Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has developed quite the chip business. Its chip revenue increased 40% consecutively in the first quarter, and there was a triple-digit percentage increase in the run rate. As a stand-alone business, it's one of the three largest data center chip companies in the world. But on the first-quarter earnings call, CEO Andy Jassy reassured listeners that it maintains a strong relationship with Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) , the top artificial intelligence (AI) chip company. In fact, what he said implies great news for Nvidia shareholders. Jassy has said many times that Amazon's goal is to offer the broadest assortment of AI features and services. It's the top cloud infrastructure company in the world, with many major global names on its platform. But it also has a huge number of smaller clients that aren't looking to create the most sophisticated apps on the planet, and are looking for budget options for developers. To meet needs across the spectrum, it has designed its own Trainium, Graviton, and Nitro chips. Continue reading

MSFT posts 18% revenue growth as AI and cloud surge, but rising capex, margin pressure and competition suggest investors may want to hold off on new buys.

Earnings Call Insights: Gladstone Commercial Corporation (GOOD) Q1 2026 Management view “During the quarter, we renewed or leased over 773,000 square feet of industrial and 32,000 square feet of office, resulting in an increase in straight-line rent of over $86,000 annually,” said CEO & President Arthur Cooper. Cooper said the company “did not sell any properties in Q1 '26, but we did sell a portion of one parcel of land with a gain on sale of approximately $1.8 million,” and reiterated that management is “steadfast” on “growing our industrial concentration” and “disposing of noncore assets and strategically redeploying those proceeds into quality industrial assets.” Cooper highlighted current portfolio metrics, saying the quarter showed “100% collection of rents -- of cash-based rents for the period, 98.7% occupancy across the portfolio, 7.3-year average remaining lease term.” Cooper framed the strategic target and office posture for 2026: “we're working toward our near-term goal of [70%] industrial annualized straight-line rent,” while adding, “While we do not have a time line for the disposition of all of our office properties, we are keenly focused on growing the industrial concentration of our portfolio.” “FFO and core FFO per share available to common stockholders were both $0.35 per share, respectively, for the quarter,” said Executive VP, CFO & Assistant Treasurer Gary Gerson. Outlook Cooper said, “Looking ahead to 2026, we remain focused on evaluating opportunities for high-quality industrial assets that are mission-critical to tenants and industries and accretive to our long-term strategy.” Cooper said capital sources include “our increased line of credit, access to private placement bond market, cash on hand and ability to raise money at our ATM,” adding, “we are positioned to deploy capital into accretive industrial acquisitions and portfolio improvements.” In Q&A, Cooper described near-term acquisition expectations: “We have 2 transactions currently tha...

A gas station sign displays prices in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 1, 2026. Annabelle Gordon | Reuters Lower-income consumers are compensating for higher gas prices by buying less while those in higher income brackets haven't changed their behavior much at all despite soaring costs, according to research released Wednesday by the Federal Reserve of New York. In fact, during the March energy price spike, households earning less than $40,000 a year increased gas spending by the least of all income groups. The group accelerated nominal gas spending by just 12%, the product of cutting consumption by 7%, according to a blog post by New York Fed researchers. By comparison, high-income households, defined as those earning more than $125,000 a year, raised their spending by 19%, as they only cut real gas consumption by 1%. "Thus, the K-shaped consumption pattern in both nominal and real gasoline spending was strongly evident in March 2026," researchers Rajashri Chakrabarti, Thu Pham, Beck Pierce, and Maxim Pinkovskiy said in the post. The so-called K-shaped economy has been a byproduct of the post-Covid period. Economists say those at the lower end of the spectrum have seen significantly less growth than their wealthier peers, who have benefited from a surge in asset values , such as stocks and real estate. Inflation also has been a major contributor to the disparity in growth rates. watch now VIDEO 3:37 03:37 Inflation will moderate once this war ends, says UBS' Alan Rechtschaffen Money Movers Consumer prices have risen about 28% since March 2020, when the pandemic was first declared, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. At the same time, average hourly earnings have grown only 30%, meaning wages have been essentially flat. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has pointed out repeatedly that the current era of inflation has had a much larger impact on those least able to afford higher prices. Prices have been running ahead of the Fed's 2% inflation target for the past five year...

