Luca Piccini Basile/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Mike Larson The AI boom gave a huge boost to a big stock yesterday. Some might even call it the latest AI darling. It’s... Caterpillar Inc. ( CAT ). Yes, Caterpillar. What does a company that makes “Dirty Jobs”-style equipment like dump trucks, bulldozers, excavators, heavy-duty engines, and power generation equipment have to do with AI? Simple. Data center builders and operators need the stuff. A ton of it! Check out my MoneyShow Chart of the Day, a daily chart of CAT going back 12 months. You can see the stock surged 9.8% on Thursday alone, hit an all-time high, and extended its one-year gains to 187%! CAT: The Latest “AI Poster Child” The driver of the action: Caterpillar reported Q1 profit of $2.5 billion, or $5.47 per share, up from $2 billion, or $4.20 per share, a year earlier. After adjusting for one-time items, EPS of $5.54 trounced analyst estimates of $4.65. Revenue surged 22% to $17.4 billion, well ahead of the $16.5 billion estimate. Plus, the company raised its full-year targets. CEO Joe Creed specifically cited AI-related construction for boosting the company’s prospects. Sales in the power-and-energy unit climbed 22%, helped by demand for turbines and related services. Revenue at its construction industries division soared 38% as dealers stocked up on more of its equipment. Bottom line? The hyperscalers and other Big Tech names get a lot of AI-related press. Meta Platforms Inc. ( META ) stock, for one, tanked 8.5% yesterday after the company raised its capital expenditure forecast for 2026 by another 7% - to as much as $145 billion . But a whole new group of AI darlings is gaining attention now. Even if they’re companies that don’t have anything to do directly with AI tech. Editor's Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors. Originally published on MoneyShow.com

Inna Kot/iStock via Getty Images In concentrated sectors, passive ETFs miss the companies driving returns. VanEck TruSector ETFs use an active hybrid structure to deliver exposure that reflects true market-cap weights. What Is Sector Investing and Why Does It Matter? Sector ETFs are one of the most straightforward tools in portfolio construction. They give investors exposure to a specific segment of the market, whether that's technology, healthcare, financials, or consumer discretionary, in a single trade. The ETF handles diversification, and the investor gets broad sector exposure at a low cost. The reason investors allocate to sectors in the first place is that different parts of the market respond differently to economic conditions, rate cycles, and policy changes. Sector positioning lets investors lean into areas they have conviction in without overhauling an entire portfolio. But the tool only works if the exposure is accurate. In certain sectors, regulatory constraints prevent ETFs from reflecting how market capitalization may actually weight companies in that sector, and the gap can be larger than most investors realize. How Passive Sector ETFs Work Many passive sector ETFs track market-cap-weighted indexes tied to a specific GICS sector, like the S&P 500 Information Technology Index or the Communication Services Select Sector Index. The fund holds whatever the index holds, at whatever weight the index dictates, and the investor gets returns that match the sector’s performance minus fees. It’s a clean, low-cost model. No security selection, no discretionary calls. The index does the work, and the fund follows. That simplicity is one of the reasons passive sector funds have attracted so much capital. But simplicity comes with trade-offs, and in certain sectors, those trade-offs are significant. How Active Sector ETFs Work Active sector ETFs aren't bound by an index. The portfolio manager has discretion over what the fund holds and in what size, which creates m...

Both Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) recently released earnings. The beverage conglomerates reported that sales rebounded as consumers shifted back to their flagship cola products and ancillary products like coffee, tea, and bottled water. The increase in net revenue for each company may spark renewed interest in these stocks, likely prompting questions about which beverage giant's stock is the better buy. Nonetheless, the decision about which stock to buy may depend on one's investment goals, and here's why. Image source: The Motley Fool. Continue reading

Just_Super/E+ via Getty Images Impressive Cloud momentum was once again the reason why e-Commerce and Data Center powerhouse Amazon ( AMZN ) crushed estimates for the first fiscal quarter on Wednesday. Despite shares rising less than 1% after the Q1 earnings report, Amazon is accelerating its Cloud momentum amid strong enterprise-driven demand for Cloud services. Amazon benefited from an expansion in its enterprise customer base in the first-quarter which in turn triggered a growth acceleration of four percentage points in the Cloud enterprise... which is now Amazon’s undisputed growth engine. Since the company's chip manufacturing business is also gaining steam, I see considerable upside ahead for Amazon and would recommend shares as a 'Strong Buy.' Data by YCharts Previous rating In my last work on Amazon I indicated that the Cloud enterprise was seeing a significant CapEx escalation in its core business which called for $200B in investment spending just in the current fiscal year: CapEx Shock . In addition to this, Amazon reported a significant increase in operating income in the first-quarter as well as a growth acceleration in its core enterprise-driven Cloud operation. Since Amazon is now also manufacturing its own AI chips like Trainium and Graviton, which it deploys across AWS, but also sells to hyperscalers, I believe the tech enterprise is in a sweet spot to accelerate its growth further in the Data Center market, assuming that CapEx spending trends don't fizzle out. Amazon crushed estimates for Q1’26 The e-Commerce platform and Cloud business beat expectations for its bottom and top lines for the first-quarter on Wednesday: Amazon published non-GAAP earnings of $2.78 per-share which sailed past the consensus figure by $1.14 per-share. The top line was published at $181.5B and also beat the average prediction, by $4.4B, mainly due to strong Cloud sales. Seeking Alpha Amazon continued to see impressive momentum in its Cloud operation in Q1'26 amid robust de...

