Alibaba Group (BABA +3.06%) doesn't want to be known as just an e-commerce giant any longer. Throughout 2025, the Chinese company leaned into its ambitions to become a cloud and artificial intelligence leader. The most recent quarterly results, however, paint a complicated picture of a business that's thriving in some ways, but uncertain in others. Expand NYSE : BABA Alibaba Group Today's Change (...
Alibaba Group (BABA +3.06%) doesn't want to be known as just an e-commerce giant any longer. Throughout 2025, the Chinese company leaned into its ambitions to become a cloud and artificial intelligence leader. The most recent quarterly results, however, paint a complicated picture of a business that's thriving in some ways, but uncertain in others. Expand NYSE : BABA Alibaba Group Today's Change ( 3.06 %) $ 3.75 Current Price $ 126.16 Key Data Points Market Cap $275B Day's Range $ 123.05 - $ 127.26 52wk Range $ 94.97 - $ 192.67 Volume 614K Avg Vol 12M Gross Margin 40.43 % Dividend Yield 0.86 % Leaning into the cloud Alibaba's cloud intelligence line grew by 36% in this latest quarter compared to the same period last year. Overall, though, Alibaba reported a 66% year-over-year decline in net income. The steep drop is mostly attributed to a strategic pivot into technology investments, improved user experiences, and quick commerce. The main question, however, is whether Alibaba is too late in its efforts to catch up as a leader in AI and cloud services. Yes, a 36% increase in its cloud business this past quarter is promising, but there's real concern regarding the e-commerce side. Most problematic is the 74% year-over-year decline in operating income. The compression in the company's profits is real, and it's making shareholders nervous. Alibaba is going all-in on AI and cloud intelligence. The company's Qwen app is a globally competitive AI personal assistant. Since the company launched a new and improved version in early February, approximately 140 million Qwen users have experienced their first AI-driven shopping experience. The app boasts more than 300 million monthly active users across all of its platforms. Investors aren't so sure yet Overall, Alibaba missed Wall Street's expectations, and shares listed in the U.S. fell about 7% following the release. So far in 2026, Alibaba's stock price has decreased by more than 15%. For investors searching for an inexpensive...
Key Points Alibaba has been striving to evolve beyond just its e-commerce business. Its AI-driven Qwen app has 300 million monthly active users now. But expensive investments have led to a sharp decline in operating income. 10 stocks we like better than Alibaba Group › Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) doesn't want to be known as just an e-commerce giant any longer. Throughout 2025, the Chinese company l...
Key Points Alibaba has been striving to evolve beyond just its e-commerce business. Its AI-driven Qwen app has 300 million monthly active users now. But expensive investments have led to a sharp decline in operating income. 10 stocks we like better than Alibaba Group › Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) doesn't want to be known as just an e-commerce giant any longer. Throughout 2025, the Chinese company leaned into its ambitions to become a cloud and artificial intelligence leader. The most recent quarterly results, however, paint a complicated picture of a business that's thriving in some ways, but uncertain in others. Leaning into the cloud Alibaba's cloud intelligence line grew by 36% in this latest quarter compared to the same period last year. Overall, though, Alibaba reported a 66% year-over-year decline in net income. The steep drop is mostly attributed to a strategic pivot into technology investments, improved user experiences, and quick commerce. 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 » The main question, however, is whether Alibaba is too late in its efforts to catch up as a leader in AI and cloud services. Yes, a 36% increase in its cloud business this past quarter is promising, but there's real concern regarding the e-commerce side. Most problematic is the 74% year-over-year decline in operating income. The compression in the company's profits is real, and it's making shareholders nervous. Alibaba is going all-in on AI and cloud intelligence. The company's Qwen app is a globally competitive AI personal assistant. Since the company launched a new and improved version in early February, approximately 140 million Qwen users have experienced their first AI-driven shopping experience. The app boasts more than 300 million monthly active users across all of its platforms. Investors aren't so s...
