JR Global REIT旗下位于布鲁塞尔的金融塔正引发一场法律战。该韩国上市房地产投资信托基金在伦敦高等法院提起诉讼，指控太平洋投资管理公司和英国 法通保险 公司等债权人施压估值机构压低资产价值，以触发“现金陷阱”条款并冻结租金收入。 根据伦敦和纽约法院的文件，JR REIT声称Pimco房地产欧洲债务主管布鲁诺·多尔德在1月会见莱坊估值师时表示，任何高于9.5亿欧元的估值都“荒谬可笑”，导致...
JR Global REIT旗下位于布鲁塞尔的金融塔正引发一场法律战。该韩国上市房地产投资信托基金在伦敦高等法院提起诉讼，指控太平洋投资管理公司和英国 法通保险 公司等债权人施压估值机构压低资产价值，以触发“现金陷阱”条款并冻结租金收入。 根据伦敦和纽约法院的文件，JR REIT声称Pimco房地产欧洲债务主管布鲁诺·多尔德在1月会见莱坊估值师时表示，任何高于9.5亿欧元的估值都“荒谬可笑”，导致莱坊随后辞任。该物业于2020年以约12亿欧元收购，是比利时政府大楼的主要租户。在莱坊退出后，仲量联行给出了约9.2亿欧元的估值，被JR REIT方面指为“不合理的低估值”。 这场纠纷源于一笔7.24亿欧元的债务。其中近一半通过Pimco来自安联旗下的四家实体，L&G和 三井住友 各提供约1.35亿欧元。估值下降导致贷款价值比超过52.5%的契约红线，触发现金冻结。JR REIT未能偿还400亿韩元短期债券后，于4月在首尔申请破产保护。 JR REIT发言人表示公司仍在运营，正通过法院监督的重组计划进行财务重整。该大楼目前有约2.8万名小投资者，冻结的个人投资资产约2000亿韩元。 责任编辑：张俊 SF065
Quick Read Micron (MU) guided Q3 revenue to $33.5B with 81% gross margin and EPS of $19.15, with a single quarter exceeding the company’s full prior fiscal year; the stock is up 156.59% year-to-date and 647.98% over 12 months, driven by structural AI demand for memory. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra stated Micron is fulfilling only 50% to two-thirds of key customers’ medium-term demand and has signed its fir...
Quick Read Micron (MU) guided Q3 revenue to $33.5B with 81% gross margin and EPS of $19.15, with a single quarter exceeding the company’s full prior fiscal year; the stock is up 156.59% year-to-date and 647.98% over 12 months, driven by structural AI demand for memory. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra stated Micron is fulfilling only 50% to two-thirds of key customers’ medium-term demand and has signed its first five-year strategic customer agreement, with HBM4 in volume shipment for NVIDIA applications. Micron’s path to $1,000 per share by 2027 depends on HBM4 and HBM4E ramping on schedule, supply-constrained pricing holding through calendar 2026, and Wall Street raising earnings estimates to match reality as the AI memory cycle expands. The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 stocks and Micron Technology wasn't one of them. Get them here FREE. Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) is rewriting its identity. The stock is up 156.59% year to date and 647.98% over the past 12 months, powered by an AI memory cycle that CEO Sanjay Mehrotra calls structural. He told investors, "AI has not just increased demand for memory; it has fundamentally recast memory as a defining strategic asset in the AI era." With shares at $731.99 and a market cap of $787.99 billion, Micron sits roughly $212 billion short of the trillion-dollar club. Can MU reach $1,000 per share by 2027? Here is the math. The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 stocks and Micron Technology wasn't one of them.Get them here FREE. Why Micron Shares Just Took a Breather MU fell 8.91% in the past week after a 63.24% rip over the prior month. With a beta of 1.92, this stock moves fast in both directions. Bond yields are pressuring multiples (the 30-year Treasury sits at 19-year highs), and Benzinga warned that "rising discount rates challenge the highly-valued memory supercycle thesis ahead of Nvidia's earnings." Morningstar flagged that DRAM-linked holdings "appear overvalued". After a near 7x mo...
