JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It has been over a year since I initiated coverage on Shopify Inc. ( SHOP ), and so an update is now much needed. In a technical analysis piece published in late February 2025, I expressed my view that the stock was only a hold. As you can see in the chart below, after some ups and downs, the stock has gained about 10% since I initiated coverage. Why thi...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It has been over a year since I initiated coverage on Shopify Inc. ( SHOP ), and so an update is now much needed. In a technical analysis piece published in late February 2025, I expressed my view that the stock was only a hold. As you can see in the chart below, after some ups and downs, the stock has gained about 10% since I initiated coverage. Why this isn't bad, it does underperform the S&P 500's ~14% gain over this period, and so I would say that my hold rating has actually held up quite well. Nonetheless, today I will be offering a fresh perspective on the company's fundamentals. Seeking Alpha Below, it is shown that Shopify has been quick to integrate AI, and now they have become an agentic commerce leader. That seems to be paying off, as business activity for the company is strong even though the consumer environment is weak. While gross margin weakness may be a risk, operating leverage continues to strengthen, and guidance for Q1 is very respectable. With that in mind, I believe the steep valuation contraction so far this year has created an entry opportunity. Therefore, I'm upgrading this eCommerce leader to a buy rating. A Leader in eCommerce AI Shopify Q4 Deck Back in February, analysts called Shopify an agentic AI winner. I share this optimism. As you can see in the infographic above , the company has now deeply infused AI into their solutions, and that should help to power the next leg of growth. Agentic commerce is expected to play an increasingly large role in the future of eCommerce, and it's not hard to see why. For example, Shopify's Agentic Storefronts uses the Shopify Catalog and integrates that with various AI chats like Alphabet 's ( GOOGL ) Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT. This is a completely new way of doing eCommerce, and with the popularity of AI chatbots continuing to rise, it makes great sense for merchants to want to sell directly on those apps. In addition to the customer experience, Shopify is ...
Anthropic’s $200 million contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) broke down last week after the two parties failed to come to an agreement over the degree to which the military could obtain unrestricted access to Anthropic’s AI. When the DoD made a deal with OpenAI instead, it seemed that the military’s relationship with Anthropic would come to a close — but new reporting from the Financial ...
Anthropic’s $200 million contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) broke down last week after the two parties failed to come to an agreement over the degree to which the military could obtain unrestricted access to Anthropic’s AI. When the DoD made a deal with OpenAI instead, it seemed that the military’s relationship with Anthropic would come to a close — but new reporting from the Financial Times and Bloomberg say that Amodei resumed negotiations with Pentagon official Emil Michael. These talks are reportedly part of an attempt to compromise on a contract that outlines how the Pentagon can continue to access Anthropic’s AI models. It would be a surprise to see Anthropic eek out a new deal, given how much vitriol has been exchanged among the parties involved. But a compromise could still hold appeal for both sides — the Pentagon already relies on Anthropic’s technology, and an abrupt switch to OpenAI’s systems would be disruptive. The dispute began when Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei voiced concern over a clause which allowed the military to use Anthropic’s AI for any lawful use. Amodei asserted that the company would not allow for its technology to be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry, and wanted the contract to more clearly prohibit those uses. When Anthropic refused to comply, the department turned around and struck a deal with OpenAI instead. Since then, figures on both sides have been open about their frustrations. Michael called Amodei a “liar” with a “God complex.” Amodei threw some jabs of his own at the DoD and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a message reportedly sent to Anthropic staff this week, calling the OpenAI deal “safety theater” and the messaging around it “straight up lies.” “The main reason [OpenAI] accepted [the DoD’s deal] and we did not is that they cared about placating employees, and we actually cared about preventing abuses,” Amodei wrote in the memo. Techcrunch event Disrupt 2026: The tech ecosystem, all in one room Your...
President Trump attacked the banking industry late Tuesday for obstructing crypto legislation, posting on Truth Social that banks should not “derail our robust Crypto Agenda” and urging Congress to pass the CLARITY Act “ASAP,” with The Wall Street Journal reporting that the comments are escalating pressure on a stalled Senate bill The CLARITY Act, a market structure bill that passed the House last...