Shares in tire maker Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co (GT +3.98%) rose by as much as 6.2% at 11:30 a.m. today. The positive move comes as a sharp price correction in oil led investors to factor in better earnings outcomes for Goodyear. Goodyear's exposure to oil The tire maker's exposure to oil comes from two main areas. First, higher oil prices mean higher gasoline prices, and that usually results in a ...
Shares in tire maker Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co (GT +3.98%) rose by as much as 6.2% at 11:30 a.m. today. The positive move comes as a sharp price correction in oil led investors to factor in better earnings outcomes for Goodyear. Goodyear's exposure to oil The tire maker's exposure to oil comes from two main areas. First, higher oil prices mean higher gasoline prices, and that usually results in a moderation in miles driven. That's bad news for tire companies, as about 70% of industry demand for tires comes from the replacement market. Second, raw materials account for a significant portion of a tire company's costs. Raw materials account for around 45% of its cost of goods sold, and 70% of those costs are driven by oil prices. You could even extrapolate further and argue that the inflationary environment created by soaring energy prices will make it harder to cut interest rates, which will put pressure on automotive sales and, in turn, original equipment tire sales. Bottom line: High oil prices are not good for Goodyear so today's correction in energy prices is good news. Expand NASDAQ : GT Goodyear Tire & Rubber Today's Change ( 3.98 %) $ 0.24 Current Price $ 6.39 Key Data Points Market Cap $1.8B Day's Range $ 6.29 - $ 6.53 52wk Range $ 6.14 - $ 12.03 Volume 151K Avg Vol 7.2M Gross Margin 18.44 % Where next for Goodyear The conflict in the Gulf isn't over yet, and it's incredibly difficult to know what comes next. Consequently, investors need to keep an open and reflective mind on matters and not overreact either way. The volatility is likely to continue, including for Goodyear stock.
Key Points Higher gasoline prices negatively impact tire demand. Raw material costs, including oil, make up a huge part of Goodyear's cost of goods sold. 10 stocks we like better than Goodyear Tire & Rubber › Shares in tire maker Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co (NASDAQ: GT) rose by as much as 6.2% at 11:30 a.m. today. The positive move comes as a sharp price correction in oil led investors to factor in ...
Key Points Higher gasoline prices negatively impact tire demand. Raw material costs, including oil, make up a huge part of Goodyear's cost of goods sold. 10 stocks we like better than Goodyear Tire & Rubber › Shares in tire maker Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co (NASDAQ: GT) rose by as much as 6.2% at 11:30 a.m. today. The positive move comes as a sharp price correction in oil led investors to factor in better earnings outcomes for Goodyear. Goodyear's exposure to oil The tire maker's exposure to oil comes from two main areas. First, higher oil prices mean higher gasoline prices, and that usually results in a moderation in miles driven. That's bad news for tire companies, as about 70% of industry demand for tires comes from the replacement market. 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 » Second, raw materials account for a significant portion of a tire company's costs. Raw materials account for around 45% of its cost of goods sold, and 70% of those costs are driven by oil prices. You could even extrapolate further and argue that the inflationary environment created by soaring energy prices will make it harder to cut interest rates, which will put pressure on automotive sales and, in turn, original equipment tire sales. Bottom line: High oil prices are not good for Goodyear so today's correction in energy prices is good news. Where next for Goodyear The conflict in the Gulf isn't over yet, and it's incredibly difficult to know what comes next. Consequently, investors need to keep an open and reflective mind on matters and not overreact either way. The volatility is likely to continue, including for Goodyear stock. Should you buy stock in Goodyear Tire & Rubber right now? Before you buy stock in Goodyear Tire & Rubber, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what th...
DNY59/E+ via Getty Images A breath of fresh air for the markets On Saturday night , Iran launched its most destructive attack yet on Israel and injured about 200 people. Iran proved that it can harm even a country with the best military defense equipment in the world, and this event triggered a further escalation of the conflict. Following this news, President Trump has warned Iran that it would h...