(RTTNews) - Graco Inc.(GGG), a fluid and powder handling technologies company, said on Thursday that it has inked a deal to acquire Valco Melton, an adhesive application and quality assurance systems provider, for $447 million in cash. This includes around $40 million in expected tax benefits. Mark Sheahan, CEO of Graco, said: "This acquisition is a strong strategic fit for Graco and a natural ext...
(RTTNews) - Graco Inc.(GGG), a fluid and powder handling technologies company, said on Thursday that it has inked a deal to acquire Valco Melton, an adhesive application and quality assurance systems provider, for $447 million in cash. This includes around $40 million in expected tax benefits. Mark Sheahan, CEO of Graco, said: "This acquisition is a strong strategic fit for Graco and a natural extension of our industrial portfolio. Valco Melton expands our capabilities in precision sealant and adhesive dispensing, which closely aligns with Graco's core expertise in fluid handling, while adding complementary vision-based quality assurance systems." The transaction is expected to be closed in the third quarter of Graco's fiscal. Valco Melton had reported revenue of $145 million for 2025. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Tesla’s TSLA long-awaited rollout of Full Self-Driving (“FSD”) in China marks a major milestone for the tech EV giant as it pushes deeper into the world’s largest auto market. The launch is significant not just because of the technology itself, but also because this move opens up a fresh monetization opportunity for the company at a time when competition in China’s EV market is intensifying rapidl...
Tesla’s TSLA long-awaited rollout of Full Self-Driving (“FSD”) in China marks a major milestone for the tech EV giant as it pushes deeper into the world’s largest auto market. The launch is significant not just because of the technology itself, but also because this move opens up a fresh monetization opportunity for the company at a time when competition in China’s EV market is intensifying rapidly. The rollout follows months of regulatory discussions and comes just days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk accompanied U.S. President Donald Trump on a high-profile visit to Beijing. China is one of the most important markets for Tesla, accounting for a significant portion of its global deliveries and production. Until now, Tesla’s FSD technology was mainly available in the United States and select international markets, including Canada and parts of Europe, though regulatory hurdles have slowed wider expansion. China’s approval is a major breakthrough because the country has some of the world’s most advanced EV users and highly competitive domestic automakers. Tesla’s latest rollout in China includes advanced city-navigation capabilities and Level 3-style assisted driving features in certain conditions. While Tesla still markets FSD as a driver-assistance system requiring human supervision, the technology is increasingly moving closer to higher levels of autonomy. Level 3 systems allow the vehicle to handle most driving tasks under specific conditions, though drivers must remain ready to intervene when necessary. Notably, Tesla’s China strategy also differs from its latest global approach. Per CnEVPost, before FSD officially entered China, Tesla allowed customers to buy the software through a one-time payment of 64,000 yuan (about $9,420). However, in February, Tesla ended one-time FSD purchases globally and shifted to a subscription-only model aimed at building recurring high-margin software revenues. However, Tesla’s China website still shows the one-time purchase option. Kee...
Tesla’s TSLA long-awaited rollout of Full Self-Driving (“FSD”) in China marks a major milestone for the tech EV giant as it pushes deeper into the world’s largest auto market. The launch is significant not just because of the technology itself, but also because this move opens up a fresh monetization opportunity for the company at a time when competition in China’s EV market is intensifying rapidl...
