Blue Energy & GE Vernova Bet On Gas Bridge-To-Nuclear For AI Power Blue Energy announced a collaboration with GE Vernova to develop the world's first gas-plus-nuclear power plant in Texas. The project will use two GE Vernova gas turbines to deliver roughly 1 GW starting around 2030 . Steam supply will later shift to GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactors for up to 1.5 GW of nuclear capacity by 2032. Work at the Texas site could begin as early as this year, with a final investment decision expected in 2027. The plan is similar to other announcements from companies like Oklo and Liberty Energy that plan to deploy gas power turbines at proposed energy sites to initiate power delivery and revenue collection while the longer leg of building the reactor continues in the background. Easier said than done, though. The NRC would normally never be involved in a gas energy project, but if it will share facilities with a future nuclear project, then things get a little more interesting. This is why Blue Energy submitted a plan, and recently received approval, for how to involve the NRC with the construction of a gas-to-nuclear site. This new sequencing of gas-to-nuclear allows for power delivery to the data center or grid to begin in under four years , compared to as many as ten years if it was a purely nuclear project. Depending on the location, it may be too little too late. Especially on the east coast … Next summer the Eastern seaboard will look like North Korea at night thanks to chatbots pic.twitter.com/NEY97pa1LB — zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 6, 2026 This is where people usually start pointing fingers at the data center for creating the problem. Blaming hyperscalers though requires looking away from the fact that new power generation is also being delayed to connect to the grid . Constellation's restart of the Three Mile Island Reactor is currently facing a four-year delay from PJM. The reactor will be ready to provide clean energy to the grid in 2027, but has...

mustafaU/iStock via Getty Images By Elior Manier US stock benchmarks are aggressively back on the bullish route today, energized by breaking reports from Axios revealing that a definitive US-Iran peace deal is finally shaping up. The overnight collapse in crude oil—now plunging roughly 8% on the session—is officially being confirmed by a much softer, highly optimistic geopolitical narrative. Peace Deal odds are rebounding – Source: Polymarket (12:02) Traders are actively preparing for a formalized peace agreement. With reports indicating that even Israel was caught off guard by the rapid pace of these recent diplomatic developments , this could truly be the fundamental confirmation that institutional investors have been praying for since the initial ceasefire was implemented. US stock markets have risen about 1% across the board in the morning session, helped by recent geopolitical relief, and the Dow Jones is now coming quite close to the 50,000 level for the first time since early February. Daily Market Performance (11:58). May 6, 2026 – Courtesy of Finviz Wall Street is very optimistic, and the rally continues as investors look ahead to Friday's important Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) report. Furthermore, with the highly anticipated summit between President Trump and China's Xi Jinping rapidly approaching, traders are growing increasingly optimistic. The sheer gravitational pull of this upcoming superpower meeting is keeping markets buoyant, allowing them to completely shrug off the sporadic, early-week Iranian strikes on Gulf nations. Market participants are now aggressively positioning for a pursued, sustained breakout across all major US indexes. However, to keep this historic momentum alive, bulls will need concrete fundamental confirmation from the upcoming macroeconomic train: Friday’s NFP report, followed immediately by crucial CPI and PPI inflation data next Wednesday. Let's dive into intraday charts and trading levels for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasd...

Many investors shunned Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) , a developer of reusable orbital rockets, when it went public via a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in August 2021. It started trading at $11.58, but sank to a record low of $3.79 in June 2022. But today, Rocket Lab's stock trades at about $82. It skyrocketed after successfully launching its Electron rocket, which can carry small payloads of up to 300 kilograms into space, 87 times. It secured contracts with big customers, including NASA, the U.S. Space Force, the Swedish National Space Agency, Capella Space, Kinéis, and BlackSky Technology . It plans to launch the Neutron, a higher-capacity rocket, by the end of this year. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading

Source: Bloomberg, 0:00

AMD Releases Adrenalin Edition 26.5.1 WHQL Drivers TechPowerUp

The iPhone maker is reportedly in talks with Intel to manufacture its processors.

June WTI crude oil (CLM26 ) today is down -7.13 (-6.97%), and June RBOB gasoline (RBM26 ) closed down -0.1780 (-4.92%). Crude oil and gasoline prices are plunging today, with crude falling to a 2-week low and gasoline sliding to a 1-week low. Optimism that a US-Iran peace deal is...

