Portfolios meant to help save for retirement are usually the most functional when they're the least interesting, as the whole point is to compound wealth over decades with enough predictability to plan around the result. Could a cryptocurrency like XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) ever be considered an investment for retirement savings, given that it has experienced multiple crashes where it lost more than half ...
Portfolios meant to help save for retirement are usually the most functional when they're the least interesting, as the whole point is to compound wealth over decades with enough predictability to plan around the result. Could a cryptocurrency like XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) ever be considered an investment for retirement savings, given that it has experienced multiple crashes where it lost more than half its value? Here's how to think through whether it earns a spot in your lineup. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
N Rotteveel/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Bitcoin-linked stocks RIOT Platforms ( RIOT ) and Strategy ( MSTR) rallied nearly 7% on May 1 as Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) climbed back towards the $77K level. But the bigger question here is—did Riot Platform's earnings just set the tone for what Strategy could deliver next? Riot Platforms reported Q1 revenue of $167.2M, up 3.6% Y/Y and beating analyst esti...
N Rotteveel/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Bitcoin-linked stocks RIOT Platforms ( RIOT ) and Strategy ( MSTR) rallied nearly 7% on May 1 as Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) climbed back towards the $77K level. But the bigger question here is—did Riot Platform's earnings just set the tone for what Strategy could deliver next? Riot Platforms reported Q1 revenue of $167.2M, up 3.6% Y/Y and beating analyst estimates by nearly $37.2M. However, GAAP EPS came in at -$1.44 vs. -$0.83 expected, hurt by a $326.7M non-cash Bitcoin revaluation loss and $97.7M depreciation. Even though operating strength stood out. CFO Jamie Chung highlighted $21M in power credits, helping lower its Bitcoin mining cost to $44.6K per asset. The company mined 1,473 Bitcoins in Q1, down 3.7% Y/Y, while holdings fell 18% to 15,680 BTC. Still, the company's average operating hash rate rose 23% to 36.4 EH/s. A key upside was diversification—Riot Platform's data center revenue hit $33.2M in Q1, while Advanced Micro Devices doubled its capacity at its Rockdale site to 50 MW , strengthening its AI story. Analyst sentiment also remains strong. Seeking Alpha analysts rate Riot Platforms a “Buy” with a 4.00 score, while Wall Street analysts maintain a stronger 4.57 “Strong Buy” rating. This optimism also lifted Strategy ahead of its May 5 Q1 earnings report. Analysts expect the firm to report Q1 EPS of -18.98 on revenue of $125.1M. However, estimate revisions remain weak, with 0 EPS upgrades vs. 2 downgrades and 3 revenue upgrades vs. 1 downgrade. Wall Street still keeps faith in the story, with a strong buy rating of 4.73, but the setup is simple: Riot Platforms already showed how crypto stocks react to Bitcoin strength—now the market is waiting to see if Strategy can follow the same path or break from it. More on Riot Platforms, Strategy Riot Platforms, Inc. (RIOT) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Riot Platforms, Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Strategy: Assessing Preferred Gambit Ahead Of Earni...
Comedian pulled from stage in Birmingham about 45 minutes into performance and audience told to leave A live show by comedian Peter Kay in Birmingham has been stopped after a “potential suspicious bag” was found around the venue. The Utilita Arena Birmingham was evacuated and a 19-year-old man was taken into custody, West Midlands police said on Friday evening. Continue reading...
Comedian pulled from stage in Birmingham about 45 minutes into performance and audience told to leave A live show by comedian Peter Kay in Birmingham has been stopped after a “potential suspicious bag” was found around the venue. The Utilita Arena Birmingham was evacuated and a 19-year-old man was taken into custody, West Midlands police said on Friday evening. Continue reading...
Riot Platforms (NASDAQ:RIOT) , a Bitcoin mining and data center operator, closed Friday at $18.50, up 7.31%. The stock moved higher after Q1 results, as data center updates sparked analyst upgrades. Investors are watching how quickly that segment can scale compared to legacy mining. Trading volume reached 32.6 million shares, about 74% above its three-month average of 18.7 million shares. Riot Pla...