President Trump attacked the banking industry late Tuesday for obstructing crypto legislation, posting on Truth Social that banks should not “derail our robust Crypto Agenda” and urging Congress to pass the CLARITY Act “ASAP,” with The Wall Street Journal reporting that the comments are escalating pressure on a stalled Senate bill The CLARITY Act, a market structure bill that passed the House last summer, has stalled over a dispute about whether crypto companies can offer yield on stablecoin holdings, banks argue this constitutes paying interest, a regulated banking activity, while crypto firms contend rewards are essential for stablecoins to compete. Journalist Eleanor Terrett reported that a Coinbase delegation including CEO Brian Armstrong visited the White House, signaling continued high-level engagement between the crypto industry and the administration The visit comes amid a public clash: JPMorgan ( JPM ) CEO Jamie Dimon this week told CNBC that crypto firms wanting to pay stablecoin rewards “should become banks,” per DL News The outcome directly affects COIN, CRCL, and every listed entity seeking to offer yield-bearing stablecoin products, stablecoins already account for roughly $1.35B in annual Coinbase revenue. KRAKEN BECOMES FIRST CRYPTO BANK WITH FEDERAL RESERVE ACCESS: Kraken Financial, the Wyoming-chartered banking arm of crypto exchange Kraken, has been granted a Federal Reserve master account by the Kansas City Fed, the first digital-asset bank in U.S. history to gain direct access to the Fed’s payment infrastructure, as reported by The Wall Street Journal . The account gives Kraken direct connectivity to Fedwire, eliminating the need for intermediary correspondent banks when settling fiat transactions for institutional clients Kraken Financial operates on a full-reserve model, and the account carries an initial one-year approval with a phased services rollout, per Reuters . Bloomberg noted that the account allows Kraken to “move money on rails reserv...
Is the Islamic Republic a messianic theocracy or a brittle dictatorship? It’s neither – as those attacking it are finding out When the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on 28 February, the campaign was structured like a textbook air war: destroy defences, degrade retaliatory capabilities and decapitate leadership. Iranian air defences – already battered in last summer’s war –...
Is the Islamic Republic a messianic theocracy or a brittle dictatorship? It’s neither – as those attacking it are finding out When the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on 28 February, the campaign was structured like a textbook air war: destroy defences, degrade retaliatory capabilities and decapitate leadership. Iranian air defences – already battered in last summer’s war – were further dismantled to secure uncontested skies. Missile factories, drone infrastructure and naval assets were hit to erode Iran’s ability to retaliate. And a steady cadence of precision strikes removed senior commanders in what amounted to a sustained attempt to disorient Tehran’s decision-making. From a purely operational perspective, the advantages have been stark. Once skies are open, the war becomes cheaper: plentiful, relatively inexpensive munitions can replace the long-range systems that defended airspace typically demands. Ali Vaez is Iran project director and senior adviser to the president at the International Crisis Group Continue reading...
It's been a tough start to the year for BigBear.ai's (BBAI +3.65%) stock, and things did not get any better after the company reported its fourth-quarter results on Monday. Following its retreat, the stock is now down nearly 28% on the year, as of this writing. With the stock down and some recent acquisitions in tow, let's see if now is a good time to buy shares of the beaten-up artificial intelli...
It's been a tough start to the year for BigBear.ai's (BBAI +3.65%) stock, and things did not get any better after the company reported its fourth-quarter results on Monday. Following its retreat, the stock is now down nearly 28% on the year, as of this writing. With the stock down and some recent acquisitions in tow, let's see if now is a good time to buy shares of the beaten-up artificial intelligence (AI) analytics company. BigBear.ai is looking for a turnaround BigBear.ai ended 2025 on a down note, with its Q4 revenue sinking 38% year over year to $27.3 million. The company said the decline stemmed from lower volumes related to contracts it has with the U.S. Army. That was well below the $33.3 million analyst consensus. On top of the big decline in revenue, the company's gross margins plunged to 20.3% from 37.4% a year ago. It said the margin compression was the result of one-time high-margin contracts not repeating this year. This is a low margin for a company that bills itself as an artificial intelligence (AI) analytics company, as it is much more of a government systems integrator whose engineers and data scientists need to be on-premise for most of the government projects it is involved in. BigBear.ai saw its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) turn negative, falling to a loss of $10.3 million versus a gain of $2 million a year ago. The company had cash flow from operations of negative $21.8 million in the quarter and negative $42 million for the year. Free cash flow was negative $42.5 million for the year. The company ended 2025 with cash and investments of $87.1 million and $107 million in debt after issuing over $693 million in equity in 2025. Looking ahead, management forecasted full-year revenue to fall between $135 million and $165 million, representing 17% growth at the midpoint. Meanwhile, it recently closed on the acquisitions of both Ask Sage and CargoSeer. Expand NYSE : BBAI BigBear.ai Today's Change (...
