ronniechua/iStock via Getty Images Oil prices continued to slide on Wednesday, dropping to their lowest levels in about two weeks after a report indicated the United States may be nearing a preliminary agreement with Iran aimed at ending the conflict. Brent crude ( CO1:COM ) was down 6.1% to $103.16 a barrel, after earlier touching its weakest level in nearly two weeks. U.S. West Texas Intermediat...
ronniechua/iStock via Getty Images Oil prices continued to slide on Wednesday, dropping to their lowest levels in about two weeks after a report indicated the United States may be nearing a preliminary agreement with Iran aimed at ending the conflict. Brent crude ( CO1:COM ) was down 6.1% to $103.16 a barrel, after earlier touching its weakest level in nearly two weeks. U.S. West Texas Intermediate ( CL1:COM ) fell 6.6% to $95.49. Both benchmarks were headed for their steepest single-day declines, in both percentage and dollar terms, since mid-April. The losses follow a roughly 4% drop in the prior session. According to Axios, U.S. officials expect feedback from Iran within the next 48 hours on several outstanding issues tied to a potential framework agreement. While no deal has been finalized, the report said negotiations appear closer to a breakthrough than at any point since hostilities began. Iran has previously said it would only agree to terms it considers fair and comprehensive. Geopolitical developments in the Strait of Hormuz have played a central role in recent price swings. The U.S. military said earlier this week it had destroyed several Iranian vessels while assisting ships attempting to leave the waterway, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments. Disruptions to maritime traffic since the conflict began in February have constrained supply, helping drive Brent prices to their highest level since March 2022 last week. The limited flow through the strait has also contributed to declining global fuel inventories, as refiners draw down stockpiles to offset reduced production. In the United States, crude inventories fell for a third consecutive week, according to market sources citing data from the American Petroleum Institute. Stockpiles dropped by 8.1 million barrels in the week ended May 1. Gasoline inventories declined by 6.1 million barrels, while distillate supplies fell by 4.6 million barrels. Official inventory figures from the Energy Informati...
Listen on the go! A daily podcast of Wall Street Breakfast will be available by 8:00 a.m. on Seeking Alpha , iTunes , Spotify . Getty Images Good morning! Here's the latest in trending: Project Freedom: Trump pauses the U.S. effort to help ships exit the Strait of Hormuz to see if a deal can be reached with Iran . Stellar results: AMD ( AMD ) soars as strong AI infrastructure demand pushes earning...
Listen on the go! A daily podcast of Wall Street Breakfast will be available by 8:00 a.m. on Seeking Alpha , iTunes , Spotify . Getty Images Good morning! Here's the latest in trending: Project Freedom: Trump pauses the U.S. effort to help ships exit the Strait of Hormuz to see if a deal can be reached with Iran . Stellar results: AMD ( AMD ) soars as strong AI infrastructure demand pushes earnings and guidance above Street forecasts . AI updates: Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) unveils 10 AI agents for financial services , and inks a $200B pact with Google ( GOOGL ). AI chip rally South Korea's benchmark stock index has crossed the 7,000-point mark for the first time ever, led by chip giant Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ). Investor sentiment was lifted by the global AI-driven chip rally a day ago and strong economic data released on Monday. Record high: The KOSPI index closed 6.5% higher at 7,384.56 on Wednesday, paring some gains after reaching a record intraday high of 7,426.60. The index's top gainers were Samsung, whose Seoul-listed shares rose over 14% , and Nvidia supplier SK hynix, which gained about 11% . Samsung's market cap also surpassed $1T, making it the second Asian company to join the trillion-dollar club after Taiwan Semiconductor ( TSM ). KOSPI's latest rally added to Monday's gains, which were fueled by strong manufacturing activity and exports due to AI-driven chip demand. The stock market was closed on Tuesday. The index gained 71% YTD, and is up about 187% over the past year. To note, KOSPI rose 76% in 2025, which was its best annual performance since 1999. Bigger picture: "If the demand for AI chips continues at this level, KOSPI could reach 10,000 points by the end of this year," Seo Sang-young, analyst at Mirae Asset Securities, told Reuters . "But if the demand collapses with worries over inflation and weak growth due to the Iran war, it could plummet to as low as 4,500." Inflation in South Korea accelerated in April , but government measures like fo...
