The Hong Kong Journalists Association has lost its judicial challenge against the government’s decision to deny reporters instant access to its vehicle registry, despite a ruling by the city’s top court that journalism is a valid reason for use. The High Court on Friday ruled against the press union over the policy introduced in early 2024, following the Court of Final Appeal’s decision that a fre...
The Hong Kong Journalists Association has lost its judicial challenge against the government’s decision to deny reporters instant access to its vehicle registry, despite a ruling by the city’s top court that journalism is a valid reason for use. The High Court on Friday ruled against the press union over the policy introduced in early 2024, following the Court of Final Appeal’s decision that a freelance producer was entitled to access Transport Department records while making a documentary critical of police action during the 2019 anti-government protests. Mr Justice Russell Coleman acknowledged that the case was of public importance and had a significant impact on the use of vehicle particulars for bona fide investigative journalism. Advertisement He found, however, that the policy was not unlawful and that authorities’ handling of media applications was not so unreasonable as to amount to a public law error. In June 2023, the city’s top court cleared veteran journalist Bao Choy Yuk-ling of making false statements in connection with her use of the vehicle registration database. Advertisement She had selected “other traffic and transport-related matters” as the purpose of her searches, as journalism was not among the options listed on the online application form. She was fined HK$6,000 (US$767) in April 2021, after a trial.
Jian Fan/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis The data center and hyperscaler space has been an interesting area to follow and quite controversial sometimes with the numbers and the funding happening there. I’ve read about, as has most, I assume, the circular funding happening here. I find trying to get exposure to the LLM companies like OpenAI ( OPENAI ) or Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) might be too ...
Jian Fan/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis The data center and hyperscaler space has been an interesting area to follow and quite controversial sometimes with the numbers and the funding happening there. I’ve read about, as has most, I assume, the circular funding happening here. I find trying to get exposure to the LLM companies like OpenAI ( OPENAI ) or Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) might be too risky. Better to go for the renting business, that being Nebius ( NBIS ), for instance. Buying and then renting the incredibly high-in-demand GPUs from leading GPU manufacturers. I’ve covered NBIS before, and I continue to have a positive outlook on the stock. It’s incredibly well positioned, and it’s showing strong revenue growth right now. Even if it missed expectations, going from $91.5 million to $529 million in revenues in just 12 months is no small feat. And it’s only growing from here on out as the New Jersey facility continues to move through phases. Management reiterated $7 - 9 billion in annual run rate revenues with now $1.2 billion ARR. For a stock with a market cap of just $23 billion makes the downside look quite limited with these types of growth rates. I’m rating NBIS a Strong Buy again and intend on holding on to my stake for the long run. How Did My “Strong Buy” Rating Develop? Price Development (Seeking Alpha) Since my last article on NBIS, the stock has done quite well after I rated it a Strong Buy. Shares are up some 9.8% at the time of writing this. At one point it was even better, peaking at around $107 per share after it was published. Even with a pretty large miss on both the top and bottom lines, in the last earnings report the stock has continued to do well and showcase some alpha against the S&P 500, which has remained largely flat since mid-December. Quarterly Results (Seeking Alpha) Some of the big news that has come out since then (apart from the earnings report) has to be the approval for a 1.2 GW Missouri megaproject. This actually came out ...
(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is maintaining its early losses in mid-market moves on Friday, extending the losses in the previous two sessions, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is falling below the 8,850 level, with weakness financial and mining stocks partially offset by gains in energy and technology stocks. The benchmark S&P/ASX...
(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is maintaining its early losses in mid-market moves on Friday, extending the losses in the previous two sessions, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is falling below the 8,850 level, with weakness financial and mining stocks partially offset by gains in energy and technology stocks. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index is losing 114.50 points or 1.28 percent to 8,825.80, after hitting a low of 8,811.60 earlier. The broader All Ordinaries Index is down 106.20 points or 1.16 percent to 9,058.70. Australian stocks closed modestly higher on Thursday. Among major miners, BHP Group and Rio Tinto are tumbling more than 6 percent each, while Fortescue is declining almost 4 percent and Mineral Resources is losing more than 2 percent. Oil stocks are mostly higher. Beach energy and Santos are gaining almost 2 percent each, while Origin Energy is edging up 0.4 percent. Woodside Energy is losing almost 3 percent. Among tech stocks, Afterpay-owner Block is advancing more than 4 percent, WiseTech Global is jumping more than 6 percent, Zip is gaining more than 1 percent, Xero is surging more than 5 percent and Appen is advancing almost 6 percent. Among the big four banks, National Australia Bank is losing more than 1 percent and Commonwealth Bank is edging down 0.1 percent, while ANZ Banking and Westpac are down almost 1 percent each. Gold miners are weak. Evolution Mining, Resolute Mining and Genesis Minerals are losing more than 4 percent each, while Northern Star Resources is tumbling more than 6 percent and Newmont is declining more than 2 percent. In the currency market, the Aussie dollar is trading at $0.704 on Friday. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
IURII KRASILNIKOV/iStock via Getty Images Market Overview Inflation trends lower, for now Inflation, as measured by the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), continued easing during the fourth quarter. However, the government shutdown caused disruptions in the data collection process that may have called its reliability into question. Looking ahead, core CPI is expected to remain below 3.0% over the co...