Tesla’s TSLA long-awaited rollout of Full Self-Driving (“FSD”) in China marks a major milestone for the tech EV giant as it pushes deeper into the world’s largest auto market. The launch is significant not just because of the technology itself, but also because this move opens up a fresh monetization opportunity for the company at a time when competition in China’s EV market is intensifying rapidly. The rollout follows months of regulatory discussions and comes just days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk accompanied U.S. President Donald Trump on a high-profile visit to Beijing. China is one of the most important markets for Tesla, accounting for a significant portion of its global deliveries and production. Until now, Tesla’s FSD technology was mainly available in the United States and select international markets, including Canada and parts of Europe, though regulatory hurdles have slowed wider expansion. China’s approval is a major breakthrough because the country has some of the world’s most advanced EV users and highly competitive domestic automakers. Tesla’s latest rollout in China includes advanced city-navigation capabilities and Level 3-style assisted driving features in certain conditions. While Tesla still markets FSD as a driver-assistance system requiring human supervision, the technology is increasingly moving closer to higher levels of autonomy. Level 3 systems allow the vehicle to handle most driving tasks under specific conditions, though drivers must remain ready to intervene when necessary. Notably, Tesla’s China strategy also differs from its latest global approach. Per CnEVPost, before FSD officially entered China, Tesla allowed customers to buy the software through a one-time payment of 64,000 yuan (about $9,420). However, in February, Tesla ended one-time FSD purchases globally and shifted to a subscription-only model aimed at building recurring high-margin software revenues. However, Tesla’s China website still shows the one-time purchase option. Kee...
A Hong Kong resident has reported suspected airgun damage to her flat window in Yuen Long, with a district councillor warning that similar incidents may have occurred in the same public housing estate. Police said on Thursday that a 64-year-old woman reported the case at about 12.30pm, after discovering damage to a window at her flat in Shek Ping House in Long Ping Estate. The woman told police sh...
A Hong Kong resident has reported suspected airgun damage to her flat window in Yuen Long, with a district councillor warning that similar incidents may have occurred in the same public housing estate. Police said on Thursday that a 64-year-old woman reported the case at about 12.30pm, after discovering damage to a window at her flat in Shek Ping House in Long Ping Estate. The woman told police she found a 2mm steel pellet on her bed on Monday, but did not initially suspect anything. Advertisement She later noticed on Wednesday a roughly 2mm hole and cracks in the window glass and believed the damage was caused by a steel pellet fired from outside. The case was classified as criminal damage and handed over to the Yuen Long district crime squad for investigation. A social media post shows airgun damage to a window of a flat at Shek Ping House. Photo: Threads/@ritachong628 In a Threads post that drew more than 6,000 likes, one user said her boyfriend’s flat in the estate had its window “shot through”, leaving cracks in the glass and a BB gun pellet on the bed inside the unit.
The setup for a bullish technical signal in Republic Services (NYSE: RSG) is tightening. The waste hauler’s 50-day simple moving average stands at 213.87, with the 200-day at 217.77. Shares closed at $212.20 on May 20, 2026. A golden cross would require the shorter average to overtake the longer one, and the gap is now ... What Could Push Republic Services Stock to a Golden Cross?
The setup for a bullish technical signal in Republic Services (NYSE: RSG) is tightening. The waste hauler’s 50-day simple moving average stands at 213.87, with the 200-day at 217.77. Shares closed at $212.20 on May 20, 2026. A golden cross would require the shorter average to overtake the longer one, and the gap is now ... What Could Push Republic Services Stock to a Golden Cross?
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF closed Wednesday up 4.3% at $98.92 after homebuilder stocks rallied alongside news that the House passed an amended housing bill that included restrictions on institutional investors buying single-family homes while removing a provision that would have forced developers to sell newly built rental homes within seven years. The d...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF closed Wednesday up 4.3% at $98.92 after homebuilder stocks rallied alongside news that the House passed an amended housing bill that included restrictions on institutional investors buying single-family homes while removing a provision that would have forced developers to sell newly built rental homes within seven years. The daily chart shows XHB bouncing directly off ascending support within a broader ascending triangle formation, reinforcing the lower trendline that has helped contain pullbacks over several years. Despite Wednesday’s rebound, the ETF still trades below both its 50-day moving average near $102 and 200-day moving average near $108, leaving overhead resistance intact. The key upside level remains the prior highs near $124.50, which continue to define the top of the broader range. The RSI subgraph has turned higher following the bounce but remains around neutral territory, suggesting momentum has improved without fully reversing the recent downtrend. Here is a chart: Seeking Alpha More on State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF A First Quarter Bloodbath For Home Builders Manufactured Housing: The Wide Moat Hidden In Plain Sight The Pain For Housing And The U.S. Economy Is Just Beginning Housing demand remains strong even with rate volatility - analyst Mortgage rates tick down, purchase demand softens
Robert Way/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Over the past few quarters, I have found myself coming back to the same question on NVIDIA Corporation ( NVDA ): how long can the market keep treating this story as if the earnings peak is always just around the corner, while the company keeps putting up numbers that look almost unreal? The Q1 FY27 print was another beat and raise. Data center revenue c...