DNY59/E+ via Getty Images A breath of fresh air for the markets On Saturday night , Iran launched its most destructive attack yet on Israel and injured about 200 people. Iran proved that it can harm even a country with the best military defense equipment in the world, and this event triggered a further escalation of the conflict. Following this news, President Trump has warned Iran that it would have faced a complete destruction of its energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz were still closed in 48 hours. On the other hand, Iran didn’t seem very scared by the potential escalation, quite the opposite. Iranian top officials warned the US that they would have destroyed even more energy plants in Gulf countries, as well as desalination plants. As you might know, these countries are situated in the desert, and desalination plants are even more important than oil itself: without them, the citizens don’t have access to drinking water. In this chaotic context, global markets couldn’t do anything but go down. Seeking Alpha, YCHARTS From the beginning of the war, the main US stock market indexes dropped between 5% and 7%, but this war is having a disproportionate impact on countries that are not energy self-sufficient. In fact, both Germany's ( DAX ) and Japan's (Nikkei) main stock market indexes have already fallen by double digits; they are getting close to the bear market territory (-20%). Seeking Alpha, YCHARTS The oil price remains the most important market mover, and it is strictly related to the evolution of the US/Israel – Iran war. As long as the conflict goes on, oil prices will remain high and might even get higher in case of further escalation. The bond market is already discounting in advance a future rise of the inflation rate; therefore, a more hawkish Fed. CME FedWatch Tool As you can see from the CME FedWatch Tool , there is now an 11% probability that the Fed will raise interest rates by 25 basis points in June, something that just a week ago was consi...
Andranik Hakobyan/iStock via Getty Images Overall Morningstar Rating™ The Morningstar Rating is for the indicated share classes only as of 12/31/25; other classes may have different performance characteristics. The Morningstar ratings for the overall, three-, five- and ten-year periods for Class A shares are 3 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars and 3 stars and for Institutional Class shares are 4 stars, 3 st...
Andranik Hakobyan/iStock via Getty Images Overall Morningstar Rating™ The Morningstar Rating is for the indicated share classes only as of 12/31/25; other classes may have different performance characteristics. The Morningstar ratings for the overall, three-, five- and ten-year periods for Class A shares are 3 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars and 3 stars and for Institutional Class shares are 4 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars and 4 stars among 253, 253, 232 and 176 Muni National Intermediate funds, respectively, and are based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure. Despite elevated political and economic uncertainty, returns were meaningfully positive across most asset classes during the quarter. Fund strategy Invests primarily in investment-grade municipal securities whose income is exempt from federal income tax Emphasizes the intermediate portion of the yield curve, which typically provides attractive yields with lower interest rate risk than longer-maturity securities Uses rigorous fundamental credit research and bottom-up security selection to identify potential risks and uncover attractive, undervalued investment opportunities across issuers, sectors and geographic locations Expense ratio Share class No waiver (gross) With waiver (net) Institutional 0.61% 0.41% A 0.81% 0.61% Click to enlarge From the fund's most recent prospectus. Net expense ratio reflects a contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement through 2/28/2026, unless sooner terminated at the sole discretion of the fund's board. Fund performance Institutional Class shares of Columbia Intermediate Duration Municipal Bond Fund returned 1.49% for the three months ending December 31, 2025. For monthly performance information, please check online at Financial Professionals | Columbia Threadneedle Investments US . The fund's benchmark, the Bloomberg 3-15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Index, returned 1.48% for the same period. The fund performed in-line with its benchmark, with curve positioning, with an underweight to ...
georgeclerk/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Mid last year, I initiated coverage on Aon plc ( AON ) with a Sell rating. While that piece was more focused on the technical analysis of the stock, I also found deteriorating fundamentals and overvaluation. As shown in the rating history chart below, Aon has seen notable declines since the publication of that article, and so the bear thesis has indee...
