WTI Crude Bursts Back Above $100 After US Export Ban Hopes Crushed Having diverged significantly overnight from Brent crude prices, WTI is now exploding higher, breaking back above $100, after hopes of a US export ban were crushed by Politico's sources. Sophia Cai (@SophiaCai99) posted on X that: NEW: The White House will not implement a crude export ban, and told oil executives as much at this mo...
WTI Crude Bursts Back Above $100 After US Export Ban Hopes Crushed Having diverged significantly overnight from Brent crude prices, WTI is now exploding higher, breaking back above $100, after hopes of a US export ban were crushed by Politico's sources. Sophia Cai (@SophiaCai99) posted on X that: NEW: The White House will not implement a crude export ban, and told oil executives as much at this morning’s meeting with API, per an admin official who participated in the meeting. The reaction was immediate... Erasing the overnight blowout in the WTI-Brent spread... Will The White House deny this and signal the possibility? Tyler Durden Thu, 03/19/2026 - 11:51
Oracle Corporation ORCL is making one of the most aggressive infrastructure bets in enterprise technology, and its third-quarter fiscal 2026 results have sharpened the debate around whether this capital-intensive pivot will ultimately pay off. The company posted total revenues of $17.2 billion for the quarter ended Feb. 28, 2026, up 22% year over year. Cloud revenues climbed 44% to $8.9 billion, w...
Oracle Corporation ORCL is making one of the most aggressive infrastructure bets in enterprise technology, and its third-quarter fiscal 2026 results have sharpened the debate around whether this capital-intensive pivot will ultimately pay off. The company posted total revenues of $17.2 billion for the quarter ended Feb. 28, 2026, up 22% year over year. Cloud revenues climbed 44% to $8.9 billion, with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (“OCI”) leading the charge at 84% growth to $4.9 billion. Non-GAAP earnings per share rose 21% to $1.79. These figures mark the first quarter in over 15 years where both organic total revenues and non-GAAP EPS grew at 20% or better simultaneously — a milestone that underscores the scale of Oracle's ongoing transformation. Yet the headline that continues to generate the most scrutiny is capital expenditure. Oracle has guided its fiscal 2026 capex guidance at $50 billion, a figure that has ballooned significantly over the past year and pushed free cash flow into negative territory. The risk side of the equation is real: a heavy debt load and constrained near-term cash generation leave limited room for execution missteps. The reward argument, however, is equally compelling. Remaining Performance Obligations surged 325% year over year to $553 billion — a contractual backlog driven almost entirely by large-scale AI agreements. Crucially, Oracle structured much of this demand to reduce capital strain, with customers either funding equipment upfront or supplying their own hardware. Over 10 gigawatts of power and data capacity have been secured for AI infrastructure over the next three years, with more than 90% partner-funded. Operating cash flow over the trailing 12 months stood at $23.5 billion. Looking ahead, Oracle raised its fiscal 2027 revenue target to $90 billion, signaling confidence in sustained demand conversion. Whether Oracle's capex surge represents disciplined long-term infrastructure investment or an overleveraged growth gamble will l...
SoundHound AI (NASDAQ:SOUN) is sliding 6% on Thursday, breaking below the $7 level. The drop follows a late-Wednesday announcement that SoundHound AI CFO Nitesh Sharan is resigning, adding another layer of uncertainty to a stock that was already under pressure. This isn’t an isolated bad day. SOUN stock is now down 31% year to date ... SoundHound AI Sinks 6%: What NVIDIA’s Voice AI Bet Says About ...
SoundHound AI (NASDAQ:SOUN) is sliding 6% on Thursday, breaking below the $7 level. The drop follows a late-Wednesday announcement that SoundHound AI CFO Nitesh Sharan is resigning, adding another layer of uncertainty to a stock that was already under pressure. This isn’t an isolated bad day. SOUN stock is now down 31% year to date ... SoundHound AI Sinks 6%: What NVIDIA’s Voice AI Bet Says About the Broader Market
WTI crude was also up 0.9% to $92.20. Checking in on factor exchange-traded funds, which offer exposure to stocks with a particular characteristic, there were no winners. Big Tech was also down, with Apple the top performer in the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF with a 0.2% gain.