IURII KRASILNIKOV/iStock via Getty Images Market Overview Inflation trends lower, for now Inflation, as measured by the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), continued easing during the fourth quarter. However, the government shutdown caused disruptions in the data collection process that may have called its reliability into question. Looking ahead, core CPI is expected to remain below 3.0% over the coming quarters. That said, significant stimulus entering the economy could trigger a second wave of inflation later in the year. The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) cuts rates The Fed saw the recent softening in labor market data as justification to continue lowering interest rates. Employment indicators are backward looking, and we expect them to deteriorate further in the near term. This backdrop could provide the Fed with justification for additional rate cuts in 2026. Credit spreads are tight Credit spreads are still near their historical tights in both the high-grade and high-yield corporate bond markets. Demand for new issuance remains strong, supported by attractive yield levels. Commodities, excluding oil, trade to new highs Precious metals marched higher in the quarter, with silver joining gold at new all-time highs. The rally also broadened to include metals that are more sensitive to industrial demand. Platinum, palladium, aluminum, copper, and tin all moved significantly higher. This may point to an economic re-acceleration in 2026 followed by a second wave of inflation. High Yield Overview Stable interest rates and credit spreads were a benign backdrop in the fourth quarter. The broad high-yield bond market – as measured by the ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Corporate Cash Pay BB 1–3 Year Index – saw a 1.37% return, bringing calendar year 2026's total return to 8.55%. The U.S. Treasury yield curve steepened somewhat: The yield on the U.S. 2-year Treasury note fell 13 basis points (bps) while the yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note increased 3 bps to end the year at 4.1...
Key Points The advent of artificial intelligence has redefined the how, what, and why of automation. Contrary to a common assumption though, the most meaningful change is being made by domestic in-home robots. One particular company in this business is on the cusp of a major fiscal milestone. 10 stocks we like better than Symbotic › Industrial automation is nothing new. Rockwell Automation has giv...
Key Points The advent of artificial intelligence has redefined the how, what, and why of automation. Contrary to a common assumption though, the most meaningful change is being made by domestic in-home robots. One particular company in this business is on the cusp of a major fiscal milestone. 10 stocks we like better than Symbotic › Industrial automation is nothing new. Rockwell Automation has given factories a means of controlling the speed of their electric motors since 1903, while Zebra Technologies has been around since 1969, first launching as a maker of electromechanical solutions but making a name for itself in the 1980s by pioneering and then perfecting the scannable bar codes that now seem to be printed on, well, almost everything. But just when it seemed as if efficiency-creating technology had reached the limits of its capabilities, the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has turned automation that was once unthinkable into the possible. And one company in particular is poised to win more than its fair share of the industry's annualized growth of 17% that Opto Foresight anticipates through 2035, when the industry should be worth more than $375 billion per year. That company is Symbotic (NASDAQ: SYM). Here's why. 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 » What's Symbotic? Symbiotic is not a household name. There's a good chance, however, you or someone in your household regularly benefits from its tech. See, Symbotic makes AI-powered robotics specifically for warehouses that house and handle a high-volume of consumer goods. The company's biggest customer is Walmart, if that tells you anything. The retailer uses its solutions in its warehouses used to fulfill customers' online orders, as well as to handle the distribution of goods to its stores. The chief goal is efficiency, of co...
Earnings Call Insights: The Gap, Inc. (GAP) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Richard Dickson stated that Gap Inc. delivered "another successful fourth quarter, in line with our expectations and marking another year of meaningful progress for Gap Inc." He reported comparable sales growth of 3%, noting "our eighth consecutive quarter of positive comps," and highlighted that the company achieved its "seco...
Earnings Call Insights: The Gap, Inc. (GAP) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Richard Dickson stated that Gap Inc. delivered "another successful fourth quarter, in line with our expectations and marking another year of meaningful progress for Gap Inc." He reported comparable sales growth of 3%, noting "our eighth consecutive quarter of positive comps," and highlighted that the company achieved its "second consecutive year of top line growth." Gap brand achieved its third consecutive year of positive comp sales, Old Navy and Banana Republic posted their second consecutive year, and Dickson emphasized resilience and operational rigor as drivers of performance. Dickson highlighted a $1.1 billion full year operating income and a cash balance of $3 billion, calling it "our highest in nearly 2 decades." He announced "the Board recently approved an increase in our first quarter dividend and a new $1 billion share repurchase authorization." Dickson detailed category performance, noting Old Navy's "fifth consecutive quarter of positive comps," Gap brand's "ninth consecutive quarter of positive comps," and Banana Republic's "third consecutive quarter of comp growth." He acknowledged underperformance at Athleta but described decisive actions, including appointing Maggie Gauger to lead the turnaround. The company announced expansion into beauty and accessories, a new loyalty program called Encore, and the creation of a Fashiontainment platform under new Chief Entertainment Officer Pam Kaufman. Dickson said, "We will be building on the strength of our apparel business by thoughtfully seeding growth accelerators and new capabilities." CFO Katrina O'Connell said, "2025 was a strong year of financial performance. We grew net sales 2%, gaining market share for the year as we demonstrated relevance to customers of all income levels." She cited an operating margin of 7.3%, $1.3 billion in net operating cash, and $823 million in free cash flow. O'Connell also described the impact of tariffs ...