Mobile tech conference Mobile World Congress took place in Barcelona last week, where Qualcomm (QCOM) outlined its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy and upcoming innovations. Qualcomm CFO and COO Akash Palkhiwala joins Market Catalysts host Julie Hyman to explain what edge AI is and why Qualcomm has a competitive advantage over Nvidia (NVDA) and other names in the space. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Catalysts.

Getty Images Owning hard assets simply makes sense for those who prize cash flow and easy-to-understand business models. It now matters more than ever, especially as SaaS companies have come under pressure due to concerns around AI disruption. Geopolitical conflicts also make the case for owning assets that are homegrown in the U.S., generating cash flows that aren’t subject to currency translation risk for U.S. investors. This brings me to EastGroup Properties ( EGP ), which I last covered in January 2025, highlighting its focus on high-demand, supply-constrained markets and its attractive valuation. It appears my ‘buy’ thesis has paid off, with the stock delivering a 23% total return since my last piece, outperforming the 15% rise in the S&P 500 ( SPY ). Who says you have to buy popular stocks in the tech sector to get market-beating returns? In this article, I revisit EGP, including recent business results , and discuss why it’s a ‘Buy’ for conservative income investors seeking long-term capital appreciation, so let’s get started! Why EGP? EastGroup Properties is a REIT that’s focused on the development and acquisition of industrial properties in high-growth Sunbelt markets. It specializes in “shallow-bay” business distribution facilities, which are multi-tenant buildings typically ranging from roughly 20K to 100K square feet. Its properties serve last-mile logistics, light manufacturing, and service businesses. Shallow bay properties tend to have better operating fundamentals compared to big box warehouses. This is due to the fungible nature of the properties that cater to a wider variety of tenants. This has also enabled EGP to sustain high occupancy and consistent FFO growth over time. As shown below, shallow bay vacancy has been on average lower than big box properties over the past 17 years. Investor Presentation EGP demonstrated solid Q4 2025 results, with FFO per share rising by 8.8% YoY for the quarter and by 7.7% for the full year. This marks over 10 yea...

Chinese scientists have used AI to determine the chemical make-up of the moon’s far side, offering new insights into one of lunar science’s enduring mysteries. Nearly half the moon’s surface – the far side which permanently faces away from the Earth – had long remained chemically unmapped. But samples from China’s Chang’e-6 mission , combined with advanced technologies, have enabled a team led by the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics (SITP) to crack the lunar chemical code. Advertisement Researchers from SITP, an affiliate of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, teamed up with peers from Tongji University in Shanghai and several other Chinese institutes for the study. It enabled the creation of the first high-precision global distribution map of major oxides on the moon, according to findings published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Sensors. Advertisement “The study revealed the exposure characteristics of deep materials in the South Pole-Aitken basin and the compositional patterns of far-side lunar terrains,” SITP said in a statement this week.

加纳政府7日发表声明说，已向联合国提出正式抗议，敦促其对联合国驻黎巴嫩临时部队（联黎部队）加纳营被导弹袭击事件进行公正调查。声明说，此次袭击违反国际法，构成战争罪。加纳强烈谴责此次袭击，要求查明责任人并追究相关责任。加纳政府还敦促联合国采取一切必要措施，确保在联黎部队服役的加纳特遣队成员及特派团所有人员的安全。加纳武装部队6日发表声明说，在以色列军队与黎巴嫩真主党交火期间，联黎部队加纳营总部遭导弹袭击，造成两名加纳维和士兵重伤。（新华社）