WTI crude was also up 0.9% to $92.20. Checking in on factor exchange-traded funds, which offer exposure to stocks with a particular characteristic, there were no winners. Big Tech was also down, with Apple the top performer in the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF with a 0.2% gain.
You don't need to be wealthy to start investing in the stock market. An investment even as small as $500 can grow into something substantial, given the right choice of stock and enough time to allow for the growth to occur. It is, in fact, one of the best ways to build wealth and prepare for a long retirement. Investing does involve risk, though, and it's smart to have a diversified portfolio with...
You don't need to be wealthy to start investing in the stock market. An investment even as small as $500 can grow into something substantial, given the right choice of stock and enough time to allow for the growth to occur. It is, in fact, one of the best ways to build wealth and prepare for a long retirement. Investing does involve risk, though, and it's smart to have a diversified portfolio with a mix of higher-risk growth stocks and stable, dividend-paying companies. How much concentration on higher-growth, higher-risk stocks is right for your portfolio depends on many things. Age, life situations, and appetite for risk are all factors. But here's why Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is one growth stock that deserves a place in most anyone's portfolio, even if $500 is all you have to invest with at the moment. Is it too expensive and too late? Investors who have watched Nvidia's explosive growth -- and soaring stock price -- may have thought they missed out on a great investment. After all, the stock was recently trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of over 60. That's with the stock trading near its all-time high after tripling over the last year. Nvidia's market cap is now at about $3.2 trillion. While sales of about $56 billion in the first half of this fiscal year were 170% higher year over year, that still results in a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of almost 35. That's astoundingly high for a large, established company like Nvidia. The law of large numbers almost certainly means that revenue growth rates will decline. The company itself sees only about 8% sequential growth in the current quarter ending in late October. But Nvidia has several growth levers still available to pull. Investors with enough risk tolerance to stomach a potentially volatile stock price should still consider investing in this growth stock. Here's why even just a $500 investment in Nvidia stock still makes sense. Nvidia's moat is like no other Nvidia hasn't been resting on its laurels even as ...
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images News U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell staying on the central bank's board as a governor after his chair term ends would be "outside of historic norms." "Only one former chair has stayed on as a governor, and the president asked him to stay," Bessent said during an interview on Fox Business's "Mornings with Ma...
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images News U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell staying on the central bank's board as a governor after his chair term ends would be "outside of historic norms." "Only one former chair has stayed on as a governor, and the president asked him to stay," Bessent said during an interview on Fox Business's "Mornings with Maria." "I can't imagine that President Trump would ask Chair Powell to stay on as a governor." On Wednesday, Powell said he would stay on the Fed's Board of Governors as long as the Department of Justice's investigation into his handling of the Fed's building renovation project continues. He has not decided on whether he'll stay on after the legal issue is resolved. Powell's term as chair ends in May, but his term as a Fed Governor doesn't end until January 2028. When asked if President Donald Trump would drop the DOJ's investigation into Powell to advance the process to confirm Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, Bessent said that's U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro's decision. "I'm not going to comment on an ongoing investigation," he said. "We'll see how it goes." He noted that the confirmation hearings could still proceed, but the vote would be delayed. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has vowed to block a vote on any Fed chair nominee until the DOJ investigation into Powell is resolved. Dear readers: We recognize that politics often intersects with the financial news of the day, so we invite you to click here to join the separate political discussion. More on Politics and the Economy Powell plans to stay on Fed board as long as DOJ probe continues Powell’s future at the Fed is in focus as prediction markets price in rising exit odds Trump asks 'when Powell will cut rates?' Markets say never
Key Points HHLR Advisors sold 1,607,930 shares of Futu Holdings in the fourth quarter. The quarter-end position value fell by $295.45 million, reflecting both the trading value and stock price movement thereafter. Post-trade, the fund reported still holding 1,630,249 FUTU shares valued at $267.70 million. 10 stocks we like better than Futu › On February 17, 2026, HHLR Advisors reported selling 1,6...