Igor Barilo/iStock via Getty Images In an early February 2026 Seeking Alpha article , I highlighted the danger of leverage using the Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 2X Shares ETF ( JNUG ) as a case study. I downgraded JNUG in that article, concluding with the following: JNUG’s performance in early 2026 and over the past decade and a half is a case study in the risks involved in leveraged ETF products. JNUG was trading at $233.57 per share on February 5, while the GDXJ unleveraged ETF was trading at $123.13 per share. Nearby gold futures were at $4,857.80 on that day. Over the past months, gold has consolidated and was trading lower around $4,700 per ounce, with the GDXJ and leveraged JNUG ETFs at $123 and $203 per share, respectively. It may be time to consider JNUG again, but any risk position requires careful attention to risk-reward dynamics. Gold Has Been Consolidating Below The Late January High COMEX gold futures posted their tenth consecutive new all-time high on the quarterly chart when the price reached $5,626.80 per ounce in late January 2026. Monthly COMEX Gold Futures Chart (Barchart) The monthly continuous contract chart highlights the correction that took gold 27.1% lower to $4,100 per ounce in March 2026. While gold has bounced from the March low, the price remains more than $900 below its most recent record high. Daily Continuous COMEX Gold Futures Chart (Barchart) The daily consecutive contract chart shows that gold consolidated around $4,800 per ounce in April 2026. A Long-Term Bullish Trend Remains Firmly Intact Even the most aggressive bull markets rarely move in straight lines, and gold has been no exception. Quarterly Continuous COMEx Gold Futures Chart (Barchart) The quarterly chart since the 1970s shows that the most recent over 27% correction did nothing to negate the long-term bullish trend that began in 1999 at $252.50 per ounce. Gold moved into a parabolic rally in 2024, 2025, and early 2026, so the first technical support le...

Anthropic says it will rent all of the compute capacity from SpaceX's massive Colossus 1 data center.

It's hard to argue against its reliability.

Baristas tell MarketWatch that the company’s new goals are unrealistic, especially while stores face staffing problems.

Key PointsJohnson & Johnson is a Dividend King, with 64 consecutive years of increases.

Earnings Call Insights: Trinity Capital (TRIN) Q1 2026 Management View “Trinity Capital continues to perform because of our diversified lending platform of 5 complementary verticals, our ever-expanding managed funds platform that delivers incremental income to TRIN shareholders and our internally managed structure that ensures total alignment between investors and employees.” (CEO, President, Chief Investment Officer & Director Kyle Brown) “Our net asset value grew 7% quarter-over-quarter and 40% year-over-year to a record $1.2 billion,” and “Platform AUM increased to more than $2.9 billion, up 36% year-over-year.” (CEO Brown) “Our originations engine remained robust, achieving $306 million of fundings and $396 million of commitments,” while “We maintained strong credit with nonaccruals at 1% of the portfolio at fair value.” (CEO Brown) “The only notable intersect with some of the BDCs is through our newly announced joint venture with Capital Southwest, a co-investment vehicle that's focusing on first-out senior secured loans in the lower middle market.” (CEO Brown) “AUM for our managed funds now sits at $400 million across 4 vehicles,” and “Our managed funds platform continues to enhance returns for TRIN, contributing $0.04 per share to NII in Q1, roughly 8% of the $0.53 total.” (Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel & Secretary Sarah Stanton) “We held an initial close of $45.3 million in equity commitments to our new SBIC fund... more than half of our target of $87.5 million of equity commitments,” and “The SBIC fund... is expected to add more than $260 million of incremental capacity to the platform once it is fully scaled.” (Chief Compliance Officer Stanton) “We generated $90.1 million of total investment income... and $44.5 million in net investment income or $0.53 per basic share, representing 104% coverage of our quarterly distribution.” (Chief Financial Officer Michael Testa) Outlook The prepared remarks did not include quarter-specific EPS, NII, NAV, le...

Earnings Call Insights: EOG Resources (EOG) Q1 2026 Management View "EOG is off to an exceptional start in 2026," Ezra Yacob (CEO & Chairman) said, adding that "production volumes, total per unit cash operating costs and DD&A all outperformed guidance midpoints." He reported, "We generated $1.8 billion in adjusted net income and $1.5 billion in free cash flow" and "returned nearly $950 million during the quarter through our regular dividend and opportunistic share repurchases." Ezra Yacob (CEO & Chairman) linked portfolio moves to growth and pricing exposure: "we strengthened our portfolio through the acquisition of Encino, increasing our oil production by approximately 10%," and "enhanced our market exposure by securing LNG contracts linked to JKM and Brent." He also said EOG "expanded our international footprint with high-quality concessions in the UAE and Bahrain" and is "increasing oil and NGL production while maintaining our $6.5 billion capital budget by reallocating capital from gas to oil-weighted assets." "In the first quarter, we generated adjusted earnings per share of $3.41 and adjusted cash flow from operations per share of $5.85, yielding free cash flow of $1.5 billion," Ann Janssen (Executive VP & CFO) said. She added, "with $2.9 billion remaining under our current share repurchase authorization at March 31, we have substantial capacity for continued opportunistic buybacks" and "we expect to return at least 70% of free cash flow this year." Jeffrey Leitzell (Executive VP & COO) said the company is "increasing oil production guidance by 2,000 barrels per day and NGL production guidance by 6,000 barrels per day while keeping total capital expenditures flat at $6.5 billion" and is "moderating near-term drilling and completions activity at Dorado in response to current gas prices." He also highlighted marketing and LNG exposure, including: "our Cheniere contract expanded from 140,000 million BTUs per day to 280,000 million BTUs per day" and "an additional...