Welcome to the Wall Street Week newsletter, bringing you stories of capitalism about things you need to know, but even more things you need to think about. I’m David Westin , and this week Lloyd Blankfein told us about his historic tenure at Goldman Sachs, and we learned why this is a golden age for construction. If you’re not yet a subscriber, sign up here for this newsletter. Blankfein Sees Risk in an Anxious Market Lloyd Blankfein spent his career climbing the ranks at Goldman Sachs to wind up its CEO. He wrote about his experiences in a new book, Streetwise: Getting to and through Goldman Sachs. At its core, it’s a story about risk management. With the US-Israeli attack on Iran, there’s a whole new set of risks for investors to face, but Blankfein’s initial take is measured: “My base case is that it should be reflected in the markets for a while, but not forever, and maybe not even for that long.” Blankfein does see the geopolitical risk of Iran against a larger backdrop of “an anxious market,” he said. And his experience warns him that “a reckoning” is coming at some point. ‘Everyone Needs a Construction Worker ’ We’ve heard a lot about the demand for AI data centers, which means there will be a big ramp-up in construction. And that demand for new construction translates directly into the labor market, according to Nela Richardson, a Bloomberg contributor who analyzes employment data at ADP. She says, “Everybody wants a construction worker.” Mark Whitson helps lead DPR Construction, a leader in building data centers around the US. As he puts it: “If you’re an individual that wants to build great things, there’s no better time to be in the construction industry.” There have always been ups and downs in the construction market, but Whitson thinks the nature of data centers makes this time different, requiring workers with particular skills. More from Wall Street Week Bloomberg Wall Street Week is live Fridays at 6 p.m. New York time. Watch on Bloomberg Television...

watch now VIDEO 4:04 04:04 The rise of wellness 'third spaces' Consumer & Retail Digital Original Video A few years ago, Grace Guo began to crave places in New York City where hanging out with friends didn't have to involve alcohol. Newly sober and surrounded by friends who also chose not to drink, Guo said she wanted alternatives to the typical social scene. After some research, she landed on Bathhouse and Othership: social wellness clubs designed to create communities around improving health. "Honestly, it kind of just feels like going to a spa together and spending an afternoon together. I think for me, it just feels much better rather than staying out late at night," Guo told CNBC. She's one of a growing number of people seeking out membership clubs and other places that are structured around maintaining health while also acting as a spot to foster connection. And those spaces are becoming booming businesses, too. Bathhouse, which opened in 2019 in Brooklyn, New York, told CNBC exclusively that it expects to hit around $120 million in revenue by the end of this year. It declined to disclose any of its other financials, as did Othership. Many of these types of companies are privately held, but publicly traded gym chain Life Time also began doubling down on premium wellness a few years ago. While investors initially did not like that reallocation of resources, it's now paying off, with Life Time's stock more than doubling since October 2023. Companies old and new are trying to reach consumers like Guo. The 31-year-old said she's seen an increased focus on health, wellness and peacefulness in her own social life and in those around her, as she searches for so-called third spaces with that focus. "I'm kind of like, where can I go to try to plug into a community, or where can I go to express a particular interest that I have and find like-minded people?" Guo said. "It's finding a group of like-minded people, but then also having the space and the novelty to try somet...

In this article Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT U.S. President Donald Trump points his finger as he arrives to deliver remarks on the U.S. economy and affordability at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, U.S. December 9, 2025. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters November's midterm was always supposed to be about affordability. Then, the bombs began falling in Iran . The expanding U.S . war in the Middle East threatens to scramble the cost-of-living narrative that has so far defined the contest for control of Congress . The election, now less than eight months away, will determine whether President Donald Trump retains his iron grip on Washington or spends his last two years in office fending off Democratic congressional majorities. Both parties have sought to capitalize on kitchen-table issues, as Americans struggle to keep up with the rising costs of ordinary goods and services. The war in Iran now threatens to exacerbate those concerns — and Democrats are seizing on the opportunity to pillory Trump and Republicans for beginning a conflict that could make life even more expensive for ordinary Americans. "Because there was no plan going in, I think there will be lots of things that are unforeseen consequences of this," Sen. Martin Heinrich , D-N.M, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in an interview with CNBC. "I mean you saw how much gas has gone up in a day, oil futures have gone up, there are going to be a lot of knock-on effects." Read more CNBC politics coverage Iran foreign minister: Not seeking ceasefire, warns U.S. invasion would be ‘big disaster for them’ Epstein files: DOJ plans to release new batch of documents ‘fairly soon,’ MS NOW reports Sen. Merkley proposes prediction market ban for government officials after Maduro, Iran bets Some of those knock-on effects have already been evident. U.S. crude oil has jumped past $90 per barrel, up from $67 the day before the war broke out. The glo...