Robert Way/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Over the past few quarters, I have found myself coming back to the same question on NVIDIA Corporation ( NVDA ): how long can the market keep treating this story as if the earnings peak is always just around the corner, while the company keeps putting up numbers that look almost unreal? The Q1 FY27 print was another beat and raise. Data center revenue came in at $75.2B, breaking the Street's expectations of $73.1B (FactSet). On the guidance, the company is looking at $91.0B (±2%) for the second quarter, vs the LSEG consensus of $86.84B. Yet, the stock is down in the low single digits as I'm writing this piece. Why? First, Nvidia tends to run after its main customers (i.e., the hyperscalers) print results. That's why the stock is up double digits since the beginning of April. Does China matter, given that data center GPU sales to this region have been excluded from the Q2 guidance? Yes. That said, I don't think it's on Nvidia's hands to change this highly politicized situation. Chips are a bargaining chip for the U.S. government, and it seems the U.S. wants to keep its leverage over China. Overall, I remain bullish on Nvidia. Below, I discuss why. The New Revenue Reporting Framework Let's take this topic out of the way first, as it was one of the main items that caught my eye in the Q1 FY27 print (given that I am one of those spoiled investors looking past the company's beat and raises each quarter). First, the company still reports GAAP operating segments as Compute & Networking and Graphics. However, they now differentiate the revenue by market platforms: Data Center and Edge Computing To keep things clear, I considered including below the exact excerpt from the Q1 update that explains in detail what these two segments include: Within Data Center, NVIDIA will report two sub-markets, Hyperscale and ACIE, which incorporates AI Clouds, Industrial and Enterprise. Hyperscale will include revenue from the public clouds and the...
Lilly's Next-Gen Weight-Loss Drug Clears Trial With Near-Bariatric Surgery Results Eli Lilly reported positive Phase 3 results for its next-generation obesity drug, retatrutide, which delivered weight-loss results on par with those of bariatric surgery. In the TRIUMPH-1 trial , overweight adults, but without diabetes, achieved meaningful weight loss across all tested doses after 80 weeks : 12 mg d...
Lilly's Next-Gen Weight-Loss Drug Clears Trial With Near-Bariatric Surgery Results Eli Lilly reported positive Phase 3 results for its next-generation obesity drug, retatrutide, which delivered weight-loss results on par with those of bariatric surgery. In the TRIUMPH-1 trial , overweight adults, but without diabetes, achieved meaningful weight loss across all tested doses after 80 weeks : 12 mg dose: average weight loss of 70.3 pounds , or 28.3% of body weight. 9 mg dose: average weight loss of 64.4 pounds , or 25.9% . 4 mg dose: average weight loss of 47.2 pounds , or 19% Ahead of the results, RBC Capital Markets analyst Trung Huynh said the key success range would be 28% to 30% weight loss. Lilly's 12 mg dose appears to have cleared the low end of Huynh's bar, with patients losing an average of 28.3% of their body weight over 80 weeks. " We're in a zone that's historically been associated with bariatric surgery, and you're getting it with a medicine ," Kenneth Custer, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, told Bloomberg in an interview. Custer added, "I think we can definitively check the box" based on the data that "retatrutide moves the goalpost on max efficacy." Retatrutide is a first-in-class triple hormone receptor agonist targeting GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon , positioning it as potentially superior to current weight-loss drugs such as Lilly's Zepbound, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, and copycat GLP-1s. Lilly noted some downsides to taking the drug in the trial: Events of dysesthesia and urinary tract infections were generally mild to moderate, the majority resolved during treatment, and most participants continued taking retatrutide In markets, Lilly shares rose about 1% in premarket trading in New York, while shares of the Wegovy competitor, Novo Nordisk, traded in Copenhagen, fell slightly. Latest in the GLP-1 space: HIMS Shares Plunge As Pivot To Branded GLP-1s Weighs On Outlook The key question is whether bariatric surgery begins to lose favor among patients...
NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by equities research analysts at Craig Hallum from $245.00 to $275.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the computer hardware maker's stock. Craig Hallum's price target would suggest a potential upside of 24.07% from the stock's previous close. Several other re...
NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by equities research analysts at Craig Hallum from $245.00 to $275.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the computer hardware maker's stock. Craig Hallum's price target would suggest a potential upside of 24.07% from the stock's previous close. Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. CICC Research boosted their target price on shares of NVIDIA from $228.00 to $240.60 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on shares of NVIDIA from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of NVIDIA in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price objective (up from $275.00) on shares of NVIDIA in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of NVIDIA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-eight have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $298.69. Get NVIDIA alerts: Sign Up View Our Latest Stock Report on NVIDIA NVIDIA Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:NVDA opened at $221.66 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 3.24 and a current ratio of 3.91. The business's fifty day moving average price is $194.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.75. The stock has a market cap of $5.37 trillion, a PE ratio of 45.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 2.25. NVIDIA has a one year low of $129.16 and a one ye...
Emma Raducanu has been handed a tricky first-round test at the French Open against Argentine clay-court specialist Solano Sierra. British number one Raducanu missed out on a seeding for the clay-court Grand Slam after falling to 37th in the world rankings. The draw could have been less kind than 64th-ranked Sierra, given there was the prospect of Raducanu facing one of the world's very best. Howev...
Emma Raducanu has been handed a tricky first-round test at the French Open against Argentine clay-court specialist Solano Sierra. British number one Raducanu missed out on a seeding for the clay-court Grand Slam after falling to 37th in the world rankings. The draw could have been less kind than 64th-ranked Sierra, given there was the prospect of Raducanu facing one of the world's very best. However, Italy's 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini potentially awaits in the second round should Raducanu beat Sierra. British number two Katie Boulter will open against American wildcard Akasha Urhobo, while Francesca Jones - the only other Briton in the women's singles - faces Brazil's 2023 semi-finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia.
The primary catalyst behind the morning dip stems from broader market concerns. Tech and growth stocks face pressure as investors recalibrate their expectations for interest rates. Market futures tracking major indices show weakness, with Nasdaq futures down 0.44% and S&P 500 futures dropping 0.26%. Treasury Yields and Federal Reserve Outlook Fixed-income markets continue to signal an environment ...