Earnings Call Insights: Bristow Group (VTOL) Q1 2026 Management View "Bristow's first quarter financial results place us on track for what is expected to be a transformational year for the company" (President, CEO & Director Christopher Bradshaw), while "affirm[ing] our financial guidance ranges for 2026" that "notably reflect adjusted EBITDA growth of approximately 25% year-over-year" (President Bradshaw). "Bristow's total revenues were $11.4 million higher compared to Q4 2025" (Senior VP & CFO Jennifer Whalen), driven "primarily due to increased activity in our Government Services business and increased rates and activity in certain of our key Offshore Energy Services" (Senior VP Whalen). She added, "Adjusted EBITDA was $0.9 million lower in Q1, mainly due to higher repair and maintenance costs and lease and equipment costs across our segments" (Senior VP Whalen). "During the quarter, the company recognized additional noncash depreciation expense of $6.4 million related to S76D medium helicopters" (Senior VP Whalen) as Bristow "finalizes plans to return this model and transition to newer models" (Senior VP Whalen). "The company plans to complete this transition of models by early 2027 and expects to recognize approximately $24 million of additional depreciation expense through the transition period" (Senior VP Whalen). "In January, Bristow closed a private offering of $500 million senior secured notes due in 2033 with a coupon of 6.75%" (Senior VP Whalen), and "used a portion of the net proceeds to redeem its existing 6.875% senior notes" (Senior VP Whalen). She described the refinancing as "an upsized deal at a lower coupon rate and extended maturity" (Senior VP Whalen). Outlook "We are affirming our 2026 guidance ranges of $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion for total revenues and $295 million to $325 million for adjusted EBITDA" (Senior VP Whalen). Segment ranges reiterated included "2026 OES revenue guidance range" of "$1 billion and $1.1 billion" and "2026 adjusted ...

Earnings Call Insights: CDW Corporation (CDW) Q1 2026 Management View "The team delivered a strong start to the year in a complex and fast-moving environment." (Chair of the Board, President & CEO Christine Leahy) "For the quarter, consolidated net sales increased 9% year-over-year." (Chair of the Board, President & CEO Leahy) "Our ability to address the shift in near-term customer priorities and meet ongoing AI hardware infrastructure investment fueled strength across networking, storage, servers, power and cooling, which drove heavier infrastructure hardware mix in the quarter." (Chair of the Board, President & CEO Leahy) "We are building CDW to be AI first and outcome obsessed." (Chair of the Board, President & CEO Leahy) "We expect the benefits from Geared for Growth enterprise initiatives to begin flowing through in the back half of this year, building over time." (Chair of the Board, President & CEO Leahy) "To address this constraint, we have finalized a relationship with provider Boost Run to deliver our customers access to high-performance AI infrastructure through a flexible GPU-as-a-service model." (Chair of the Board, President & CEO Leahy) "First quarter gross profit of $1.2 billion was up 6% year-over-year." (CFO & Executive VP of Enterprise Business Operations Albert Miralles) "First quarter gross margin of 21% was down 60 basis points over the prior year's first quarter, but remains resilient given the demand environment and mix of the business." (CFO & Executive VP Miralles) Outlook "We continue to approach the year with discipline and prudence and are maintaining our view for the U.S. IT addressable market to grow in the low single digits in 2026 on a customer spend basis with 200 to 300 basis points of CDW outperformance." (Chair of the Board, President & CEO Leahy) "We now expect gross profit to grow in the range of low to mid-single digits for the full year 2026." (CFO & Executive VP Miralles) "Finally, we continue to expect our full year non-GAA...