Just_Super/E+ via Getty Images Impressive Cloud momentum was once again the reason e-commerce and Data Center powerhouse Amazon.com, Inc. ( AMZN ) crushed estimates for the first fiscal quarter on Wednesday. Despite shares rising less than 1% after the Q1 earnings report, Amazon is accelerating its Cloud momentum amid strong enterprise-driven demand for Cloud services. Amazon benefited from an expansion in its enterprise customer base in the first quarter, which in turn triggered a growth acceleration of four percentage points in the Cloud enterprise… which is now Amazon’s undisputed growth engine. Since the company's chip manufacturing business is also gaining steam, I see considerable upside ahead for Amazon and would recommend shares as a 'Strong Buy.' Data by YCharts Previous rating In my last work on Amazon, I indicated that the Cloud enterprise was seeing a significant CapEx escalation in its core business, which called for $200B in investment spending just in the current fiscal year: CapEx Shock . In addition to this, Amazon reported a significant increase in operating income in the first quarter as well as a growth acceleration in its core enterprise-driven Cloud operation. Since Amazon is now also manufacturing its AI chips like Trainium and Graviton, which it deploys across AWS but also sells to hyperscalers, I believe the tech enterprise is in a sweet spot to accelerate its growth further in the Data Center market, assuming that CapEx spending trends don't fizzle out. Amazon crushed estimates for Q1’26 The e-commerce platform and Cloud business beat expectations for its bottom and top lines for the first quarter on Wednesday: Amazon published non-GAAP earnings of $2.78 per share, which sailed past the consensus figure by $1.14 per share. The top line was published at $181.5B and also beat the average prediction by $4.4B, mainly due to strong Cloud sales. Seeking Alpha Amazon continued to see impressive momentum in its Cloud operation in Q1'26 amid robust ...

The S&P 500 gained 10.4% in April, its strongest monthly performance since November 2020, as corporate profits outweighed oil market turmoil

这家连锁药房首家高度自动化仓库借助机器人每周处理数百万件货品，所需人力仅为传统仓库的一小部分 新泽西州海恩斯波特市西维思仓库内的汤普金斯机器人 tSort 分拣系统。 新泽西州海恩斯波特市 —— 费城附近、紧邻新泽西收费公路的这座小镇拥有数十座仓库，其中一座内部景象与众不同，一眼望去看不到成群工人在货架拣货、打包订单，也没有堆满纸箱的巨型仓储货架。 取而代之的是，仓库内矗立着高达 28 英尺、简约红灰配色的墙体。所有货品流转作业都在墙体上方及后方进行，数百台机器人来回转运商品，为美国东北部及中大西洋地区的西维思药房门店补货。 物流资讯专栏订阅 聚焦全球物流行业要闻与深度分析，涵盖供应链、运输及科技领域。 这座仓库占地面积 16.5 万平方英尺，约等于三个标准足球场，也是西维思旗下二十多座仓储设施中 首座大规模部署机器人 的仓库。 按门店数量计算，西维思是美国最大的零售药房连锁企业。公司押注自动化技术，优化门店补货流程、提升配送时效。在零售利润持续收窄、 亚马逊 、 沃尔玛 及折扣零售商竞争加剧的当下，这一战略助力西维思提升市场竞争力。 西维思首席供应链与物流官乔希・怀特近期参观仓库时表示：“我们建设这座自动化仓库，并非只为追求炫酷技术。核心目的是实现极高的作业准确率，从而保障门店货架商品充足。” 西维思在美国拥有超 9000 家门店，其自动化仓储试点已初见成效。公司计划在今年年底前，将这座仓库的自动化规模再扩大一倍。 新泽西州海恩斯波特市西维思仓库内的奥拓斯托机器人 西维思未披露该仓库的投资规模，仓储系统采用奥拓斯托、汤普金斯机器人，以及丰田自动化物流旗下巴斯蒂安解决方案公司的技术。 自 2023 年引入自动化设备后，海恩斯波特仓库每周可处理 200 万件 货品并配送到各门店，而此前人工模式下每周仅处理 55 万件。 待新一轮自动化设备落地后，货品处理量将升至每周 400 万件，跻身西维思仓储网络货量第四高的配送中心。西维思货量最高的洛杉矶仓库占地 100 万平方英尺，每周可处理 600 万件货品。 怀特估算，这座海恩斯波特仓库现有员工 150 人， 仅为同等货量传统人工仓库所需人数的四分之一 。公司计划未来一年内再新增招聘 100 名员工。 近年来，受线上购物冲击、折扣零售商竞争以及门店盗窃率上升影响，包括西维思在内的美国连锁药房经营承压，能否按时、精准为门店货架...