Key Points HHLR Advisors sold 1,607,930 shares of Futu Holdings in the fourth quarter. The quarter-end position value fell by $295.45 million, reflecting both the trading value and stock price movement thereafter. Post-trade, the fund reported still holding 1,630,249 FUTU shares valued at $267.70 million. 10 stocks we like better than Futu › On February 17, 2026, HHLR Advisors reported selling 1,607,930 shares of Futu Holdings (NASDAQ:FUTU), an estimated $276.00 million transaction based on quarterly average pricing. What happened According to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated February 17, 2026, HHLR Advisors sold 1,607,930 shares of Futu Holdings, with the estimated transaction value calculated at $276.00 million based on the average closing price during the quarter. The quarter-end value of the stake decreased by $295.45 million, a figure that reflects both the sale and movement in the stock’s price. What else to know The sale reduced Futu's weight in the portfolio to 8.63% of reportable AUM, down from 17.52% the previous quarter. Top holdings after the filing: NASDAQ: PDD: $1.22 billion (39.2% of AUM) NYSE: BABA: $795.98 million (25.6% of AUM) NASDAQ: ONC: $314.23 million (10.1% of AUM) NASDAQ: FUTU: $267.70 million (8.6% of AUM) NASDAQ: LEGN: $130.10 million (4.2% of AUM) As of Thursday, FUTU shares were priced at $138.59, up 21% over the past year and solidly outperforming the S&P 500’s roughly 16% gain in the same period. Company overview Metric Value Price (as of Thursday) $138.59 Market capitalization $19.3 billion Revenue (TTM) $2.67 billion Net income (TTM) $1.26 billion Company snapshot Futu Holdings offers digitalized securities brokerage, margin financing, and wealth management product distribution through Futubull and Moomoo platforms, as well as market data and community features. The firm generates revenue primarily from brokerage commissions, margin lending, and distribution of wealth management products, leveraging a scalable,...
What does Nvidia do? Nvidia is best known for its GPUs, but the company is now a major force behind today’s AI technology. Its business breaks down into two main parts: computing & networking and graphics. 1. Computing & networking The company's accelerated computing platforms help data centers manage the extraordinary computing demands of AI. According to the company, its data center solutions "c...
What does Nvidia do? Nvidia is best known for its GPUs, but the company is now a major force behind today’s AI technology. Its business breaks down into two main parts: computing & networking and graphics. 1. Computing & networking The company's accelerated computing platforms help data centers manage the extraordinary computing demands of AI. According to the company, its data center solutions "can scale to tens of thousands of GPU-accelerated servers interconnected to function as a single giant computer." This segment accounts for the lion's share of Nvidia's business, 88 % of revenue and more than 97% of operating income for fiscal 2025. 2. Graphics The graphics segment comprises the GPUs provided for varying markets, including gaming, professional visualizations (workstations), and automotive. For fiscal 2026, these three markets represented 9%, 1.3%, and 1.2% of revenue, respectively. While not as robust as the company's data center business, the gaming and automotive markets have represented some aspects of AI. Nvidia's GPUs, for example, are used in various types of autonomous vehicles. Together, these businesses show how Nvidia has evolved from a graphics chip company into a full-stack AI infrastructure provider. Taking a closer look at what Nvidia owns helps explain how the company has built such a dominant position across AI hardware, networking, and software.
Micron Technology reported its fiscal second-quarter results yesterday evening, delivering dramatic beats on both revenue and earnings. The AI memory giant also provided exceptionally strong guidance that underscores the explosive demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and AI-optimized DRAM. Shares of Micron were trading lower in what appeared to be a “sell the news” move after an extraordinary re...