Earnings Call Insights: Flowco Holdings Inc. (FLOC) Q1 2026 Management View "Flowco delivered a solid start to 2026 during the first quarter, generating adjusted EBITDA growth and consistent execution across both operating segments," said Joseph Edwards (President, CEO & Director), adding, "We generated $85.5 million of adjusted EBITDA during the quarter, at the upper end of our guidance range" and "We sustained our industry-leading margins." Edwards highlighted cash generation and shareholder returns: "During the first quarter, we generated $52 million of free cash flow, enabling us to reduce debt while continuing to return capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases," and said, "Pro forma for the Valiant transaction, we remain conservatively leveraged with ample liquidity." On product momentum, Edwards said, "Rental revenues increased approximately 9% sequentially," driven by "steady demand across our surface equipment and vapor recovery rental solutions as well as our newly added ESP offering acquired with Valiant," while also stating, "rental revenue represented nearly 60% of total revenue during the quarter." On Valiant integration and synergy targets, Edwards said, "Valiant performed slightly ahead of expectations in March and the integration is off to a very strong start," and cited examples including, "the Valiant team is now utilizing Flowco's in-house ESP cable installation capabilities" and "we are leveraging insights from ESPs on Valiant's well monitoring platform, Optimus." Jonathan Byers (Chief Financial Officer) framed the quarter as "at the higher end of our guidance range," and reported, "Total revenue increased 6% sequentially to $209 million" and "adjusted EBITDA margins of 40.8%." Outlook Edwards guided, "we are forecasting another quarter of profitable growth in the second quarter of 2026 with adjusted EBITDA expected to be in the range of $93 million to $97 million," adding, "We will benefit from a full quarter of contributi...

Earnings Call Insights: Kyndryl (KD) Q4 fiscal 2026 Management View Martin Schroeter (Chairman & CEO) said fiscal 2026 delivered “adjusted pretax income growth and margin expansion” and “over $400 million in free cash flow,” while noting “an environment that has continued to extend sales cycles and weighed on our revenue and signings performance.” Schroeter emphasized continued investment in “Kyndryl Consult, our alliance partnerships and our agentic AI capabilities,” and tied profitability progress to “the successful execution and continuation of our advanced delivery initiative, the increasing use of AI across our own operations and the new workforce rebalancing actions.” Schroeter said Kyndryl Consult produced “double-digit revenue growth” in fiscal 2026 and added, “We exited the year with Kyndryl Consult signings exceeding revenue,” positioning it for “another year of strong Consult revenue growth.” On alliances, Schroeter said hyperscaler-related revenue “realized nearly $2 billion in revenue in fiscal '26,” and described private cloud as “an important growth vector,” citing partners including Broadcom, Dell, and HPE. Harsh Chugh (Interim Chief Financial Officer) reported, “For fiscal year 2026, we generated $15.1 billion of revenue,” and said the company exited the year with “total signings of $13.5 billion,” with both pressured by “extended sales cycles… and the evolution of our relationship with IBM.” Outlook Harsh Chugh (Interim CFO) guided, “Our outlook for adjusted pretax income is in the range of $600 million to $700 million,” and said it “includes approximately $200 million of charges associated with the workforce rebalancing actions,” expected “substantially in the first quarter of fiscal 2027.” Chugh said, “We expect our adjusted pretax income less cash taxes… to convert to free cash flow in the range of $400 million to $500 million,” and described timing: “the first half of the year, particularly our first quarter will be a significant user of cash.”...

Earnings Call Insights: Clear Secure (YOU) Q1 2026 Management view "We ended this quarter with 41 million total CLEAR members, driving bookings of $292 million and free cash flow of $185 million." (Chairman & CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker) "eGates now cover over 50% of our network, and we plan to exceed 80% by the end of the second quarter." (Chairman & CEO Seidman-Becker) "Average wait time for CLEAR Plus members is now under 1 minute." (Chairman & CEO Seidman-Becker) "Demand for CLEAR Concierge continued to increase dramatically during the quarter... This is a high-margin, high-touch service, and we are aggressively scaling it to major cities nationwide." (Chairman & CEO Seidman-Becker) "CLEAR1 is our answer." (Chairman & CEO Seidman-Becker) "This quarter, we achieved significant year-over-year growth driven by almost 2x the amount of signed deals and a record number of large multiyear enterprise contracts." (Chairman & CEO Seidman-Becker) "Our first quarter results reflect step change growth, continued margin expansion and accelerating free cash flow generation." (Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hsu) "In Q1, we delivered over 40% bookings growth and approximately 32% adjusted EBITDA margins while also doubling our absolute free cash flow year-over-year to $185 million." (Chief Financial Officer Hsu) "We ended the quarter with $800 million of cash and marketable securities on our balance sheet." (Chief Financial Officer Hsu) Outlook Revenue guidance for Q2 of $268 million to $271 million vs. $256,493,140 (analysts’ estimate). (Chief Financial Officer Hsu) "For Q2, we expect revenue of $268 million to $271 million and total bookings of $280 million to $285 million, representing 22.8% and 26.7% growth at the midpoint, respectively." (Chief Financial Officer Hsu) "We are increasing our 2026 full year free cash flow guidance from at least $440 million to at least $465 million." (Chief Financial Officer Hsu) Compared with the prior quarter call, management previously guide...

