XLK, VGT, and FTXL all carry the “tech ETF” label, but they are built for fundamentally different investors. Here is how they stack up across three dimensions that matter most: cost efficiency, growth trajectory, and portfolio fit for retirement investors. Cost & Structure On expenses, XLK and VGT are nearly identical and both exceptional. XLK ... XLK vs. VGT vs. FTXL: Which Tech ETF Belongs in Yo...
XLK, VGT, and FTXL all carry the “tech ETF” label, but they are built for fundamentally different investors. Here is how they stack up across three dimensions that matter most: cost efficiency, growth trajectory, and portfolio fit for retirement investors. Cost & Structure On expenses, XLK and VGT are nearly identical and both exceptional. XLK ... XLK vs. VGT vs. FTXL: Which Tech ETF Belongs in Your Portfolio?
Tetra Tech ( TTEK ) and its JV partner Mason & Hanger secured a $99M single-award task order contract. The contract was awarded by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southeast. The 5-year contract covers multidiscipline architect-engineer services across NAVFAC Southeast’s operational region. The joint venture will support military infrastructure projects, including refurbishment of wate...
Tetra Tech ( TTEK ) and its JV partner Mason & Hanger secured a $99M single-award task order contract. The contract was awarded by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southeast. The 5-year contract covers multidiscipline architect-engineer services across NAVFAC Southeast’s operational region. The joint venture will support military infrastructure projects, including refurbishment of waterfront, marine, and shore-based facilities. Work will also include design and engineering services for certain non-military construction projects. More on Tetra Tech Tetra Tech, Inc. (TTEK) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Tetra Tech, Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Tetra Tech: Temporary Headwind, Good Medium To Long Term Prospects Tetra Tech awarded $100 million environmental services contract for Air Force projects Tetra Tech Non-GAAP EPS of $0.35 beats by $0.04, revenue of $1.04B beats by $65.72M
imaginima/E+ via Getty Images With Brent crude oil ( CO1:COM ) ( BNO ) prices surging double-digits since the war in Iran started at the end of February, markets are swinging from complacency to “outright panic” over the Strait of Hormuz closure , according to Robin Brooks, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. This shift, he argues, makes it worth considering catalysts that could push price...
imaginima/E+ via Getty Images With Brent crude oil ( CO1:COM ) ( BNO ) prices surging double-digits since the war in Iran started at the end of February, markets are swinging from complacency to “outright panic” over the Strait of Hormuz closure , according to Robin Brooks, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. This shift, he argues, makes it worth considering catalysts that could push prices lower. Three Factors That Could Reverse the Spike The closure is now priced in: The Strait of Hormuz has been closed for about a week. “The Strait can’t get any more closed than it already is,” Brooks writes, meaning markets are now simply weighing whether current Brent prices correctly reflect the supply disruption. Traffic can only resume: From here, the situation can only improve as tanker traffic restarts. Given the substantial risk premium already built into Brent, Brooks suggests that even a small number of oil tankers successfully passing through could shift market psychology. If the U.S. Navy successfully thwarts drone attacks on these vessels, the effect would be amplified. Regime instability in Iran: Continued aerial bombardment weakens the Iranian government’s grip on power each day. Brooks points to recent mass protests in Tehran that were violently suppressed. “The probability that the regime falls is as high as it’s ever been and rising,” he writes. The Strait closure is now old news, Brooks concludes, meaning current price movements are “entirely psychological” as markets weigh how quickly tanker traffic can restart. “That’s the kind of thing that can change on a dime.” Brent crude ( CO1:COM ) jumped some 8% in Thursday morning trading to roughly $100 a barrel -- it had reached as high as $119 early in the week -- as tensions remained high amid the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, while U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate ( CL1:COM ) climbed 7% to ~$94 per barrel at press time. More on Brent Futures, United States Brent Oil Fund LP ETF What President Trump Say...
Eat The Rich: Sanders And Khanna Introduce Federal Billionaires Tax Authored by Jonathan Turley, “Enough is enough.” With those words, Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt) launched a push to impose a 5% annual wealth tax on America’s billionaires . With Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Cal.), the legislation, “Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act,” echoes the growing “eat-the-rich” mantra on the left — seekin...