watch now VIDEO 10:05 10:05 How China is challenging U.S. space dominance Investing in Space China's space program has hit a number of milestones lately. In 2025, China executed over 90 orbital launches, setting a new national record for orbital launches in a single year. In the last five years, China returned the first samples from the far side of the Moon, completed its own low-earth orbit space station and landed a rover on the surface of Mars. "We've seen multiple statements from President Xi [Jinping] and what he calls China's space dream," said Dave Cavossa, president of the Commercial Space Federation, a trade association that represents the commercial space industry. "They see space and AI as two of those, sort of, industries that are going to help lead and catapult China to become a global leader." The Commercial Space Federation recently published a report alongside Arizona State University's NewSpace initiative warning that the U.S. could soon lose its dominance in space to China. "The United States today is still by far the global leader when it comes to space," Cavossa told CNBC. "You know, we still have the strongest commercial space industry. We still have the strongest launch capability on the planet. But what we see is China is moving very quickly to catch up. And if we do nothing, we see them surpassing us here in the next five years." Chinese investment in its commercial space sector, including from private and government sources, increased from $340 million in 2015 to about $3.81 billion in 2025 according to data from space research firm Orbital Gateway Consulting. Over the last decade, China has spent over $104 billion on civil, military and commercial space efforts, according to Jonathan Roll, a research analyst at ASU's NewSpace initiative and co-author of the China space report. "The immediate question you'll probably ask me is what did the U.S. spend in the equivalent amount of time? The estimates that we had was over five times more." Roll ...

peshkov/iStock via Getty Images Table 1: Performance of the Aegis Value Fund as of December 31, 2025 Annualized Six Month One Year Three Year Five Year Ten Year Since Inception 5/15/98 Aegis Value Fund ('AVALX') 30.93% 67.07% 27.41% 25.77% 22.82% 12.65% S&P Sm. Cap 600 Pure Value Index ^ 14.64% 8.83% 12.31% 14.21% 9.65% N/A S&P 500 Index 11.00% 17.88% 23.01% 14.42% 14.82% 8.77% Click to enlarge ^Available performance data for the S&P SmallCap 600 Pure Value Index prior to the December 16, 2005 inception date of this Index cannot be shown as display of pre-inception Index performance data is not permitted. Performance data quoted represents past performance and does not guarantee future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that upon redemption, an investor's shares may be worth more or less than their original cost. The 30-Day Yield as of 2/25/26 is 0.00%. For performance data current to the most recent month end, please call us at 800-528-3780 or visit our website at Aegis Value Fund (AVALX) - Small-Cap Deep Value . The Fund has an annualized gross expense ratio of 1.45% and a net annualized expense ratio, after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and management fee recoupment, of 1.45%. Under the waiver, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit certain fees and/or reimburse certain of the Fund's expenses through 4/30/2026. Click to enlarge Dear Aegis Investor: We are pleased to report that strong second-half returns of 30.93 percent drove the Aegis Value Fund to a competitive full-year gain of 67.07 percent in 2025. The Fund substantially outperformed the 8.83 percent annual return of its small-cap, deep value benchmark, the S&P SmallCap 600 Pure Value Index. The Fund also significantly outperformed the S&P 500, which gained 17.88 percent. Long-term, Aegis Value Fund gains also continue to be competitive. As can be seen in Table 1 , over the last te...