‘CPUs are cool again,' Intel and AMD reporting spikes in CPU demand due to agentic AI, shortages — Lisa Su says business exceeded expectations while Intel is looking at long-term agreements with potential customers Tom's Hardware
‘CPUs are cool again,' Intel and AMD reporting spikes in CPU demand due to agentic AI, shortages — Lisa Su says business exceeded expectations while Intel is looking at long-term agreements with potential customers Tom's Hardware
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Exxon Mobil ( XOM ) is set to ship at least 300K barrels of gasoline from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Australia, the company's first such shipment, due to the global fuel export crunch resulting from the war in the Middle East, Reuters reported late Wednesday. The shipment is one of two scheduled for this month that will total a combined 600K barrels, mostly ...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Exxon Mobil ( XOM ) is set to ship at least 300K barrels of gasoline from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Australia, the company's first such shipment, due to the global fuel export crunch resulting from the war in the Middle East, Reuters reported late Wednesday. The shipment is one of two scheduled for this month that will total a combined 600K barrels, mostly of gasoline but also including other refined products, according to the report , which estimated the charter costs for one medium-range vessel capable of carrying 300K barrels of refined products on the route at ~$6M, or $20/bbl. Asian refiners have been hit by a shortage of crude supplies due to the severe disruption in tanker traffic from the Strait of Hormuz, which has forced countries that depend on Middle Eastern crude oil to cut refining runs and fuel production. Exxon ( XOM ) operates three fuel terminals in Australia that receive refined products from Asian countries and elsewhere for distribution in local markets, and its Mobil Oil subsidiary supplies fuel to Australian retailers. More on Exxon Mobil Exxon Mobil Presents at Morgan Stanley Energy & Power Conference 2026 - Slideshow Exxon Mobil: Why I Agree With The Quant 'Hold' While The Iran Issue Lasts Middle East Conflict: The Exxon Mobil Advantage
Investing.com -- Astera Labs has received a bullish rating from Loop Capital in a note on Thursday, with the firm assigning the stock a Buy rating and a $250 price target, citing the company’s positioning at the centre of what it calls an artificial intelligence “super-cycle.” Loop Capital analyst Ananda Baruah states that the semiconductor firm represents one of the clearest ways for investors to...
Investing.com -- Astera Labs has received a bullish rating from Loop Capital in a note on Thursday, with the firm assigning the stock a Buy rating and a $250 price target, citing the company’s positioning at the centre of what it calls an artificial intelligence “super-cycle.” Loop Capital analyst Ananda Baruah states that the semiconductor firm represents one of the clearest ways for investors to gain exposure to AI infrastructure beyond dominant chipmakers. “We’re initiating with a Buy and a $250 PT as we see ALAB as the company most representing a diversified AI silicon ‘pure play’ (outside of NVDA),” Baruah wrote in a research note. The analyst said Astera Labs is well-positioned across the rapidly expanding ecosystem of AI processors, including GPUs and alternative accelerators. According to Loop Capital, the company “has opportunity across essentially all Gen AI silicon flavors (GPU, Tranium, TPU and the other XPUs)” through solutions designed to address key challenges in AI server and cluster performance. Loop Capital argues that the increasing scale and complexity of AI infrastructure will make Astera Labs’ technology increasingly essential. “As servers and clusters become larger and more sophisticated (i.e. increasingly complex), ALAB becomes more both critical and valuable,” the note said. The firm also highlighted the growing diversity of AI accelerators beyond those produced by NVIDIA, saying this shift could significantly expand Astera Labs’ revenue opportunity. Over time, Loop Capital believes the company could build durable competitive advantages. Baruah believes Astera Labs’ predictive software and management platform, COSMOS, “could become industry standard and a real performance amplifier,” potentially creating “moat-like stickiness” with customers as AI infrastructure scales. Related articles Astera Labs gets new buy rating amid AI supercyle Data center boom boosts communications infra companies but supply catching up Berkshire’s new CEO Abel says...