Earnings Call Insights: Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (MDGL) Q1 2026 Management view “Rezdiffra has achieved blockbuster status generating more than $1.1 billion in net sales in the last 12 months,” said CEO William Sibold, adding that “penetration is low, the diagnosis rate is low, unmet need is high and the market is expanding at a double-digit pace.” On launch execution, CEO William Sibold said, “first quarter 2026 net sales were $311 million,” and “we ended the first quarter with more than 42,250 active patients on Rezdiffra,” while also stating, “we are seeing that momentum carried into the second quarter.” On competitive dynamics, CEO William Sibold said, “competition has helped grow the market but not at the expense of Rezdiffra,” and in Q&A added, “Wegovy has had now 3 quarters of launch… It’s being used, but certainly not to the detriment of Rezdiffra.” On pipeline expansion, EVP & Chief Medical Officer David Soergel said, “our objective in R&D is straightforward: deliver the industry-leading pipeline in MASH to make better therapies for patients with Rezdiffra as the foundation,” and highlighted the Arrowhead in-license: “Slide 13 highlights our newest addition, ARO-PNPLA3, a clinical stage siRNA that we recently in-licensed from Arrowhead.” CFO Mardi Dier attributed Q1 dynamics to payer and contracting effects, saying, “our results reflect the typical Q1 effect due to benefit plan changes in insurance reverifications plus a step-up in gross to net related to our commercial contracting efforts for first-line access,” and added, “we now expect our growth to net discount to be in the mid- to high 30s for the rest of 2026.” Outlook EVP & Chief Medical Officer David Soergel reiterated expected timing for the cirrhosis outcomes program: “we continue to project the trial to deliver in 2027,” and said, “when we have that precision, we’ll provide you an update.” CFO Mardi Dier provided expense outlook, saying, “we expect full year 2026 R&D expenses to be roughly the sa...

Earnings Call Insights: Exelon (EXC) Q1 2026 Management View CEO Calvin Butler said, "2026 performance remains on track, both financially and operationally," and reported "adjusted operating earnings of $0.91 per share," attributing outperformance "primarily by net favorable weather and timing-related items." He added, "We are also affirming our 2026 operating earnings guidance of $2.81 to $2.91 per share." Butler highlighted regulatory actions at PECO: "At PECO, we made the decision to withdraw the recently filed electric and gas rate cases," calling it "a deliberate timing-based decision grounded in customer affordability considerations and informed by stakeholder feedback," while stating, "this decision does not change our commitment to safety, reliability or long-term infrastructure investment." Butler announced a PECO leadership transition: "Dave Vahos, previously CEO of PECO, has transitioned into an advisory role reporting to me" and "Mike Innocenzo has stepped in as an Interim President and CEO while continuing to serve as Exelon's Chief Operating Officer." Butler described a cost and capital reset: "We are pulling back on certain projects, reprioritizing capital across our portfolio and delivering $350 million of incremental O&M savings in 2027, tied to work we will no longer pursue," adding, "Business as usual is not an option." CFO Jeanne Jones said, "Our revised 4-year capital plan" enables Exelon "to invest nearly $10 billion in 2026 and a total of $41.7 billion over the next 4 years," reflecting "$1.1 billion of project deferrals and reductions in PECO and BGE distribution" and "$1.5 billion of incremental transmission investment." She also stated, "We now anticipate transmission rate base growing at 16% through 2029" and "are now targeting no more than 2% adjusted O&M growth through 2029." Outlook $2.81 to $2.91 per share vs. $2.85 (Q4 2025 call initiated 2026 EPS guidance; current call reaffirmed that range). Butler said, "we are reaffirming our 2026...