Global Payments press release ( GPN ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPS of $2.96 beats by $0.15 . Revenue of $2.86B (+29.4% Y/Y) beats by $40M . Whipple continued, “For the full year 2026, we continue to expect normalized , constant currency adjusted vs. $13.73 consensuset revenue growth of approximately 5% and adjusted earnings per share of $13.80 to $14.00. We continue to expect normalized 1 adjusted operating m...
Global Payments press release ( GPN ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPS of $2.96 beats by $0.15 . Revenue of $2.86B (+29.4% Y/Y) beats by $40M . Whipple continued, “For the full year 2026, we continue to expect normalized , constant currency adjusted vs. $13.73 consensuset revenue growth of approximately 5% and adjusted earnings per share of $13.80 to $14.00. We continue to expect normalized 1 adjusted operating margin expansion of approximately 150 basis points for the full year 2026.” Shares +2% PM. More on Global Payments Global Payments: Cheap For A Reason Or Turnaround In The Making? Global Payments: Significantly Undervalued But Affected By The Persian Gulf Conflict Shift4 Vs. Global Payments: Which Is The Better Recovery Play? Global Payments Q1 2026 Earnings Preview Raymond James downgrades Fiserv, Global Payments, Shift4 Payments
As photography became mainstream in the mid-20th century, a group of Princeton teachers helped solidify art photography as a movement. The work and lives of Minor White, Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan and other photographers is celebrated in a new exhibition. Photography as a Way of Life is on display at the Princeton University Art Museum until 7 September Continue reading...
As photography became mainstream in the mid-20th century, a group of Princeton teachers helped solidify art photography as a movement. The work and lives of Minor White, Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan and other photographers is celebrated in a new exhibition. Photography as a Way of Life is on display at the Princeton University Art Museum until 7 September Continue reading...
The leader of the Green party has faced antisemitic attacks, and yet his thoughts on the subject don’t count as far as the rightwing UK press is concerned The surge of the Green party has emphasised an iron rule of British politics: those on the left cannot be treated as legitimate political actors. A case in point came at the weekend, when the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, was interviewed by...
The leader of the Green party has faced antisemitic attacks, and yet his thoughts on the subject don’t count as far as the rightwing UK press is concerned The surge of the Green party has emphasised an iron rule of British politics: those on the left cannot be treated as legitimate political actors. A case in point came at the weekend, when the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, was interviewed by Sky News’ Trevor Phillips, who barely concealed his contempt. Two weeks ago, in an interview with Haaretz newspaper , Polanski was asked what the Green party’s response was to the recent wave of attacks against Jewish sites in the UK. His response : “I’m concerned about rising antisemitic attacks. We saw arson attacks on ambulances, for instance, and we know that, increasingly, Jewish communities are feeling unsafe. Now, there’s a conversation to be had about whether it’s a perception of unsafety [sic] or whether it’s actual unsafety [sic], but neither are acceptable.” Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
It is feared soft-power politics and a $240m war-chest could leave Samoa and Tonga uniquely vulnerable There’s a new war in the Pacific brewing, with the Super Rugby side Moana Pasifika collapsing and rugby league on a new signing spree in union’s traditional heartlands. The conflict spells trouble for Rugby Australia (RA), whose federal government is funding a $600m NRL franchise in Papua New Gui...
It is feared soft-power politics and a $240m war-chest could leave Samoa and Tonga uniquely vulnerable There’s a new war in the Pacific brewing, with the Super Rugby side Moana Pasifika collapsing and rugby league on a new signing spree in union’s traditional heartlands. The conflict spells trouble for Rugby Australia (RA), whose federal government is funding a $600m NRL franchise in Papua New Guinea, $240m of which will go into poaching talent and creating pathways throughout Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. Continue reading...
After his party’s stunning conquest of West Bengal, Narendra Modi stands at a juncture that would have seemed implausible mere months ago. The prime minister who lost his parliamentary majority in 2024, briefly inviting talk of a weakened leader, now controls roughly 70 per cent of India’s state legislatures through his ruling coalition, the National Democratic Alliance. The Bharatiya Janata Party...