Broadcom AVGO reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 non-GAAP earnings of $2.05 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.99% and jumping 28.1% year over year. Revenues rallied 29.5% year over year to $19.31 billion and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.13%. AVGO shares jumped more than 4% at the time of writing this article. The stock has appreciated 83.2% in the trailing 12 months co...
Broadcom AVGO reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 non-GAAP earnings of $2.05 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.99% and jumping 28.1% year over year. Revenues rallied 29.5% year over year to $19.31 billion and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.13%. AVGO shares jumped more than 4% at the time of writing this article. The stock has appreciated 83.2% in the trailing 12 months compared with the Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s return of 31.5%. Broadcom Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Broadcom Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Broadcom Inc. Quote AVGO’s Q1 Details Semiconductor solutions revenues (64.8% of net revenues) totaled $12.52 billion, up 52% year over year. The uptick was driven by the strong AI revenues, which surged 106% year over year. AI networking revenues grew 60% year over year and represented one-third of AI revenues. Non-AI revenues were flat year over year to $4.1 billion. Enterprise networking, broadband and server storage revenues were up year over year, offset by a seasonal decline in wireless. Infrastructure software revenues (35.2% of net revenues) climbed 1% year over year to $6.8 billion. VMware revenues grew 13% year over year. Bookings continue to be strong, and total contract value booked in the fiscal first quarter exceeded $9.2 billion. The non-GAAP gross margin was 77%, down 210 basis points (bps) year over year. Research and development expenses, as a percentage of net revenues, decreased 170 bps year over year to 7.9%. SG&A expenses, as a percentage of net revenues, decreased 90 bps to 2.7%. Adjusted EBITDA rose 30% year over year to $13.13 billion. The adjusted EBITDA margin was 68%, up 40 bps year over year. The non-GAAP operating margin expanded 50 bps year over year to 66.4%. AVGO’s Balance Sheet & Cash Flow As of Feb. 1, 2026, cash and cash equivalents were $14.17 billion compared with $16.18 billion as of Nov. 2, 2025. Total debt (including the current portion of $3.15 billion) was $66.06 bi...
Broadcom AVGO reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 non-GAAP earnings of $2.05 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.99% and jumping 28.1% year over year. Revenues rallied 29.5% year over year to $19.31 billion and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.13%. AVGO shares jumped more than 4% at the time of writing this article. The stock has appreciated 83.2% in the trailing 12 months co...
Broadcom AVGO reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 non-GAAP earnings of $2.05 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.99% and jumping 28.1% year over year. Revenues rallied 29.5% year over year to $19.31 billion and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.13%. AVGO shares jumped more than 4% at the time of writing this article. The stock has appreciated 83.2% in the trailing 12 months compared with the Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s return of 31.5%. Broadcom Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Broadcom Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Broadcom Inc. Quote AVGO’s Q1 Details Semiconductor solutions revenues (64.8% of net revenues) totaled $12.52 billion, up 52% year over year. The uptick was driven by the strong AI revenues, which surged 106% year over year. AI networking revenues grew 60% year over year and represented one-third of AI revenues. Non-AI revenues were flat year over year to $4.1 billion. Enterprise networking, broadband and server storage revenues were up year over year, offset by a seasonal decline in wireless. Infrastructure software revenues (35.2% of net revenues) climbed 1% year over year to $6.8 billion. VMware revenues grew 13% year over year. Bookings continue to be strong, and total contract value booked in the fiscal first quarter exceeded $9.2 billion. The non-GAAP gross margin was 77%, down 210 basis points (bps) year over year. Research and development expenses, as a percentage of net revenues, decreased 170 bps year over year to 7.9%. SG&A expenses, as a percentage of net revenues, decreased 90 bps to 2.7%. Adjusted EBITDA rose 30% year over year to $13.13 billion. The adjusted EBITDA margin was 68%, up 40 bps year over year. The non-GAAP operating margin expanded 50 bps year over year to 66.4%. AVGO’s Balance Sheet & Cash Flow As of Feb. 1, 2026, cash and cash equivalents were $14.17 billion compared with $16.18 billion as of Nov. 2, 2025. Total debt (including the current portion of $3.15 billion) was $66.06 bi...