(RTTNews) - The Middle East conflict continues to have an impact on energy supply across the globe with a dual blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Early trends from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open mostly positive on Friday.

Qualcomm Stock Testing Price Floor – Buy Now? Trefis

(RTTNews) - IES Holdings Inc. (IESC) revealed earnings for its second quarter that Increases, from last year

RBC Capital Reaffirms Their Hold Rating on Qualcomm (QCOM) The Globe and Mail

格隆汇5月1日｜美国国防部副部长迈克尔：正在研究如何在未来一年与所有模型合作。

A task force at the Financial Stability Board is looking into the potential risks that retail investors face in the rapidly growing $1.8T private credit market, according to a media report on Friday. The FSB, made up of central bank governors and finance ministers from the world's largest economies, is directing the examination through a subcommittee that watches for emerging risks to the financial system, Bloomberg News reported, citing a person with knowledge of the matter. The group's task force on nonbank data will turn its focus to the private credit sector, a swelling asset class that has faced a record level of redemption requests. Some investors, mainly retail, have become concerned about loan quality and the sector's exposure to firms that may be disrupted by artificial intelligence. That's triggered an estimated $20B of redemption requests from private credit funds, which honored only about half of that amount. Another focus of the FSB's Analytical Group on Vulnerabilities is pushing for more transparency in private credit, the person said. The global effort comes as several U.S. financial authorities have also ratcheted up their monitoring of private credit risks. Relevant tickers include Apollo Global ( APO ), Blue Owl Capital Inc. ( OWL ), Ares Management ( ARES ), Blackstone ( BX ), KKR ( KKR ), and BlackRock ( BLK ). Business development companies are also being scrutinized for private credit risk. Large BDCs include Prospect Capital ( PSEC ), Main Street Capital ( MAIN ), Ares Capital ( ARCC ), MidCap Financial Investment ( MFC ), and Hercules Capital ( HTGC ). With investor concern, the VanEck BDC Income ETF ( BIZD ) has dropped 14% in the past year, and the Virtus Private Credit Strategy ETF ( VPC ) has declined 19%. By contrast, the S&P 500 rose 30% during the same period. More on Virtus Private Credit Strategy ETF, VanEck BDC Income ETF A Forensic Look At The Private Credit Market BIZD: Private Credit Is Still In Trouble BIZD Vs. PBDC: Why I'm Do...

tadamichi Colgate-Palmolive ( CL ) rose in early trading on Friday after topping the consensus estimates of analysts with its first-quarter earnings report. Revenue was up 8.4% to $5.32B. Organic sales were up 2.9% during the quarter, including a 0.6% negative impact from lower private label pet volume. The segments with the highest organic sales growth marks were Latin America (+5.4%) and Asia Pacific (+5.6%). Organic sales fell 1.8% in North America. Non-GAAP EPS was reported at $0.97 vs. $0.94 consensus and $0.91 a year ago. Colgate-Palmolive ( CL ) said its leadership in toothpaste continued with its global market share at 41.31 year-to-date, while its leadership in manual toothbrushes continued with its global market share at 32.6% year-to-date. "We delivered a strong start to 2026, with broad-based top- and bottom-line growth. Net sales and organic sales grew in every category and in four of five divisions with a nice balance of volume and pricing growth. Gross profit margin increased sequentially versus fourth quarter 2025 and operating profit, net income, earnings per share, and free cash flow all increased year over year along with an increase in advertising spending," stated CEO Noel Wallace. On the guidance front, Colgate-Palmolive ( CL ) expects net sales to be up 2% to 6%, including a low-single-digit positive impact from foreign exchange. The company still expects organic sales growth to be 1% to 4% higher. On a non-GAAP basis, the company expects gross profit margin to be down (versus up previously) and still expects advertising to be up on both a dollar basis and as a percentage of net sales and double-digit earnings per share growth. Weighing in on the report, RBC Capital Markets analyst Nik Mondi said the strong Q1 backed up its Outperform rating on the stock. "Over the longer term, we believe the organizational changes made over the last several years have enhanced capabilities that have driven strength in the international business, share momentu...