Riot Platforms (NASDAQ:RIOT) , a Bitcoin mining and data center operator, closed Friday at $18.50, up 7.31%. The stock moved higher after Q1 results, as data center updates sparked analyst upgrades. Investors are watching how quickly that segment can scale compared to legacy mining. Trading volume reached 32.6 million shares, about 74% above its three-month average of 18.7 million shares. Riot Platforms IPO'd in 2016 and has grown 585% since going public. The S&P 500 added 0.28% to finish Friday at 7,229, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.89% to close at 25,114. Within Bitcoin mining, industry peers Mara Holdings closed at $11.46, down 4.42%, and Hut 8 finished at $76.98, up 1.58%, underscoring stock-specific reactions to recent earnings and AI pivot news. While Riot Platforms is still early on in its transition from Bitcoin miner to AI data center operator, its Q1 results showed that things are going well so far. Riot delivered its first 5 MW of capacity to AMD earlier this year and is on track to deliver another 20 MW in May 2026. In addition to these 25 MW of capacity, AMD exercised its option for another 25 MW, which should be delivered in November of 2026. Continue reading
Earnings Call Insights: Moderna (MRNA) Q1 2026 Management view Moderna described Q1 performance as driven by international execution, with CEO Stéphane Bancel saying, "In the first quarter, we grew year-over-year revenues significantly to $0.4 billion, driven primarily by execution of our long-term strategic partnership in -- with the U.K. government" and adding, "With a strong Q1, we are reiterat...
Earnings Call Insights: Moderna (MRNA) Q1 2026 Management view Moderna described Q1 performance as driven by international execution, with CEO Stéphane Bancel saying, "In the first quarter, we grew year-over-year revenues significantly to $0.4 billion, driven primarily by execution of our long-term strategic partnership in -- with the U.K. government" and adding, "With a strong Q1, we are reiterating up to 10% growth in 2026." Bancel highlighted new EU regulatory milestones and their timing, stating, "we achieved an important milestone with the approval of mCOMBRIAX in the European Union" and "We also secured approval for mNEXSPIKE in the European Union," adding, "These 2 new approved products in Europe will be important growth drivers in the EU in 2027." CFO James Mock emphasized Q1 revenue mix and near-term revenue expectations, saying, "For the first quarter, total revenue was $400 million" and "For the second quarter, we are expecting revenue of between $50 million and $100 million." Mock detailed the Arbutus/Genevant settlement mechanics and uncertainty on the additional payment, stating, "we will make a lump sum payment of $950 million in the third quarter of 2026" and "If, however, the Federal Circuit affirms liability under Section 1498, Moderna has agreed to make an additional payment of up to $1.3 billion." President Stephen Hoge framed the multi-year plan around partnerships and 2027 EU opportunity, saying, "we expect up to 10% revenue growth driven by our long-term strategic partnerships in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and supported by the continued growth of mNEXSPIKE" and describing Europe as "the large $1.8 billion annual European respiratory vaccines market." Outlook Mock reiterated the 2026 framework and key assumptions, stating, "we expect total revenue to grow up to 10% in 2026" and "this guidance assumes no revenue from our flu vaccine or mCOMBRIAX." Mock updated cost of sales guidance due to litigation, saying, "Our cost of sales pr...
Apple's Mac Mini now starts at $799 after the company pulled the $599 option with 256GB of storage from its online store, as spotted earlier by MacRumors . The model's discontinuation comes just one day after Apple CEO Tim Cook said during an earnings call that a chip shortage will impact its Mac products in the coming months. "If you look forward to June, the majority of our supply constraints wi...
Apple's Mac Mini now starts at $799 after the company pulled the $599 option with 256GB of storage from its online store, as spotted earlier by MacRumors . The model's discontinuation comes just one day after Apple CEO Tim Cook said during an earnings call that a chip shortage will impact its Mac products in the coming months. "If you look forward to June, the majority of our supply constraints will be on several Mac models," Cook said. "We think looking forward that the Mac Mini and the Mac Studio may take several months to reach supply-demand balance." He added that both devices saw "higher-than-expected demand" as well, with many people b … Read the full story at The Verge.