Shareholders of Ryerson Holding Corp (Symbol: RYZ) looking to boost their income beyond the stock's 2.9% annualized dividend yield can sell the September covered call at the $30 strike and collect the premium based on the $1.85 bid, which annualizes to an additional 13.2% rate of return against the current stock price (at Stock Options Channel we call this the), for a total of 16.2% annualized rat...
Shareholders of Ryerson Holding Corp (Symbol: RYZ) looking to boost their income beyond the stock's 2.9% annualized dividend yield can sell the September covered call at the $30 strike and collect the premium based on the $1.85 bid, which annualizes to an additional 13.2% rate of return against the current stock price (at Stock Options Channel we call this the), for a total of 16.2% annualized rate in the scenario where the stock is not called away. Any upside above $30 would be lost if the stock rises there and is called away, but RYZ shares would have to advance 15.7% from current levels for that to happen, meaning that in the scenario where the stock is called, the shareholder has earned a 22.8% return from this trading level, in addition to any dividends collected before the stock was called. In general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Ryerson Holding Corp, looking at the dividend history chart for RYZ below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 2.9% annualized dividend yield. Below is a chart showing RYZ's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $30 strike highlighted in red: The chart above, and the stock's historical volatility, can be a helpful guide in combination with fundamental analysis to judge whether selling the September covered call at the $30 strike gives good reward for the risk of having given away the upside beyond $30. (Do most options expire worthless? This and six other common options myths debunked). We calculate the trailing twelve month volatility for Ryerson Holding Corp (considering the last 250 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $25.61) to be 50%. For other call options contract ideas at the various different available expirations, visit the RYZ Stock Options page of StockOptionsChannel.com. In mid-afternoon tradi...
In trading on Friday, shares of PTC Therapeutics Inc (Symbol: PTCT) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $44.31, changing hands as low as $42.27 per share. PTC Therapeutics Inc shares are currently trading down about 5.4% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of PTCT shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, PTCT's low point in its 52 week...
In trading on Friday, shares of PTC Therapeutics Inc (Symbol: PTCT) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $44.31, changing hands as low as $42.27 per share. PTC Therapeutics Inc shares are currently trading down about 5.4% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of PTCT shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, PTCT's low point in its 52 week range is $25.01 per share, with $55.5799 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $43.94. Click here to find out which 9 other stocks recently crossed below their 200 day moving average » Also see: The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Oura announced on Thursday that it has acquired Doublepoint, a startup that specializes in technology that enables users to control wearables through simple, natural movements using a combination of artificial intelligence and biometric data. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move paves the way for the company to incorporate these controls into its smart rings. “Doublepoint’s...
Oura announced on Thursday that it has acquired Doublepoint, a startup that specializes in technology that enables users to control wearables through simple, natural movements using a combination of artificial intelligence and biometric data. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move paves the way for the company to incorporate these controls into its smart rings. “Doublepoint’s tech helps devices understand small hand movements, so interactions feel faster and more natural across different interfaces,” Oura wrote in a press release. “When layered on top of Oura’s continuous sensing and insights, it enables the creation of new kinds of quiet, helpful features that work in the background and make everyday life a little easier.” The company believes its next phase of wearable AI will be powered by a combination of voice and gestures, and that its acquisition of Doublepoint will accelerate its vision to power more ambient AI experiences. The acquisition follows a successful year for Oura and the smart ring market as a whole. The company was most recently valued at approximately $11 billion last fall. Oura has sold 5.5 million rings to date, a notable increase from the 2.5 million reported in June 2024. The company forecasts sales to exceed $1.5 billion in 2026. The smart ring market itself saw shipments jump nearly 51% in 2025, according to market researcher IDC, with Oura leading the category, as reported by Bloomberg. Oura says it’s gaining a team of AI architects and builders from Helsinki‑based Doublepoint, including its four founders, noting that they will be central to designing and shipping AI experiences that will define the wearables company’s future. “As we continue to build the next era of Oura, strategic acquisitions play a key role in accelerating our growth and expanding what our devices and platform can do,” said Oura CEO Tom Hale in the press release. “Welcoming the Doublepoint team into Oura strengthens our bench with world-class tal...