【有線新聞】以色列在停火期間空襲黎巴嫩首都貝魯特。 貝魯特凌晨有建築物遇襲後冒出濃煙。以色列總理內塔尼亞胡指行動目標是真主黨精銳拉德萬部隊的一名高級指揮官。 今次是以色列和黎巴嫩自上月中達成停火協議後，以軍首度空襲貝魯特。黎巴嫩總理薩拉姆強調鞏固停火協議是雙方展開新一輪談判的基礎，期望以軍制定撤軍時間表，黎巴嫩則繼續推進武器管制計劃，重申不尋求雙邊關係復常，期望實現和平，又認為討論雙方高層官員會面是言之尚早。

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Readers respond to George Monbiot’s article on party funding George Monbiot is surely right that large private donations poison democratic trust, whether or not corruption can ever be shown ( Political donations are poison to our democracy – but there’s an easy antidote to that, 30 April ). The damage lies not only in any favour bought but in the suspicion created. When one billionaire can appear to sustain a political party, politics begins to look less like representation and more like private ownership. Monbiot’s membership-based model has moral weight. It would force parties to organise among citizens rather than flatter wealth and it would make politicians seek members, not patrons. That alone would change the culture. Continue reading...

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Astera Labs Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y Zacks Investment Research

Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Jumps as Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Kills Copilot for Consoles TipRanks

Top Mizuho Analyst Lifts Micron Stock (MU) Price Target, Says ‘Agentic AI Driving Memory Demand Higher’ TipRanks

【有線新聞】觀塘有電單車失事撞壆，58歲男司機送院後不治。 電單車橫卧路中，地下遺下司機的個人物件。凌晨一時許，一輛電單車沿鯉魚門道轉入東區海底隧道支路往香港方向，懷疑失控撞壆，司機頭部受傷，昏迷倒臥地上，由救護車送往聯合醫院搶救，最終不治，警方正調查意外原因。

Paula McInally responds to an extract from Gemma Correll’s book on her relationship with booze I read your article ( Welcome to Anxietyland: I used alcohol to hide my fear – but booze became a very bad friend, 3 May ) with the particular recognition of someone who is still in the middle of it. I’m 37. I’ve spent the past few weeks signed off work with burnout and depression. And like Gemma, I found that alcohol was very good at taking the edge off. Until it wasn’t. Continue reading...

If you’re looking to indulge mom this Mother’s Day, a gift that makes her feel a little more taken care of is a good place to start. Fortunately, if you’re looking for something to make her feel pampered, we know a thing or two about beauty tech, which can deliver on that front. Some of the options below let your mom achieve professional-level results at home, including high-end tools that re-create salon blowouts and FDA-cleared devices that target signs of aging . Others are simpler and more practical, letting her freshen her hair without washing it or quickly touch up her roots with little to no hassle. There are also options to help her unwind, so she can ease tension after a long day or care for her hair as she sleeps . It’s called beauty rest, after all. Below, we’ve rounded up a mix of Verge -approved picks that achieve all of the above and then some, regardless of your budget. Shark FlexStyle Air Hair Styler and Dryer The Shark FlexStyle Air is like getting multiple hair tools in one. It works as both a powerful hair dryer and a styling tool, with add-ons for curling, smoothing, and introducing volume. It’s lighter and often more affordable than comparable tools, but still delivers salon-like results at home for all types of hair. Where to Buy: $349.99 $229 at Amazon $349.99 $229.99 at SharkNinja $349.99 $229.99 at Best Buy Buxom Plump Shot Lip Serum If mom wants fuller, smoother lips without injections, Buxom’s Plump Shot Lip Serum is the way to go. Made with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and jojoba oil, it smooths and visibly plumps lips in under a minute in a way that’s not over the top, while adding an attractive glossy sheen. Where to Buy: $29 at Ulta $29 at Buxom $29 at Amazon Medicube Booster Pro The Hailey Bieber-backed Medicube Booster Pro is a glow wand specifically designed to improve your skin. It features four modes that use gentle electrical stimulation, light therapy, and sonic vibrations to help improve absorption, firm skin, and...