The primary catalyst behind the morning dip stems from broader market concerns. Tech and growth stocks face pressure as investors recalibrate their expectations for interest rates. Market futures tracking major indices show weakness, with Nasdaq futures down 0.44% and S&P 500 futures dropping 0.26%. Treasury Yields and Federal Reserve Outlook Fixed-income markets continue to signal an environment of prolonged high interest rates, which traditionally pressures high-multiple tech companies like Palantir. The 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.58%, while the two-year bond hovered at 4.06%. Additionally, projections from CME Group's FedWatch tool indicate that markets are pricing in a 96.8% likelihood that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged at its upcoming June meeting. Axios Scoop Highlights Defense Contract Battle According to a filing obtained by Axios on Thursday, Palantir is battling the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency for the ability to bid for a contract to modernize its data analytics system. Palantir did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment. Palantir Stock: Key Levels To Watch From a longer-term trend view, Palantir is still in a repair phase: the stock is trading 1.6% below its 20-day SMA, 5.3% below its 50-day SMA, 9.3% below its 100-day SMA, and 16.8% below its 200-day SMA. The crossover picture also stays heavy, with the 20-day SMA below the 50-day SMA and a death cross in February (the 50-day SMA below the 200-day SMA). RSI at 47.82 in the neutral zone. Key levels are fairly defined for traders watching where the next trend decision could happen: Key Resistance : $162 : $162 Key Support: $128.50 PLTR Stock Price Activity: Palantir Technologies shares were down 1.12% at $135.61 during premarket trading on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Image via Shutterstock
(RTTNews) - Thursday, TTEC Holdings, Inc. (TTEC) announced an expanded strategic collaboration with with Volkswagen Group UK to deliver class-leading CX and AI-enabled digital transformation across the United Kingdom. Under the seven-year extended contract, TTEC will continue delivering customer care, case management, connected vehicle support, and AI-enabled omnichannel contact center solutions f...
(RTTNews) - Thursday, TTEC Holdings, Inc. (TTEC) announced an expanded strategic collaboration with with Volkswagen Group UK to deliver class-leading CX and AI-enabled digital transformation across the United Kingdom. Under the seven-year extended contract, TTEC will continue delivering customer care, case management, connected vehicle support, and AI-enabled omnichannel contact center solutions from operations in Leeds and Cairo, Egypt. "We are proud to extend our partnership with Volkswagen Group UK. Together we have built a strong foundation for innovation, operational excellence and long-term customer value, and we look forward to continuing that journey over the next seven years," said Simon Dillsworth, Senior Vice President of Automotive and RevGen at TTEC. Currently, TTEC is trading at $2.49, down 0.04 percent on the Nasdaq. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
(Bloomberg) -- The S&P 500 Index has had a fitful 2026 as it aims for a fourth-straight year of double-digit percentage gains, something it hasn’t done since the 1990s, while contending with risks from the war in Iran and rising inflation. Most Read from Bloomberg But one high-profile culprit is most responsible for holding back the market: Microsoft Corp. The software giant is down 12% this year,...
(Bloomberg) -- The S&P 500 Index has had a fitful 2026 as it aims for a fourth-straight year of double-digit percentage gains, something it hasn’t done since the 1990s, while contending with risks from the war in Iran and rising inflation. Most Read from Bloomberg But one high-profile culprit is most responsible for holding back the market: Microsoft Corp. The software giant is down 12% this year, making it by far the biggest drag on the index’s 8.3% gain, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. While Meta Platforms Inc. and Tesla Inc. are the next closest, their moves amount to a fraction of Microsoft’s weight. Microsoft shares were up slightly Thursday after the Information reported that Anthropic is in early talks to rent servers powered by Microsoft-designed AI chips. The stock has otherwise been struggling amid tepid results from Microsoft’s cloud-computing division, which fueled concerns about the company’s position in the artificial intelligence landscape and caution about the scale of its AI-related spending. It also has gotten caught up in investors’ broader angst about software’s growth potential in an AI world. “There are a lot of problems Microsoft has to solve, a lot of questions where we haven’t gotten good answers on its ability to successfully transition into a more AI-forward company,” said Howard Chan, chief executive officer at Kurv Investment Management, which owns Microsoft shares. “Its death has been exaggerated many times, and with sentiment so negative we see more upside than downside. But until we get answers, I don’t think it’s going to be smooth sailing.” Meanwhile, the two other major players in cloud computing, Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., are putting up double-digit percentage gains in 2026. With the Nasdaq 100 Index rising 15% in 2026, Microsoft is on pace for its third-straight year trailing the tech-heavy benchmark, and if the gap between the two lasts through the end of December, it would mark the most severe underperformance...