Micron Technology reported its fiscal second-quarter results yesterday evening, delivering dramatic beats on both revenue and earnings. The AI memory giant also provided exceptionally strong guidance that underscores the explosive demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and AI-optimized DRAM. Shares of Micron were trading lower in what appeared to be a “sell the news” move after an extraordinary report. It’s not entirely surprising given how far the stock had already run and the fact that the bar for this earnings release was exceptionally high. Some investors are likely taking the opportunity to lock in gains after such a rapid run-up, especially with the broader AI trade showing signs of rotation in recent weeks. Micron stock had already rallied over 350% in the past year and was sitting near all-time highs heading into the print. StockCharts Image Source: StockCharts Digging into Micron’s Huge Quarter Revenue during the quarter surged to $23.86 billion, far exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate and representing nearly triple the year-ago figure. Earnings per share hit $12.20, both crushing expectations (+38.6% surprise) and reflecting record gross margins across key segments. The company’s second-quarter earnings leapt 682% from the year-ago quarter. This performance marks a clear inflection point for the company, driven by tight industry supply and surging AI workloads. The data center and AI memory business was the standout driver, with Cloud Memory and Core Data Center segments generating massive sequential and year-over-year gains. HBM revenue more than doubled sequentially, and overall data center revenue grew dramatically as hyperscalers and enterprise customers ramped AI infrastructure. Management highlighted that Micron’s advanced HBM3E and next-generation HBM4 products are fully sold out through 2026, with strong visibility into 2027. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra noted that memory has become a strategic asset in the AI era, and the company is accelerating manufac...
A Tesla robotaxi, left, and a Waymo autonomous vehicle, make their way through road work area on a residential street in Austin. Both companies had new crashes in their latest report to federal regulators. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Tesla Inc. and Waymo reported more crashes in Austin in the past month as both companies face increasing pressure to improve their self-driving technology. T...
A Tesla robotaxi, left, and a Waymo autonomous vehicle, make their way through road work area on a residential street in Austin. Both companies had new crashes in their latest report to federal regulators. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Tesla Inc. and Waymo reported more crashes in Austin in the past month as both companies face increasing pressure to improve their self-driving technology. Tesla, which operates a fleet of fewer than 40 cars that still often have human safety monitors, reported another crash in its latest report to federal regulators, bringing its total to 15 since launching its service in June. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Waymo, which operates a fully driverless fleet of 200 cars, reported four new crashes, bringing its total to 60 since June. Tesla said its latest crash, which was posted in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data reflecting incidents through Feb. 17, was with a fixed object. More detail about what was hit was not available because the Austin automaker redacts narratives in its public reports and did not respond to a request for comment. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source However, the report indicates the collision occurred in an area with construction, maintenance, or utility work activities. The robotaxi’s last pre-crash movement was a lane or road departure and it was moving at 9 mph before the crash. There was property damage, but no injuries. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Previous crashes have primarily involved property damage, but one incident from the summer described the service’s worst crash-related injury to date as “minor with hospitalization.” Takahiro and Hitomi Miyata look at a Tesla Cybercab on display at a pop-up event at Fareground Austin in downtown Austin during the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman The crash data comes ah...
Janus Living Inc. , a seniors-focused real estate investment trust, is expected to increase the size of its initial public offering to $840 million and price it at the top of the marketed range, according to people familiar with the matter. The Denver-based REIT told investors it plans to lift the base size of its IPO by $100 million from an original target of $740 million while the price will be ...
Janus Living Inc. , a seniors-focused real estate investment trust, is expected to increase the size of its initial public offering to $840 million and price it at the top of the marketed range, according to people familiar with the matter. The Denver-based REIT told investors it plans to lift the base size of its IPO by $100 million from an original target of $740 million while the price will be set at $20 per share, said the people, who asked to not be identified because the information is private. Shares in the carveout from Healthpeak Properties Inc. were initially offered at $18 to $20 each. Janus Living plans to allocate most of the IPO shares to large institutional investors and existing Healthpeak shareholders, the people said. The IPO is scheduled to price after the market closes Thursday in New York. A representative for Janus Living didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The debut has been met with favorable investor demand as Janus stands to benefit from favorable demographic trends. Aging baby boomers seeking eldercare housing have driven occupancy of senior housing communities back above prepandemic levels. At the same time rent growth is outpacing costs, and demand exceeds supply amid high construction costs and long-term interest rates. Larger REITs focused on senior housing, such as Welltower Inc. and Ventas Inc. , trade at premium valuations. The offering was oversubscribed shortly after Monday’s marketing began, by Wednesday investors were urged to bid at the top of the range to secure shares. At $20 a share, Janus Living would have a market value of about $5.1 billion, based on the outstanding shares listed in the filing and the increased number of shares sold. Investors including CenterSquare Investment Management, DWS Group, MFS Investment Management and PGIM previously indicated an interest in buying a combined $300 million of shares in the offering, according to Janus’s Mar. 16 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commissi...