Bet_Noire/iStock via Getty Images By Kevin Flanagan and Maggie Lucier While the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) keeping the fed funds rate unchanged at the April meeting was widely expected, there were other notable headlines. From a policy perspective, there were four dissenters of the outcome, the most since 1992. Fed Governor Miran’s dissent for a rate cut was certainly not a surprise, but the other three members on this list were newsworthy. These three regional Fed bank presidents did not dissent on the rate decision, but instead disagreed with retaining an easing bias in the policy statement. Why is this noteworthy? It sets the tone for when the new Fed Chairman, Kevin Warsh, takes over the reins at the June FOMC meeting. In other words, for those investors expecting ‘rubber-stamp’ rate cuts with the new Fed Chair, unless the labor data collapses, they will be disappointed. That brings us to perhaps the most headline-grabbing news from ‘Fed Day’: current Chairman Powell will be staying on as a Fed governor “for a period of time” once his term as Fed leader expires on May 15. There are two important takeaways from this announcement. Since the Fed Chair must be a governor, Warsh cannot just slide into Powell’s slot, which has typically been the case in the past. Indeed, for the first time in 75 years, a Fed chair is not leaving the central bank, but instead, is staying on as a Fed governor. While we don’t know how long Powell will actually remain in the role as governor, his term does run until January 2028. As a result, Warsh will be using current Fed Governor Miran’s expiring slot to rejoin the Fed. The interesting aspect to this ‘Fed 101’ lesson is that as long as Powell stays on as governor, President Trump will not have vacancies on the Fed board to fill, unless another current member were to leave. While Powell’s decision to stay falls under ‘palace intrigue’, we do not believe his presence will impact the FOMC’s decision-making process when it comes ...

The founders of Ripple, a fintech company specializing in blockchain-based money transfers, launched XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) in 2012. They minted XRP's entire supply of 100 billion tokens on the XRP Ledger before its market debut, and it started trading at $0.0058 in 2013. By early 2018, XRP's price had reached a record high of $3.84 per token. But as of this writing, it only trades at about $1.43. Therefore, a $10,000 investment in XRP's earliest trade would have briefly grown to $6.62 million before shrinking back to about $2.41 million today. Let's see why XRP's token has been so volatile -- and where it might head over the next ten years. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading

Iran is said to be evaluating a one-page memorandum of understanding from Washington to end the US-Israel war with the Islamic Republic and set a framework for future discussions over its nuclear program. The Feb. 28 surprise bombing of Iran that began the war came amid ongoing negotiations over that very program. Should Tehran agree to the proposal, the Strait of Hormuz would be gradually reopened and the American blockade on Iranian ports lifted. Brent crude dropped more than 10% to below $100 a barrel for the first time since late April on the news. Global stocks and bonds rallied. But given the continuing uncertainty, shipping companies remain cautious. As he has done several times before, US President Donald Trump sought to pressure Iran into agreeing by threatening more attacks on the country , where thousands already have been killed in the conflict. As economic pain from the Hormuz disruption builds across the globe , China meanwhile added its voice to global pressure to end the 10-week war. — Caroline Alexander What You Need to Know Today Changes to a transatlantic trade deal under consideration by the European Union could limit US exports to the bloc under a pending trade accord, the Trump administration said. The two sides initially reached an agreement last July, but the EU has yet to ratify it as lawmakers seek amendments, including an expiration date and more protections for local industries. Trump, after his initial attempt to levy global tariffs was ruled illegal by the US Supreme Court, is now threatening to raise tariffs to 25% on European cars and trucks, expressing frustration that the EU is taking months to approve the deal. The bloc insists it is working through its legislative process and aims to approve the agreement by July. UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Holds Rare Call With Netanyahu One of the few Arab countries to formally recognize Israel, it’s the first publicly known call between the UAE president and the prime minister since early 2...

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