(Bloomberg) -- The S&P 500 Index has had a fitful 2026 as it aims for a fourth-straight year of double-digit percentage gains, something it hasn’t done since the 1990s, while contending with risks from the war in Iran and rising inflation. Most Read from Bloomberg But one high-profile culprit is most responsible for holding back the market: Microsoft Corp. The software giant is down 12% this year,...
(Bloomberg) -- The S&P 500 Index has had a fitful 2026 as it aims for a fourth-straight year of double-digit percentage gains, something it hasn’t done since the 1990s, while contending with risks from the war in Iran and rising inflation. Most Read from Bloomberg But one high-profile culprit is most responsible for holding back the market: Microsoft Corp. The software giant is down 12% this year, making it by far the biggest drag on the index’s 8.3% gain, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. While Meta Platforms Inc. and Tesla Inc. are the next closest, their moves amount to a fraction of Microsoft’s weight. Microsoft shares were up slightly Thursday after the Information reported that Anthropic is in early talks to rent servers powered by Microsoft-designed AI chips. The stock has otherwise been struggling amid tepid results from Microsoft’s cloud-computing division, which fueled concerns about the company’s position in the artificial intelligence landscape and caution about the scale of its AI-related spending. It also has gotten caught up in investors’ broader angst about software’s growth potential in an AI world. “There are a lot of problems Microsoft has to solve, a lot of questions where we haven’t gotten good answers on its ability to successfully transition into a more AI-forward company,” said Howard Chan, chief executive officer at Kurv Investment Management, which owns Microsoft shares. “Its death has been exaggerated many times, and with sentiment so negative we see more upside than downside. But until we get answers, I don’t think it’s going to be smooth sailing.” Meanwhile, the two other major players in cloud computing, Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., are putting up double-digit percentage gains in 2026. With the Nasdaq 100 Index rising 15% in 2026, Microsoft is on pace for its third-straight year trailing the tech-heavy benchmark, and if the gap between the two lasts through the end of December, it would mark the most severe underperformance...
Rising gas prices have been a recurring headline since the Trump administration started its war against Iran in late February, but it’s not the only commodity affected by the conflict. Around 10% of the world’s aluminum is made in the Gulf region, so prices of the metal have reached levels not seen in the last several decades. Even before the war in Iran, the U.S. government had flagged aluminum a...
Rising gas prices have been a recurring headline since the Trump administration started its war against Iran in late February, but it’s not the only commodity affected by the conflict. Around 10% of the world’s aluminum is made in the Gulf region, so prices of the metal have reached levels not seen in the last several decades. Even before the war in Iran, the U.S. government had flagged aluminum as a critical mineral. A large share of U.S. demand for aluminum is met by imports, and much of the metal the country does produce is recycled. For recycling startups, it’s a good time to be in business. “Aluminum might be 1% of the garbage stream, but it often trades for over $1,000 per ton,” Matanya Horowitz, CTO at waste sorting startup Amp, told TechCrunch. “It actually ends up being one of the most significant individual commodities.” Aluminum is one of the most recycled materials in the U.S., but even then, only about 20% is recovered, according to the EPA. Waste sorting startups have been pitching AI as a way to improve those figures. Sortera, a metals recycling startup, recently opened its second facility in Tennessee, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The new site doubles the company’s processing capacity to 240 million pounds, of which 90% to 100% is aluminum. That’s a sizable fraction of the 4.3 million metric tons the U.S. used last year. The Indiana-based startup focuses on sorting aluminum scrap. It uses a range of different sensors, including lasers, cameras and X-ray fluorescence, to feed AI algorithms that classify each potato chip-sized piece of scrap to identify the specific grade of aluminum. By separating the grades at higher accuracy, Sortera can make more profit per pound. Amp has taken a different approach, using an AI-powered sorting system to sift through both recycling and general waste streams. This system uses sensors, including visible light and infrared cameras, to identify everything from wrappers to foil, and differentiate plastics fro...