Eat The Rich: Sanders And Khanna Introduce Federal Billionaires Tax Authored by Jonathan Turley, “Enough is enough.” With those words, Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt) launched a push to impose a 5% annual wealth tax on America’s billionaires . With Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Cal.), the legislation, “Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act,” echoes the growing “eat-the-rich” mantra on the left — seeking to replicate a disastrous push in California that has led to an exodus from that state and an estimated loss of $2 trillion in taxable assets . It is also flagrantly unconstitutional. Under the plan, Congress would target 938 billionaires to tap them for $4.4 trillion. That money would then be redistributed as a $3,000 direct payment to every man, woman, and child in a household making $150,000 or less – $12,000 for a family of four. The timing of the move is telling. Not only is it calculated before the midterm elections, in which the Democrats hope to retake power, but it follows the push by California Democrats and unions to impose a similar wealth tax in that state. Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, has supported the state law, which includes a ruinous provision for startup entrepreneurs. The law would not only be retroactive to try to trap wealthy taxpayers who have fled the state, but also base wealth calculations on the voting shares of corporate executives. Often, with start-ups, entrepreneurs hold greater voting shares than actual ownership. However, just in case they need more incentive to leave the state, they will be taxed as if their voting shares represented actual wealth. The practical problem is that the wealthy, like their wealth, are mobile. As a result, many are fleeing California. So now Khanna is joining with the nation’s leading Democratic Socialists to ensure there is nowhere to hide in the United States. For billionaires in California, they could be double-tapped for ten percent of their wealth. It has long been the dream of the far left. Year...
THEGIFT777/iStock via Getty Images Almost nine months ago, I recommended buying the 60-year bond of Southern Company ( SOJF ), which was offering a yield of 6.3%. I based my recommendation on the attractive yield, the wide margin of safety of the bond, and my expectations for lower interest rates, which would provide a tailwind to fixed-income securities, including the bond of Southern. Indeed, si...
THEGIFT777/iStock via Getty Images Almost nine months ago, I recommended buying the 60-year bond of Southern Company ( SOJF ), which was offering a yield of 6.3%. I based my recommendation on the attractive yield, the wide margin of safety of the bond, and my expectations for lower interest rates, which would provide a tailwind to fixed-income securities, including the bond of Southern. Indeed, since my article, the Fed has cut interest rates three times , for a total decrease from 4.5% to 3.75%. Despite this positive development, the bond of Southern has appreciated only 0.5%. As a result, it has offered a total return of 4% and is poised to offer a total return of approximately 6% in the 12 months following the article. Such a return is decent for an essentially risk-free, fixed-income security, though it is lower than the 13% total return of the S&P 500 in the last 12 months. Moreover, an unexpected geopolitical event has taken place lately, namely the ongoing war in Iran. This conflict does not affect the business of Southern, but it has caused the price of oil to skyrocket within just a few days due to the disruption of global oil supply. Consequently, fears have emerged that a resurgence of inflation may take place, just like the one that took place in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine. If inflation rises significantly, it will probably affect the future path of interest rates and hence the future path of the price of the bond of Southern. In this article, I will analyze the outlook of the bond of Southern, given the recent developments. Risk #1: The issuer Before buying any bond, investors should first make sure that the risk of a default of the issuer is negligible. Indeed, this appears to be the case with Southern. Thanks to the huge capital expenses required to build the infrastructure of Southern, the utility operates in an essential monopoly. In addition, thanks to the essential nature of electricity, the company has proved immune to all kinds of downturns....
Rainbow Apple logo with the headline “50 Years of Thinking Different” Fifty years ago in a small garage, a big idea was born. Apple was founded on the simple notion that technology should be personal, and that belief — radical at the time — changed everything. April 1st marks 50 years of Apple. From the first Apple computer to the Mac, from iPod to iPhone, iPad to Apple Watch and AirPods, as well ...