EBay Inc. jumped more than 13% in after-hours trading on Friday after the Wall Street Journal reported that video-game retailer GameStop Corp. is preparing a bid for the company. GameStop, led by e-commerce entrepreneur Ryan Cohen , has been building a position in the online auctioneer and plans to make an offer for the business this month. Spokespeople for eBay and GameStop didn’t immediately res...
EBay Inc. jumped more than 13% in after-hours trading on Friday after the Wall Street Journal reported that video-game retailer GameStop Corp. is preparing a bid for the company. GameStop, led by e-commerce entrepreneur Ryan Cohen , has been building a position in the online auctioneer and plans to make an offer for the business this month. Spokespeople for eBay and GameStop didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Shares in GameStop also rose. Cohen, the founder of pets supplies e-tailer Chewy , plans to turn the combined companies into a retail juggernaut, the newspaper reported. GameStop had a market value of $11.8 billion before the news broke, while eBay’s is much larger at around $46 billion. Both companies have struggled to adapt to changing consumer preferences. GameStop has shut stores and emphasized collectible toys and trading cards as more video games are purchased online. EBay has been pushing collectibles and used goods on its marketplace, which are both relevant to video-game enthusiasts and overlap with the GameStop customer. Limited releases and hard-to-find items are often sold at a markup on eBay to capitalize on their popularity and scarcity.
BlackRock Flexible Income ETF ( BINC ) - $0.2201 . Payable May 06; for shareholders of record May 01; ex-div May 01. More on iShares Flexible Income Active ETF BINC: Simple, Effective Income ETF With A Well-Diversified Portfolio BINC Can Help Stabilize The Portfolio's Future Returns BINC: Actively Managed Multi-Sector Income, Built For Carry Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on iShares Flexible Income ...
BlackRock Flexible Income ETF ( BINC ) - $0.2201 . Payable May 06; for shareholders of record May 01; ex-div May 01. More on iShares Flexible Income Active ETF BINC: Simple, Effective Income ETF With A Well-Diversified Portfolio BINC Can Help Stabilize The Portfolio's Future Returns BINC: Actively Managed Multi-Sector Income, Built For Carry Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on iShares Flexible Income Active ETF Dividend scorecard for iShares Flexible Income Active ETF
Techa Tungateja/iStock via Getty Images If you look at the major stock market indexes, it's hard to not have a positive outlook since we are trading at or near record highs. But, things are not always as they seem and it concerns me that so many investors seem to be complacent now. I believe this complacency can be seen in everything from stock valuations, to high margin debt levels and other sign...
Techa Tungateja/iStock via Getty Images If you look at the major stock market indexes, it's hard to not have a positive outlook since we are trading at or near record highs. But, things are not always as they seem and it concerns me that so many investors seem to be complacent now. I believe this complacency can be seen in everything from stock valuations, to high margin debt levels and other signs of speculative excess. This comes at a time when I also see a number of red flags and signs of danger seemingly lurking below the surface. This reminds me of when the stock market hit record highs in 2007, and shortly thereafter, the Great Financial Crisis or "GFC" hit in 2008. This was a major recession that wiped out many real estate and stock market investors. It's been almost 20 years since the GFC and that means that there is a generation of investors that has never been through a recession that lasted for more than a short time, as was the case with the 'blip" of a recession that we saw during the pandemic in 2020. I fear that the brief recession in 2020, only trained younger investors to buy every dip and that the U.S. Government will shovel money out the door through stimulus and the Federal Reserve will lower rates to zero any time trouble strikes in the future. The problem I see is that the U.S. Government no longer has the same capacity for massive stimulus and the Fed also no longer has the ability to lower rates significantly in the future, due to the massive federal debt load and higher inflation levels. I believe we are due for a recession and that it is needed in order to create a healthy reset in inflated asset values that exist today in the stock market and the housing market, both of which are now at bubble-like levels. I believe that high asset values, growing weakness in the labor market, signs of major financial stress with many consumers, and other factors are the perfect recipe or conditions needed to spark a recession. In addition, there is a rece...