Alones Creative/iStock via Getty Images Brent oil again jumps to nearly $120 on strikes on Gulf facilities Overnight, Brent crude oil soared approximately 10% to nearly $120 on escalating attacks on major Middle East oil facilities. This includes attacks on Qatar's LNG plant, gas facilities in Abu Dhabi, two oil refineries in Kuwait, and a Saudi refinery in Yanbu that is in the vicinity of the Red...
Alones Creative/iStock via Getty Images Brent oil again jumps to nearly $120 on strikes on Gulf facilities Overnight, Brent crude oil soared approximately 10% to nearly $120 on escalating attacks on major Middle East oil facilities. This includes attacks on Qatar's LNG plant, gas facilities in Abu Dhabi, two oil refineries in Kuwait, and a Saudi refinery in Yanbu that is in the vicinity of the Red Sea. Since the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has been rerouting oil via a major pipeline to the western port of Yanbu. Until March 17, Saudi crude exports from Yanbu had increased to slightly over 4 mb/d from the pre-war level of approx. 1 mb/d (Chart 1). This means that sizeable supply diversion is already in place. Notwithstanding, the latest attacks raise risks for the production disruption to be steeper than what we have discussed ahead and thereby aggravate the supply shock in the oil market. Chart 1 – Saudi Arabia's Crude Exports via Yanbu (Red Sea) Bloomberg Backwardation in crude oil signals the continuation of the conflict for the coming 2-3 months In the past week to 10 days, the Brent futures curve has understandably shifted upwards because of the escalation of the war with Iran. Backwardation steepened in the past week for contracts until September, with no material change in the steepness overnight (Chart 2). This indicates that, though oil traders see little likelihood of an immediate resolution. The futures curve is clearly showing signs of flattening from October onwards. It is important to understand that even if a ceasefire is announced today, it will take anywhere between four and eight weeks for the oil facilities and trade routes to be fully back on track, depending on the extent of the damage. Therefore, elevated time spreads and steep backwardation until September are consistent with the market pricing in a conflict for at least the next 2-3 months. Chart 2 – Brent Forward Curve (current, yesterday vs. last week) Bloomberg, Author's ...
A massive US natural gas export complex owned by QatarEnergy and Exxon Mobil Corp. is still in startup mode as the Iran war upends global supply, disappointing traders who were anticipating more progress at this stage. Golden Pass, a terminal near the Texas-Louisiana border, is poised to be a critical source of supply after Iran strikes damaged Qatar’s giant Ras Laffan facility on the Persian Gulf...
A massive US natural gas export complex owned by QatarEnergy and Exxon Mobil Corp. is still in startup mode as the Iran war upends global supply, disappointing traders who were anticipating more progress at this stage. Golden Pass, a terminal near the Texas-Louisiana border, is poised to be a critical source of supply after Iran strikes damaged Qatar’s giant Ras Laffan facility on the Persian Gulf. The loss of one of the world’s top exporters has sent liquefied natural gas prices in Europe and Asia soaring , threatening to unleash an energy crisis in countries that have become heavily dependent on Qatari cargoes of the heating and power-plant fuel. Read more: Trump’s War on Iran Has Traders Staring Down an Energy Crisis Exxon Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods said in January that the first LNG from Golden Pass was likely to be produced “in very early March.” Data compiled by BloombergNEF show that the first production unit has not completely ramped up, however. The facility began taking in more gas in February but not has not consistently increased flows. Exxon “continues to support the Golden Pass venture in its efforts to deliver this important project,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. Golden Pass LNG, through a spokesperson, declined to comment on timing of the facility startup. Golden Pass is one of a few gas export facilities on the US Gulf Coast that are close to being completed. Venture Global Inc. ’s Plaquemines terminal in Louisiana is ramping up, along with an expansion of Cheniere Energy Inc. ’s Corpus Christi plant in Texas. Other projects remain under construction. The startup of Golden Pass could send US gas prices higher during the spring, typically a period of low demand, said Paul Phillips, senior strategist at the gas marketing firm Uplift Energy Strategy. So far, the domestic market has been relatively shielded from price volatility driven by the Iran war, given abundant US supply. The plant “has the potential to tighten the...