Daniel Grizelj/DigitalVision via Getty Images Co-authored with Kody's Dividends Most people hate taxes. It's a simple fact in life that the government seems to have its hands in every single transaction that you do. When you go to work and punch the clock, the government takes money out of your paycheck. When you go to the store and buy goods, the government takes some money from your pocket. When you register your car, more of your money goes to the government. When you pay property tax, more of your money goes to the government. To top it off, every single year you're forced to file taxes as if the government doesn't know what you've earned or how much they've collected from you the rest of the year! They still want you to sit down and figure it out. If you get it wrong, there's jail time or fines. It's not just you and me who hate taxes. Companies hate taxes as well. Companies have an army of lawyers at times that will allow them to find the best way to be most tax efficient, unlike you and me. The United States government wasn't blind to the fact that taxes can be discouraging to certain types of innovations or companies, and so they created the allowance for registered investment companies, RICs, to exist. These are companies that must distribute 90% of their taxable revenue and 90% of their capital gains to their shareholders. What do they get in exchange for doing so? They don't have to pay taxes. The downside for you and me, though, is that if we own these companies, the dividends that they pay us are taxed as ordinary income, the same as if you went to your job and earned money there. The downside for the company is that it makes it extremely hard for them to retain capital to grow. They must do so through issuing new shares or debt, because they're unable to grow very rapidly by keeping only 10% for the house. You may not know many companies under the title of an RIC, but you likely do know many that are real estate investment trusts, REITs, or perhaps you...

Kathrin Ziegler/DigitalVision via Getty Images The airwaves this week have been dominated by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the associated impacts on oil prices . The events have sent equity markets into a tailspin, with all three indexes deep in the red for the week ending March 6. What has been less covered and examined is the heavy dose of retail data encompassing a multitude of earnings reports and retail-related data. I believe these are worth digging into in order to fully assess the state of the U.S. economy and the longevity of the current negative sentiment impacting the broader markets. The State Street Retail ETF ( XRT ) is having a decent run over the past year, with gains of nearly 20%, but it is down 7% over the past month. Seeking Alpha - 1-YR Share Price Performance Of XRT ETF Whether this decline is warranted is dependent upon the data at hand. In my view, I believe both the ETF and the broader sector are a 'hold' at current pricing, given the weakened state of the retail market and the more downbeat outlook ahead. How Strong Were Retailer Results This Quarter? My coverage this quarter on various retailers painted a fairly consistent picture across my pool of names. That is, the consumer is still spending, but the pace of demand is clearly moderating. Across many of the larger operators, sales growth was either modest or uneven, while guidance for the year ahead leaned cautious. Take Walmart ( WMT ), for example. The retail giant delivered another solid quarter, with revenues rising roughly 5% and U.S. comps up 4.6%. E-commerce growth also remained a standout, increasing nearly 25% globally. WMT Earnings Presentation - YOY Comparisons Of Revenue Growth That said, the company’s outlook for the coming year came in lighter than investors expected, calling for sales growth of roughly 3.5% to 4.5%. To me, that guidance suggests management is preparing for a more restrained consumer environment. Target ( TGT ) offered an even more subdued rea...

jittawit.21/iStock via Getty Images CNEQ strategy Alger Concentrated Equity ETF ( CNEQ ) is an actively managed growth ETF launched on 04/04/2024. CNEQ has a high-conviction portfolio of 29 stocks and a net expense ratio of 0.55%. As described in the prospectus by Alger , the fund invests in “equity securities of large-cap companies that the manager believes demonstrate promising growth potential.” Eligible companies “have total market capitalization within the range of companies included in the Russell 1000 Growth Index.” The fund will usually have no more than 30 holdings, with at least 25% of asset value in the technology sector, the broadline retail industry (part of the consumer discretionary sector), and the interactive media and services industry (part of the communication services sector). The portfolio is managed by Dr. Ankur Crawford. The fund’s turnover rate was 47% in the most recent fiscal year. This article will use as a benchmark the Russell 1000 Growth Index, represented by iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF ( IWF ). Portfolio The fund is mostly invested in U.S. companies (83% of asset value), with a focus on mega-caps (65% of asset value), information technology (47.7%), and also notable exposure in consumer discretionary (16.7%) and communication services (14%). Other sectors are below 9%. CNEQ sector breakdown, % of assets (Chart: author; data: Alger, iShares) The portfolio is very concentrated, with significant company-specific risk. The top 10 holdings, listed in the next table, represent 64% of asset value, and the heaviest position (Nvidia) weighs 14.5%. Despite a much higher number of holdings (389), IWF has similar concentration, with 60% in the top 10 issuers and 12.5% in the same top name. Ticker Name Weight NVDA NVIDIA Corporation 14.51% MSFT Microsoft Corporation 8.45% AMZN Amazon.com, Inc. 6.83% GOOG Alphabet Inc. Class C 5.82% TSM Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. 5.63% AVGO Broadcom Inc. 5.62% AAPL Apple Inc. 4.82% NBIS Nebius Group...