After his party’s stunning conquest of West Bengal, Narendra Modi stands at a juncture that would have seemed implausible mere months ago. The prime minister who lost his parliamentary majority in 2024, briefly inviting talk of a weakened leader, now controls roughly 70 per cent of India’s state legislatures through his ruling coalition, the National Democratic Alliance. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) sweep of West Bengal, winning 207 of 294 assembly seats and ending three consecutive terms...
The author has become acutely aware of how the climate crisis is affecting women – and, in her new book, she argues that it’s time for mainstream western feminists to join the dots Natasha Walter is halfway through explaining how she came to be politically radicalised when a young woman approaches the cafe table. We two middle-aged women look like “the most trustworthy people here,” she says, so c...
The author has become acutely aware of how the climate crisis is affecting women – and, in her new book, she argues that it’s time for mainstream western feminists to join the dots Natasha Walter is halfway through explaining how she came to be politically radicalised when a young woman approaches the cafe table. We two middle-aged women look like “the most trustworthy people here,” she says, so could we watch her baby while she grabs a coffee? Like the solid citizen she is, Walter doesn’t take her eyes off the pushchair parked by the cafe steps for the next five minutes, though all we can see of the occupant is a tiny swinging foot. Sorry, where were we? Ah yes, the groundbreaking feminist writer who famously argued in her 1998 book The New Feminism that Margaret Thatcher had broken down barriers for women was explaining why she no longer really believes it’s possible to be rightwing and a feminist, as Theresa May or Amber Rudd insist they are. “I can’t support just any woman getting into power, because I think a system that leaves too many women in the shadows – that condemns too many women to poverty or worse – is not a feminist system, and I don’t think you can call yourself a feminist if you’re going to prop up that system,” she says, eyes still glued to the baby for whom we are briefly responsible. “It’s not my kind of feminism.” Her younger self, she admits, would have thought her too uncompromising. But something in her seems to have hardened, facing a world she sees as threatened by the rise of far-right authoritarianism on one hand and a climate emergency on the other. “In the past I always wanted to be a broad church, I always thought any woman can be a feminist, but now I really am feeling … maybe I’ve been radicalised.” Continue reading...
With the Wood one win from reaching the Football League for the first time, a veteran correspondent recalls lessons learned from their amateur days The years teach much which the days never know. This weekend Boreham Wood FC go to Wembley fighting for a place in that treasured home of the global game, the English Football League. Why will I be watching 7,000 miles away? Well, the experience of rid...
With the Wood one win from reaching the Football League for the first time, a veteran correspondent recalls lessons learned from their amateur days The years teach much which the days never know. This weekend Boreham Wood FC go to Wembley fighting for a place in that treasured home of the global game, the English Football League. Why will I be watching 7,000 miles away? Well, the experience of riding the Wood’s team bus 50-odd years ago taught me much that I have carried across our world ever since. So, I’ll be somewhat possessed this Sunday, Boreham Wood versus Rochdale , even though I live in that footie mecca on the other side of the world, Argentina. The memories are rich. Back then I’m on a gap year before university, a football captain at school sees an advert in his local paper for a reporter, urges me to apply, and I do, convincing one of the best editors I ever worked for (by the name of Roger Norman) to take me, and I spend a golden period reporting for the Borehamwood and Elstree Post. Elstree, with its film studios, the poor man’s Hollywood. Borehamwood, a working-class hinterland of my north London, with not much to celebrate. Continue reading...
US commerce secretary to sit for transcribed interview as part of House oversight committee’s broader investigation The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, will appear before the House oversight and reform committee on Wednesday to answer questions over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein . Lutnick agreed in March to sit for a transcribed interview with the committee following the justice departme...
US commerce secretary to sit for transcribed interview as part of House oversight committee’s broader investigation The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, will appear before the House oversight and reform committee on Wednesday to answer questions over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein . Lutnick agreed in March to sit for a transcribed interview with the committee following the justice department’s release of millions of documents related to Epstein, which included documents showing that Lutnick continued correspondence with Epstein after the disgraced financier had been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The session is part of the committee’s broader investigation into Epstein. Continue reading...