Earnings Call Insights: Bio-Techne (TECH) Q3 fiscal 2026 Management View "The Bio-Techne team continued to execute with discipline in a dynamic and uneven end market environment" and said results were supported by "sustained strength from our large pharmaceutical customers and stable to improving trends in our U.S. academic end market," but "partially offset by continued softness in emerging biotech spending, resulting in a 2% organic revenue decline for the quarter" (CEO, President & Director Kim Kelderman). Kelderman highlighted business mix and timing, saying "order timing related to 2 cell therapy customers that received FDA Fast Track Designation along with the timing of a large OEM commercial supply order created a 400 basis point headwind in the quarter" and "excluding these factors, underlying organic revenue growth was 2%." She also said "our largest end market, large pharma, delivered its sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth" and "our China end market achieved positive organic growth for the fourth consecutive quarter" (CEO Kelderman). Kelderman detailed portfolio actions: "In April, Bio-Techne announced a strategic brand alignment designed to streamline our portfolio from 10 brands down to 3" and described the three brands as "R&D Systems," "Bio-Techne Spatial Biology," and "Bio-Techne Diagnostics" (CEO Kelderman). Kelderman linked AI to demand drivers, stating "we are leveraging AI to design novel and patentable proteins with enhanced properties" and "we view the growing demand for content-rich biological data sets as a durable tailwind for both our spatial biology and our proteomic analysis platforms" (CEO Kelderman). "Adjusted EPS for the quarter was $0.53" and "total revenue for Q3 was $311.4 million, decreasing 2% on both an organic and reported basis" (Executive VP of Finance & CFO James Hippel). Outlook "We expect organic growth in the fourth quarter to be approximately flat" and added that "excluding the impact of the cell therapy head...

Earnings Call Insights: Twin Disc (TWIN) Q3 2026 Management View “We delivered meaningful sales growth, margin expansion and improved free cash flow generation through solid execution and healthy demand across our end markets,” said John Batten (President, CEO & Director), adding that Q3 “marked the beginning” of the “stronger second half” the company discussed previously. Batten highlighted demand and mix drivers: “Sales increased 19% year-over-year to $96.7 million, supported by strength in marine & propulsion systems, with continued demand for our Veth products, along with contributions from acquisitions and favorable foreign exchange,” and added, “On an organic basis, sales grew 7%.” Batten tied profitability and cash conversion to execution: “Gross margin expanded to 28.1%, driven by higher volumes and operational improvements,” and “together with higher profitability, that supported free cash flow generation of $1.8 million in the quarter.” Batten emphasized backlog and defense mix: “Our six month backlog increased sequentially to approximately $179.5 million,” and “Defense represents approximately 15% of our backlog,” while “Defense backlog increased year-over-year by roughly 20%.” Batten described capacity actions aimed at long-term defense growth: “In Europe, we are advancing targeted facility expansion efforts in Finland to add test stand and assembly capacity,” and also cited “the planned relocation of ARFF assembly to our Lufkin facility.” Jeffrey Knutson (VP of Finance, CFO, Treasurer & Secretary) said, “Net income attributable to Twin Disc was $3.3 million or $0.23 per diluted share,” and “EBITDA was $9.4 million in the quarter.” Outlook Knutson stated, “Based on the current environment and our favorable regional mix, we expect tariff-related impacts in the upcoming quarter to be approximately 1% to 3% of cost of goods sold.” Batten framed near-term visibility around orders and conversion: “This growing backlog, together with improved execution, gives ...

Or has the US president lost control?

Yuliia Kaveshnikova/iStock via Getty Images Performance assessment I've had a 'Sell' view on Meta ( META ) as of my last update . Prior to this, I had a 'Strong Buy' view . I admit it is funny and a tad embarrassing because the market has taken these as reversal points for the exact opposite direction! Performance since Author's Last Article on META (Seeking Alpha, Author's Last Article on META) That said, I take some consolation in the fact that Meta has at least underperformed the broader market index since my 'Sell' call. Elevator pitch Meta reported Q1 FY26 results last week. Here's my take on it: Meta posted healthy growth in ads impressions and pricing But alternative high-frequency data says Meta's ads performance is falling behind peers ROI on big capex spend may be less clear Meta is trading at a reasonable valuation It's hard to have a directional bias from the charts Meta posted healthy growth in ads impressions and pricing Around 98% of Meta's revenues come from advertising. So it is very important to track the performance of its ads. From an impressions and pricing front, it's good to see Meta see solid high-teens to low-teens growth respectively: Advertising revenue impressions and pricing YoY (Company Filings, HA Analysis) The CFO attributed the solid performance here to increased engagement and ad optimizations, as well as better macro conditions in the broader advertising market: Impression growth was healthy across all regions, driven primarily by growth in engagement and users, as well as ad load optimizations. The global average price per ad increased 12% year-over-year in Q1, with broad-based growth as we benefited from ad performance improvements, better macro conditions versus Q1 of last year, and currency tailwinds in international regions. - CFO Susan Li in the Q1 FY26 earnings call Naturally, this has translated to a nice acceleration in revenue growth from the mid-20s YoY levels to around 33% YoY as of the latest quarter. QoQ, advertising ...