FabrikaCr/iStock via Getty Images Purpose I look at the high frequency weekly indicators because while they can be very noisy, they provide a good nowcast of the economy, and will telegraph the maintenance or change in the economy well before monthly or quarterly data is available. They are also an excellent way to "mark your beliefs to market." In general, I go in order of long leading indicators, then short leading indicators, then coincident indicators. A Note on Methodology Data is presented in a "just the facts, ma'am" format with a minimum of commentary so that bias is minimized. Where relevant, I include 12-month highs and lows in the data in parentheses to the right. All data taken from St. Louis FRED unless otherwise linked. A few items (e.g., Financial Conditions indexes, regional Fed indexes, stock prices, the yield curve) have their own metrics based on long-term studies of their behavior. Where data is seasonally adjusted, generally it is scored positively if it is within the top 1/3 of that range, negative in the bottom 1/3, and neutral in between. Where it is not seasonally adjusted, and there are seasonal issues, waiting for the YoY change to change sign will lag the turning point. Thus I make use of a convention: data is scored neutral if it is less than 1/2 as positive/negative as at its 12-month extreme. With long leading indicators, which by definition turn at least 12 months before a turning point in the economy as a whole, there is an additional rule: data is automatically negative if, during an expansion, it has not made a new peak in the past year, with the sole exception that it is scored neutral if it is moving in the right direction and is close to making a new high. For all series where a graph is available, I have provided a link to where the relevant graph can be found. Recap of Monthly Reports February data started out with a poor jobs report, with actual losses as well as an increase in unemployment. The ISM manufacturing and services...

is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 118, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, please take my Switch away so I can get some work done, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) I also have for you Apple’s cheap(er) new laptop, a new model from OpenAI, a fun new feature for your Pixel phone, and SO MANY great games to play this weekend. Let’s do this. (As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you watching / reading / playing / listening to / gazing wistfully at right now? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.) The Drop The Apple MacBook Neo . I described this on a Vergecast stream as “Fisher Price My First MacBook,” and I think that’s about right. But I suspect this thing is going to be the exact right mix of fun colors, just enough power, and a terrific price ($599!) to make it a lot of people’s first MacBook. I will say, though: I don’t love the yellow. Indigo all the way. I described this on a Vergecast stream as “Fisher Price My First MacBook,” and I think that’s about right. But I suspect this thing is going to be the exact right mix of fun colors, just enough power, and a terrific price ($599!) to make it a lot of people’s first MacBook. I will say, though: I don’t love the yellow. Indigo all the way. OpenAI’s GPT-5.4 . OpenAI is pushing hard to catch up to Claude Code, and I keep hearing that this new model is a big step in that direction. Plus it adds native computer use, which you should approach EXTREMELY carefully, but puts an LLM in a position to be even more useful. One to play with this wee...

Supply disruptions in the Persian Gulf “are accelerating faster than expected” as storage options dwindle and force production shut-ins as early as next week, J.P. Morgan analysts said.

Optical components are becoming a critical chokepoint in AI infrastructure, as the data-center buildout drives strong demand for more efficient data-transfer methods.

