finally pulls back. Let's take a look at two of those resilient blue chip stocks -- Altria (NYSE: MO) and Realty Income (NYSE: O) -- and see why they could be a great place to invest $500 (or more) to earn some steady passive income. 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 » Altria Altria, the largest tobacco company in America, pays a forward yield of 5.8%. It's raised its dividend 60 times over the past 57 years. That makes it a Dividend King -- the elite title given to companies that raise their payouts annually for at least 50 consecutive years. Its trailing payout ratio of 88% also gives it plenty of room for future dividend hikes. Altria might initially seem like a shaky investment, since adult smoking rates in the U.S. have sharply dropped to their all-time lows over the past six decades. That's bad news for Altria, which still generates most of its revenue from its Marlboro cigarettes. However, Altria has offset that pressure by raising prices, cutting costs, and buying back more shares to boost EPS. It's also expanding its portfolio of smoke-free products -- including e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and snus -- to ...
The Labour party seems to have inhabited three parallel worlds over the past fortnight. There is a prime minister celebrating good news on the economy and lower migration figures and breezily insisting he will fight the next election, but with his party intent on deposing him. There is a byelection where Andy Burnham, the party’s leftwing hope for prime minister, will have to demonstrate he can wi...
The Labour party seems to have inhabited three parallel worlds over the past fortnight. There is a prime minister celebrating good news on the economy and lower migration figures and breezily insisting he will fight the next election, but with his party intent on deposing him. There is a byelection where Andy Burnham, the party’s leftwing hope for prime minister, will have to demonstrate he can win over Reform UK voters on migration, and the bond markets on fiscal rules. And there is the golden boy of the party’s right, Wes Streeting, unable to secure enough support to mount a challenge but merrily carrying on a campaign to win members’ hearts, with ideas including a decidedly leftwing plan for higher wealth taxes. All of them are potential contenders in a leadership contest that does not exist yet. There is a chance it may not ever exist – depending on the whims of the voters of Makerfield, the ability of Keir Starmer to confront reality, Labour MPs’ appetite for risk. But the fantasy contest has meant we are seeing surprising sides to its rivals. Burnham, who criticised the government as being too “in hock” to the bond markets, knows he must demonstrate economic credibility, especially if he wants a stable basis for his big plans on devolution and stronger public controls on utilities. And he knows he cannot fight in Makerfield as “open-borders Burnham”, as his Reform UK opponents have called him – which is why questions on the EU and on easing Shabana Mahmood’s changes to the immigration system must be closed down quickly. But there is no doubt this will sting for progressive Labour voters who had hoped to see a bigger change of direction. The stakes are without question higher for Burnham than for Streeting – and their audiences are completely different. For Streeting, there is a chance yet of a leadership contest and one in which, without a change of course, he may end up with a vote share like Liz Kendall’s 4.5% in the 2015 race. As a consequence, he has over ...
Memory stocks are bouncing hard at midday on Thursday after a punishing week for the sector. SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) shares are up 9%, Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) stock is higher by 5%, and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) shares are advancing 3%. The rebound follows a brutal five sessions in which each of the three was down between 4% ... SanDisk Soars 9%, Western Digital Rallies 5%, Micron Rises 3% ...
Memory stocks are bouncing hard at midday on Thursday after a punishing week for the sector. SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) shares are up 9%, Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) stock is higher by 5%, and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) shares are advancing 3%. The rebound follows a brutal five sessions in which each of the three was down between 4% ... SanDisk Soars 9%, Western Digital Rallies 5%, Micron Rises 3% as Memory Trade Reawakens
Bungie is moving on from Destiny 2. The studio announced Thursday that it’s releasing the last major update for the game on June 9th as its focus “turns towards a new beginning for Bungie.” After that final update, the game will remain playable, much like the first Destiny. “Many changes in this final update will aim to ensure that Destiny 2 is a welcoming place for players to return to,” Bungie s...
Bungie is moving on from Destiny 2. The studio announced Thursday that it’s releasing the last major update for the game on June 9th as its focus “turns towards a new beginning for Bungie.” After that final update, the game will remain playable, much like the first Destiny. “Many changes in this final update will aim to ensure that Destiny 2 is a welcoming place for players to return to,” Bungie says. The announcement post has a lot of information about what will be added to this final update, and up to and shortly after launch, Bungie will share more details about the changes. But after that, its weekly blog entries will “be entering a form of hibernation as well,” and the studio says that when it has more news about Destiny, “you’ll be the first to know.” Bungie released the first Destiny — its big bet after Halo — in 2014, and it launched Destiny 2 in 2017. The studio isn’t getting out of the live-service space, however. Earlier this year, Bungie released the extraction shooter Marathon, and while it hasn’t been quite as big a deal as Destiny 2 in its heyday, the game has been well-received. But it appears that the studio’s next title will be something new and not in the Destiny universe. “The unknown can sometimes feel wild, even a bit scary at times, but these opportunities to explore the future are invigorating,” Bungie says. “As we look ahead, our commitment remains the same: to make games we, and you, are excited to play.” Sony acquired Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2022, and Bungie has had a rough go of things in the years since, including layoffs and a delay for Marathon. Sony acquired the company while it was in the midst of its big live service push that it has scaled back significantly, and live service games in general are something of a mess right now.