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) is currently trading at $611.91, while the average Wall Street price target is $855.11. That leaves an implied upside of roughly 39.7% between where the stock is and where analysts think it belongs. Meta Platforms runs the world’s largest collection of social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads) alongside Reality ... Meta Stock Just Dropped 9%: Is This the Dip to Buy?

Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA MarketBeat

Key PointsThis digital bank’s robust revenue and profit growth are driven by ongoing penetration in its key markets.

In this video, I will cover SoFi's (NASDAQ: SOFI) first-quarter earnings and Robinhood's earnings report and explain why both stocks are down. Watch the short video to learn more, consider subscribing, and click the special offer link below.

Nearly 70% Inflation, Mass Layoffs, And A Strangled Economy: Iran's Brutal Test Of Endurance Iran’s economy is undergoing one of the most brutal stress tests in its modern history. Official annual inflation has surged to 50% according to central bank figures released shortly after the ceasefire, while the y ear-on-year rate reached as high as 67% through mid-April, according to the Wall Street Journal . The rial has crashed to a record low of 1.8 million to the dollar, roughly two million workers have lost their jobs , and the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues to throttle the country’s oil exports and critical imports . Reconstruction costs from bombed infrastructure are estimated near $270 billion - alarmingly close to the country’s entire annual GDP of roughly $341 billion last year. What was already a sanctions-battered, mismanaged economy now confronts a grinding “no war, no peace” stalemate. Tehran is wagering that it can hunker down and endure a protracted war - allowing it to outlast American pressure. The early data and on-the-ground reality suggest that wager is being tested to its limits. The human impact is immediate and visible in everyday Tehran life. A 56-year-old housewife described to Najmeh Bozorgmehr of the Financial Times how a simple block of cheese rose from 5.2 million rials to 6.7 million rials (about $5.09) in a single week. Comparable jumps have struck rice, eggs, chicken, red meat, and other staples. A popular Peugeot 207 has climbed from 18 billion rials to 25 billion since the conflict began, while officials are preparing to authorize a 40 percent increase in government-mandated cement prices . The cost of living has soared, with the annual inflation rate reaching 67% in the month through mid-April from the same period a year earlier, according to Iran’s central bank. The subsidized price of red meat, which was mostly imported through sea routes, has gone up to the equivalent of around $3.60 a pound, beyond the reach of ...

Margaret recently phoned into The Clark Howard Podcast, wondering what to do with the Health Savings Account (HSA) left behind at a former employer. The plan has high fees and few investment options. “Move all that money that you have from the legacy employer HSA, move it all to Fidelity,” Howard said. “You want to ... Clark Howard’s Clear Eyed Advice About What to Do With an HSA After a Job Change

格隆汇5月1日｜据央视，当地时间5月1日，伊朗外交部长阿拉格齐与土耳其外交部长费丹、埃及外交部长阿卜杜勒阿提、卡塔尔首相兼外交大臣穆罕默德、沙特外交大臣费萨尔、伊拉克外交部长侯赛因和阿塞拜疆外交部长巴伊拉莫夫通电话。阿拉格齐在电话中通报了伊朗关于结束战争以及反对美国和以色列侵略的最新立场和倡议。

Grandbrothers/iStock Editorial via Getty Images The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a label expansion for Axsome Therapeutics’ ( AXSM ) depression therapy Auvelity, allowing its use as a treatment for agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. The decision came after the FDA granted priority review for the company’s supplemental New Drug Application for Auvelity, assigning April 30, 2026, as the target action date in December. In 2020, the agency issued the Breakthrough Therapy designation for the drug in Alzheimer’s disease agitation, a neuropsychiatric condition affecting up to 76% of patients with Alzheimer’s. In 2022, the FDA approved Auvelity for adults with major depressive disorder, and the oral therapy has been used to treat over 300,000 patients so far, Axsome ( AXSM ) said in a statement on Thursday. The sNDA was backed by data from Phase 3 studies, which indicated that Auvelity improved Alzheimer’s-linked agitation symptoms and delayed their relapse with a statistically significant effect compared to placebo. More on Axsome Therapeutics Axsome Is Priced For Perfection Ahead Of Auvelity's Alzheimer's Agitation Decision Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (AXSM) Presents at The Citizens Life Sciences Conference 2026 Transcript Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (AXSM) Presents at Leerink Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript Axsome signals AUVELITY sales force expansion to 600 reps ahead of potential Alzheimer’s indication Axsome Therapeutics GAAP EPS of -$0.56 beats by $0.13, revenue of $195.99M beats by $2.73M