Opinion: The immorality of betting on war toggle caption Scott Olson/Getty Images You can place a bet on just about anything these days. Not just who will win the Super Bowl, or the Kentucky Derby, but what we still call "the news." Who will be elected? Will interest rates go up or down? You can even bet on weather events, and acts of war. As NPR's Bobby Allyn has reported, an account on the prediction market Polymarket with the username "Magamyman," made more than $500,000 by predicting the strike on Iran last Saturday that killed the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This comes after an unnamed trader made hundreds of thousands predicting the ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January, just hours before the U.S. raid that captured him. Sponsor Message Prediction markets are exchanges where people can place bets on the outcome of almost anything. It could be a Formula One race. But it could also be — and I quote the wording of an offering on Polymarket — "Nuclear detonation by…? Senate Democrats have introduced a bill to ban members of Congress and senior administration officials — including the president and vice president — from putting money on specific events in these markets. Rep. Mike Levin, a Democrat from California, wrote on X, "Prediction markets cannot be a vehicle for profiting off advance knowledge of military action." But even if the rest of us can legally make such bets, should we? I have been with families in refugee camps in Ethiopia, Kosovo, and Iraq, who had to run from their homes with just the clothes they wore, and a few family photos if they had time to grab them, as soldiers rushed into their towns. Those families risked their lives to leave, betting on an unknown future. I have been with people in Sarajevo who had to decide when to run across a street clutching food or medicine for their loved ones. They knew their steps might catch the eyes of snipers. We'd crouch alongside them behind a wall, where they often muttered a prayer and told u...

It looked like a golden age of private credit when BlackRock Inc. plunked down $12 billion to buy HPS Investment Partners and crowed about the prospect of selling millions of retail investors on juicy returns from complex debt. But eight months later, BlackRock is facing a rush for the exits by some existing clients. On Friday, for the first time, HPS enforced limits on withdrawals from its flagship vehicle open to wealthy individuals: a $26-billion non-traded direct-lending fund. BlackRock gave some clients back their capital, totaling around half of the $1.2 billion they sought to take. Those that couldn’t get what they wanted can submit in a future tender offer. Shares of BlackRock, a $14 trillion colossus of retail and institutional money, tumbled to their lowest since May, about two months before Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink and other executives completed the HPS acquisition. The anxiety sweeping the $1.8 trillion private credit market is forcing a reckoning across Wall Street. It’s underpinned by worries that lending was too easy for years and that retail investors don’t fully grasp the finer points of investment funds designed to tie up cash for longer periods in order to hold trickier and non-traded private loans. It also comes as the biggest investment houses try to sell individuals saving for retirement on adding private credit to 401(k)s. “The question some investors may be asking is, ‘Did BlackRock overpay for HPS based on current industry dynamics?’” Larry Herman, a managing director at Raymond James Financial Inc., said in a phone interview. “HPS is a solid platform with a good reputation, and I don’t think they are thinking about this in the short-run. BlackRock wants to be in the private-credit business for the long-term.” A BlackRock spokesperson declined to comment. Wall Street leaders have been quick to point out that the recent cracks in credit are idiosyncratic and represent a sliver of the market. But individual cases of souring loans — w...

微软、谷歌和亚马逊确认继续提供Anthropic技术；俄研究机构训练人工智能识别早期乳腺癌。 ①人力资源社会保障部部长：正研究措施发挥人工智能创造新岗位和赋能传统岗位作用 ②微软、谷歌和亚马逊确认继续提供Anthropic技术； ③俄研究机构训练人工智能识别早期乳腺癌。

格隆汇3月7日｜中国南方航空股份有限公司发布关于南航部分迪拜航班恢复运行的通知。结合当前运行保障能力与地区局势，为满足广大旅客出行需求，南航将恢复2026年3月8日至11日的部分广州⇋迪拜、深圳⇋迪拜航班运行。建议出行前通过南航官方渠道实时查询航班动态。具体航班班期、时刻、执飞机型、购票等信息以实际查询为准。