An aerial view of residential homes, many with solar panels, on Sept. 17, 2025 in Fontana, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images Mortgage rates continued to climb higher last week, causing both current homeowners and potential home buyers to retreat from the market, especially first-time buyers. Total mortgage application volume fell 4.4% compared with the week before, according to the Mortgage Ba...
An aerial view of residential homes, many with solar panels, on Sept. 17, 2025 in Fontana, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images Mortgage rates continued to climb higher last week, causing both current homeowners and potential home buyers to retreat from the market, especially first-time buyers. Total mortgage application volume fell 4.4% compared with the week before, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances, $832,750 or less, increased to 6.45% from 6.37%, with points increasing to 0.66 from 0.61, including the origination fee, for loans with a 20% down payment. "The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to push rates higher. Mortgage rates last week increased to their highest level in a month," said Joel Kan, MBA's vice president and deputy chief economist in a release. Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home dropped 4% for the week and were just 5% higher than the same week one year ago. The spring housing market has been a bumpy one, starting out very slowly when rates rose sharply in March. It seemed to be picking up recently, as rates fell back and more supply came on the market, but buyers again are struggling with affordability. "The average loan size on a purchase application increased to $467,300, the highest in the survey's history dating back to 1990. This increase could indicate that potential first-time buyers, and buyers looking for homes at lower price points, might be the most hesitant to move forward given the economic uncertainty and higher rates," said Kan. Get Property Play directly to your inbox CNBC's Property Play with Diana Olick covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, delivered weekly to your inbox. Subscribe here to get access today . Applications to refinance a home loan fell the hardest, down 5% for the week. Demand was still 29% higher than the same week one year ...
If you’ve bought beef lately, you’ve felt it: Prices are more expensive than ever. The average cost for ground beef — typically the cheapest option in the meat case — is now averaging a record nearly $7 a pound. The basic reason is straightforward enough. The US cattle herd is the smallest it’s been in decades, squeezed by drought and high feed costs. Demand for beef, meanwhile, has held up. That ...
If you’ve bought beef lately, you’ve felt it: Prices are more expensive than ever. The average cost for ground beef — typically the cheapest option in the meat case — is now averaging a record nearly $7 a pound. The basic reason is straightforward enough. The US cattle herd is the smallest it’s been in decades, squeezed by drought and high feed costs. Demand for beef, meanwhile, has held up. That hasn’t stopped the fingerpointing, though, with politicians making the protein a key issue ahead of midterm elections . Top Trump administration officials on Monday laid a large part of blame for high prices on meatpackers, with the Justice Department confirming it was investigating potential antitrust violations in the industry. At the same time, Tyson Foods Inc. — the country’s biggest processor — reported yet another quarterly loss in its beef business, showing the companies aren’t profiting from the lofty prices. The reality behind expensive beef is complicated. There’s no quick fix for tight supplies, as the sticker shock in the grocery aisles didn’t happen overnight. It’s not just that the animals take a long time to grow. The complicated economics of cattle ranching also create pain points at key stages of production. To understand why the US’s hamburgers and steaks cost so much now, Bloomberg News followed a hypothetical animal as it moved through the hands of three ranchers, a meatpacker, a grocer and finally to the consumer. Its profitability will shift with each handoff through the long supply chain . Those margins at every step help explain why the US cattle herd has shrunk to a 75-year low, with little sign of a meaningful rebound – and why, despite President Donald Trump’s urging that Americans “just hold on a little while,” high beef prices are likely to stick around for the rest of the year. Charted Territory Bigger gap | The US trade deficit widened in March as an increase in the value of imports exceeded exports in a sign of solid consumer and business dem...
PALO ALTO, Calif., May 06, 2026--Medable Inc., the leading technology platform for agentic AI clinical development, today announced that its CEO and co-founder, Dr. Michelle Longmire, will be one of three international guest speakers at Japan’s largest pharmaceutical conference, Ubie Pharma Summit (May 13-14, 2026). Longmire will be speaking at the fifth annual event along with Justin Chen, MD, Cl...