georgeclerk/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Mid last year, I initiated coverage on Aon plc ( AON ) with a Sell rating. While that piece was more focused on the technical analysis of the stock, I also found deteriorating fundamentals and overvaluation. As shown in the rating history chart below, Aon has seen notable declines since the publication of that article, and so the bear thesis has indeed played out. With the firm's next earnings report not due until May, today I will be providing a fresh perspective by taking a look at their latest results, recent developments, and, of course, the valuation again. Seeking Alpha Below, it is shown that Aon has a sizeable long-term opportunity ahead of them. Furthermore, the company's testing of stablecoins shows that they are taking the lead in adapting to client needs. As for the current financials, there are some mixed numbers as top-line growth continues to slow but margin expands. While the forward EV/EBITDA ratio is near multiyear lows, Aon is still at a significant premium to the sector, and so at this time I only view the stock as a Hold. Long-Term Opportunity Aon 2025 Investor Day Presentation While the insurance industry isn't the most exciting by today's standards, it is important to recognize that there is significant room for expansion in the years and decades to come. The above map is from a slide in their 2025 Investor Day Presentation . While western countries and other developed nations have a good deal of coverage with regard to natural catastrophe losses, the majority of the world has weak insurance coverage. As stated above, only 40% of the world's economic losses are covered, and so as developing and emerging markets mature, you can expect the demand for insurance services to increase globally. For Aon, this means that their TAM is set to grow and that they have the potential to expand significantly if they execute well. Growth Slows For 5th Straight Quarter Data by YCharts While the long-term opportuni...
In Brief Paywall bypass website Archive.today and several of its associated domains (including .is and .ph) have been blocked by Russian authorities, according to error pages that appeared when loading its websites. The pages appear blocked as of Monday when TechCrunch visited the websites from the U.S. East Coast. A page in Russian said: “Access to the Internet resource Blocked by decision of the...
In Brief Paywall bypass website Archive.today and several of its associated domains (including .is and .ph) have been blocked by Russian authorities, according to error pages that appeared when loading its websites. The pages appear blocked as of Monday when TechCrunch visited the websites from the U.S. East Coast. A page in Russian said: “Access to the Internet resource Blocked by decision of the public authorities,” citing the Russian government agency responsible for internet censorship, Roskomnadzor. According to Roskomnadzor’s listing for Archive.is, authorities confirmed that “access is limited to the page,” but did not give a reason at the time of publication. Archive.today does not list as blocked when TechCrunch checked. A representative for Roskomnadzor did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s inquiries outside working hours in Moscow. TechCrunch was still able to access the Archive sites from various other devices and networks, and was able to archive a web page regardless of the apparent block. It’s not clear how extensive the block is, or who implemented it. Archive.today is a well-known website for archiving copies of websites, including content typically hidden behind a paywall or a subscription log-in. Wikipedia editors recently decided to remove hundreds of thousands of links to Archive.today, saying they’d discovered Archive.today’s code uses visitors’ web browsers — without their knowledge — to bombard the website of a blogger who was critical of Archive.today’s operations with junk network traffic. The website operators behind Archive.today did not respond to a request for comment. (h/t Ryan O’Horo on Bluesky)
JHVEPhoto Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said the impact of the Iran war has not yet been fully priced into the oil futures market. “There are very real, physical manifestations of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that are working their way around the world and through the system that I don’t think are fully priced into the futures curves on oil,” Wirth said at an industry conference on Monday, accordi...
JHVEPhoto Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said the impact of the Iran war has not yet been fully priced into the oil futures market. “There are very real, physical manifestations of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that are working their way around the world and through the system that I don’t think are fully priced into the futures curves on oil,” Wirth said at an industry conference on Monday, according to CNBC . Wirth added that the market was trading on “scant information” and that the supply of oil was significantly tighter than indicated by futures contracts. “We got a lot of oil and gas now that is not flowing into the market,” Wirth said. “There really is a difference in terms of physical supply this time versus prior incidents.” More on Chevron Chevron: Avoid Market Top Bargains Chevron: Trades Near $190 As Energy Sentiment Improves Chevron: Forming A Strong Partner With Hess Energy Secretary says U.S. looking to boost diesel supply amid escalating prices Oil rally from Iran war could deliver $60B windfall for U.S. producers