Julian Lee, Bloomberg News Oil Strategist, discussed the significant impact of recent events in the Strait of Hormuz on the global oil and liquefied natural gas markets with Bloomberg’s David Gura and Christina Ruffini on "Bloomberg This Weekend.” (Source: Bloomberg)

以军称监测到伊朗发射新一轮弹道导弹 2026-03-07 20:55:46 来源： 同花顺7x24快讯 分享 以色列国防军当地时间7日表示，已监测到伊朗方面发射新一轮弹道导弹，未来几分钟内以色列中部地区预计将响起防空警报。(央视新闻)

Source: Bloomberg, 0:00

Key Points Margin improvement, not revenue growth, is the clearest indicator of moat expansion. Digital ecosystem competition could gradually shift profit pools away from traditional retail economics. Capital efficiency will determine whether Walmart's investments enhance returns or merely defend scale. 10 stocks we like better than Walmart › Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) did not become the world's largest retailer by accident. Its dominance rests on decades of operational discipline, relentless cost control, and an infrastructure network that would be extraordinarily difficult to replicate. But competitive advantage is not something a company earns once and keeps forever. It must be defended in changing environments, especially when consumer behavior, technology, and profit pools are shifting. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » For investors evaluating Walmart over the next decade, the real issue isn't whether the business is strong today. It's whether its advantages can deepen -- or whether they gradually lose relevance. Here are three risks that could weaken Walmart's long-term position. 1. Profit mix stagnation Walmart's historic edge has been cost leadership at scale. Massive purchasing power and logistics efficiency allow it to operate on thin margins while generating significant absolute profit -- more than $31 billion in operating income in fiscal year 2026 (ended Jan. 31, 2026). The challenge is structural: Price leadership limits pricing power. Still, management has taken clear steps to improve earnings quality, leveraging its recurring membership revenue, multibillion-dollar (and still growing) advertising revenue, and the rapidly expanding e-commerce and marketplace sales. All of these initiatives carry higher margins than traditional retail. But growth in these segments alone is ...

Key Points The average retiree will receive around $58 more per month thanks to cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Healthcare premiums could eat away at your benefits, however. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Nearly 30% of retirees depend on Social Security as their only source of retirement income, according to The Motley Fool's Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment survey, and only 5% say they don't rely on their benefits at all. Annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) can be a lifeline as everyday costs continue to rise and many retirees struggle to make ends meet. However, there's a hidden cost that could eat away at your benefits. Here's what you need to know. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » How Medicare affects your Social Security If you're aged 65 or older, you may qualify for Medicare coverage. While Part A under original Medicare is typically premium-free, retirees will generally pay a premium for Part B coverage. But how does that affect the COLA? Part B premiums are usually deducted from retirees' Social Security checks, and because these premiums increase most years, they can take a bite out of your annual raise. In 2026, beneficiaries received a 2.8% COLA. With the average retiree collecting around $2,075 per month in benefits, according to the Social Security Administration, that amounts to a raise of around $58 per month. This year, Part B premiums increased by $17.90 per month. So, while the average retiree should be getting a benefit increase of around $58 per month thanks to the COLA, that raise would actually be closer to around $40 per month after Part B premiums are deducted. Medicare is a necessity for many retirees, so you may not be able to avoid paying Part B premiums. But by factoring this cost into your budget...

XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) has spent 2026 grinding between $1.30 and $1.50. The token started the year with a 25% surge to $2.40 before plunging 30% in February, and now trades near $1.40. XRP remains 62% below its July 2025 high of $3.65, and the longer it consolidates here, the more pressure builds for a decisive ... XRP Price Prediction: 5 Catalysts That Could Push XRP to $3 in 2026

For retirees on Social Security, one of the biggest expenses they face annually is healthcare. And the tough thing is that healthcare costs can be unavoidable to a large degree. If you need a hospital stay or certain medications, you can’t easily say “no thanks.” So it’s important to budget for medical costs, especially ... Medicare’s 2026 Cost Jump Strains Social Security Budgets