PALO ALTO, Calif., May 06, 2026--Medable Inc., the leading technology platform for agentic AI clinical development, today announced that its CEO and co-founder, Dr. Michelle Longmire, will be one of three international guest speakers at Japan’s largest pharmaceutical conference, Ubie Pharma Summit (May 13-14, 2026). Longmire will be speaking at the fifth annual event along with Justin Chen, MD, Clinical Specialist at Google for Health, and John Halamka, MD, President of Mayo Clinic Platform.
Krot Studio/iStock via Getty Images AI Helps Power Economic Growth in Q1 2026 While Mag 7 AI spending has dominated headlines, artificial intelligence has proven to be a key driver of U.S. economic growth in 2026. GDP rose by 2% in the first quarter, bolstered by a massive surge in AI-driven business investment, which shows no signs of waning . Bloomberg In a recent piece on stocks that could bene...
Krot Studio/iStock via Getty Images AI Helps Power Economic Growth in Q1 2026 While Mag 7 AI spending has dominated headlines, artificial intelligence has proven to be a key driver of U.S. economic growth in 2026. GDP rose by 2% in the first quarter, bolstered by a massive surge in AI-driven business investment, which shows no signs of waning . Bloomberg In a recent piece on stocks that could benefit from the explosion in capex spending by hyperscalers, I noted the upside of the AI revolution is massive. Amazon ( AMZN ), Google ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ), Microsoft ( MSFT ), and Meta ( META ) alone are expected to spend more than $700B in capex in 2026, but this investment does not represent the full upside. According to President Donald Trump’s former AI czar, David Sacks, artificial intelligence is a cornerstone of the economy, and the return on investment is likely to dwarf capex spending. “Polls may show that AI is not popular, but economic growth is. At this point, stopping progress in AI would be equivalent to halting the U.S. economy,” Sacks said in a social media post . Driven by accelerating adoption, the global AI market for software, hardware, and services could reach well over $3 trillion by 2033. AI and robotics use cases are spreading across a wide range of industries, such as advertising, automotive, banking, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, telecom, and retail. Even with concerns over shifting interest rate expectations, inflation, and stretched valuations, AI stocks have continued to outperform the broader market and have delivered massive returns in the past three years. Seeking Alpha Although they offer strong long-term opportunities, AI stocks can be more volatile than the market, which is why it's important to ensure potential investments have strong fundamentals. Seeking Alpha’s Quant Ratings system can help take the emotion out of investment decisions, with an objective, data-driven approach that's not influenced by AI hysteria. How I Found Top A...
Earlier this year, after a tumultuous period serving as the former second-in-command at the FBI, Dan Bongino went back to what he is perhaps known best for: video podcasting. After Bongino exited the role in January, he began promotion for the return of his podcast, The Dan Bongino Show . He bought out a billboard in Times Square in New York; he dropped teaser videos for his first new episode in m...
Earlier this year, after a tumultuous period serving as the former second-in-command at the FBI, Dan Bongino went back to what he is perhaps known best for: video podcasting. After Bongino exited the role in January, he began promotion for the return of his podcast, The Dan Bongino Show . He bought out a billboard in Times Square in New York; he dropped teaser videos for his first new episode in months. Bongino also deployed a more experimental promotional tactic, aimed at getting portions of his show in front of a wider audience. For this, he used clippers. Clippers are largely anonymous social media accounts whose sole purpose is to rack … Read the full story at The Verge.
CALGARY, Alberta, May 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TransAlta Corporation (TransAlta or the Company) (TSX: TA) (NYSE: TAC) today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
CALGARY, Alberta, May 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TransAlta Corporation (TransAlta or the Company) (TSX: TA) (NYSE: TAC) today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
WATERTOWN, Mass., May 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EyePoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: EYPT), a company committed to developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with serious retinal diseases, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, and highlighted recent corporate developments.
WATERTOWN, Mass., May 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EyePoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: EYPT), a company committed to developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with serious retinal diseases, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, and highlighted recent corporate developments.