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 9 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Martin Bonick Chief Financial Officer — Alfred Lumsdaine TAKEAWAYS Revenue -- $6.3 billion for the full year, reflecting 6% growth, with fourth quarter revenue of $1.61 billion reported as flat year over year but equivalent to approximately 3% growth when adjusting for New Mexico DPP ben...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 9 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Martin Bonick Chief Financial Officer — Alfred Lumsdaine TAKEAWAYS Revenue -- $6.3 billion for the full year, reflecting 6% growth, with fourth quarter revenue of $1.61 billion reported as flat year over year but equivalent to approximately 3% growth when adjusting for New Mexico DPP benefit timing. -- $6.3 billion for the full year, reflecting 6% growth, with fourth quarter revenue of $1.61 billion reported as flat year over year but equivalent to approximately 3% growth when adjusting for New Mexico DPP benefit timing. Adjusted EBITDA -- $545 million for the full year, representing 9% growth; fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA was $134 million, which was 2% above the implied guidance midpoint, with a full-year adjusted EBITDA margin expansion of 20 basis points to 8.6%. -- $545 million for the full year, representing 9% growth; fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA was $134 million, which was 2% above the implied guidance midpoint, with a full-year adjusted EBITDA margin expansion of 20 basis points to 8.6%. Operating Cash Flow -- $471 million for the year, up 49%, driven by improved earnings and enhanced collections, with fourth quarter operating cash flow at $223 million; free cash flow after noncontrolling interests was $170 million. -- $471 million for the year, up 49%, driven by improved earnings and enhanced collections, with fourth quarter operating cash flow at $223 million; free cash flow after noncontrolling interests was $170 million. Admissions and Adjusted Admissions -- Full year admissions rose 5.3%, adjusted admissions increased 2.3%, and fourth quarter admissions increased 1.5% with adjusted admissions up 2%. -- Full year admissions rose 5.3%, adjusted admissions increased 2.3%, and fourth quarter admissions increased 1.5% with adjusted admissions up 2%. IMPACT Program Savings -- Management increased the expected annualized savings contribution from...
Date: 4 March 2026 Release: After closing of Euronext Please open the following link to read the full report including annexes: Attachment FULL PRESS RELEASE ...
Date: 4 March 2026 Release: After closing of Euronext Please open the following link to read the full report including annexes: Attachment FULL PRESS RELEASE ...
Stephan Behnes/iStock via Getty Images By Carsten Brzeski, Global Head of Macro The just-released minutes of the ECB’s last policy meeting in February showed the central bank to be broadly satisfied with the current monetary policy stance, despite increasing uncertainty When talking about monetary policy these days, there is a risk of sounding like grandparents who talk about the past and make dis...
Stephan Behnes/iStock via Getty Images By Carsten Brzeski, Global Head of Macro The just-released minutes of the ECB’s last policy meeting in February showed the central bank to be broadly satisfied with the current monetary policy stance, despite increasing uncertainty When talking about monetary policy these days, there is a risk of sounding like grandparents who talk about the past and make distinctions between before and after the war. Where the European Central Bank is concerned, however, the distinction between before and after the war in the Middle East currently presents a clear change to the outlook for monetary policy. Back at the last meeting, the discussion was rather about a potential inflation undershooting; if nothing changes, it will instead shift to a possible inflation overshooting at the next meeting two weeks from now. The minutes of the ECB’s February meeting reflect a broad discussion with clearly diverging views, particularly about the inflation outlook or risks to the inflation outlook. In summary, ECB members seem to agree on higher uncertainty stemming from global developments, but a relatively resilient economy and – for the time being – a relatively stable inflation outlook. The central bank's famous ‘good place’ was mentioned three times, and it is obvious that at least a few of its members had started to contemplate rate cuts further down the line, stressing the symmetry of the ECB’s inflation target. On a different note, there was an interesting discussion on the neutral interest rate, which some ECB members seemingly see as having increased again. But with everything going on in the Middle East, this is a discussion that will not gain more momentum imminently. Highlights from the minutes: Downside risks to growth. “At the same time, several concerns were raised about the growth outlook, and it was observed that the latest Survey of Monetary Analysts suggested that risks to growth were increasingly veering to the downside.” Increased u...