Rainbow Apple logo with the headline “50 Years of Thinking Different” Fifty years ago in a small garage, a big idea was born. Apple was founded on the simple notion that technology should be personal, and that belief — radical at the time — changed everything. April 1st marks 50 years of Apple. From the first Apple computer to the Mac, from iPod to iPhone, iPad to Apple Watch and AirPods, as well as the services we use every day — the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV — we’ve spent five decades rethinking what’s possible and putting powerful tools into people’s hands. Through every breakthrough, one idea has guided us — that the world is moved forward by people who think different. That’s because progress always begins with someone — an inventor or scientist, a student or storyteller — who imagines a better way, a new idea, a different path. That spirit has guided Apple from the start. But it has never belonged to us alone. Every invention we bring into the world is just the beginning of a story. The most meaningful chapters are written by all of you — the people who use our technology to work, learn, dream, and discover. You’ve made breakthroughs and launched businesses. You’ve cheered up loved ones in the hospital and captured your toddler’s first steps. You’ve run marathons, written books, and rekindled friendships. You’ve chased your curiosity, found your new favorite song, and shared stories that connect us all. In your hands, the tools we make have improved lives, and sometimes even saved them. And that is what inspires us — not what technology can do alone, but everything you can do with it. At Apple, we’re more focused on building tomorrow than remembering yesterday. But we couldn’t let this milestone pass without thanking the millions of people who make Apple what it is today — our incredible teams around the world, our developer community, and every customer who has joined us on this journey. Your ideas inspire our work. Your trust dr...
Shutterstock / Piotr Swat (Shutterstock / Piotr Swat) Quick Read Palantir Technologies (PLTR) stock has pulled back sharply from its 52-week high despite exceptional business execution, with the decline driven by valuation concerns at a forward P/E of 125x that leaves no room for execution errors in an increasingly competitive AI market. Palantir posted Q4 2025 revenue of $1.406B, up 70% year-over...
Shutterstock / Piotr Swat (Shutterstock / Piotr Swat) Quick Read Palantir Technologies (PLTR) stock has pulled back sharply from its 52-week high despite exceptional business execution, with the decline driven by valuation concerns at a forward P/E of 125x that leaves no room for execution errors in an increasingly competitive AI market. Palantir posted Q4 2025 revenue of $1.406B, up 70% year-over-year, with U.S. commercial revenue surging 137% to $507M, demonstrating that business is robust. The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks. Get them here FREE. Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) is trading around $152 in premarket hours this Thursday morning. Currently, shares sit roughly 27% below the 52-week high of $207.52. That's a meaningful haircut for a company that just posted one of the most impressive earnings quarters in its history. The gap between Palantir's business fundamentals and the stock price is exactly what makes this moment worth examining closely. The Debate Surrounding Palantir The pullback is not a story about a broken company. It's a story about a stock that got very far ahead of itself, and is now digesting a valuation that still demands a lot of future perfection. READ: The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks PLTR stock is down about 14.71% year-to-date, after opening 2026 near $177.75. But zoom out one year and the stock is still up 94%, which puts the recent slide in proper context. Reddit's r/stocks community captured the tension well in a thread titled "PLTR: If it does not make sense to buy the whole company, it does not make sense to buy a single share." This drew hundreds of comments debating whether the AI software leader is genuinely worth its price; that debate is the entire story right now. A Business Firing on All Cylinders Palantir Technologies reported Q4 2025 revenue of $1.406 billion, up 70% year-over-year, beating estimates by 5.74%. Adjusted EPS came in at $0.25 versus ...
Silver is a precious metal, so it falls into the same category as gold, except it is used extensively in industrial applications whereas its shiny yellow counterpart isn't. In fact, over half the annual supply of silver is soaked up by manufacturers of electronics, alloys, solders, and more. The price of an ounce of silver soared by 144% in 2025, partly because China announced new export restricti...
Silver is a precious metal, so it falls into the same category as gold, except it is used extensively in industrial applications whereas its shiny yellow counterpart isn't. In fact, over half the annual supply of silver is soaked up by manufacturers of electronics, alloys, solders, and more. The price of an ounce of silver soared by 144% in 2025, partly because China announced new export restrictions which stoked fears of supply disruptions. The metal gained further ground in the early stages of 2026, but it's actually down 28% from last year's peak price of $121 per ounce. The iShares Silver Trust (SLV +0.35%) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that directly tracks the price of silver. It can be purchased through any major stock trading platform, so it's a popular alternative to buying physical silver, which carries storage and insurance costs. Should investors buy the ETF following silver's recent correction? Here's what history says it could do next. Conditions favor more upside in silver Investors typically buy precious metals during times of heightened political and economic uncertainty, because they are proven stores of value dating back thousands of years. Gold is the primary choice because of its scarcity, with just 219,890 tons of the yellow metal extracted from the ground throughout human history. Silver is more abundant with around 1.7 million tons mined to date. Precious metals don't produce any revenue or earnings, so they don't grow in value organically. Instead, their perceived value tends to rise as the value of fiat currency declines. The U.S. dollar, for example, has lost around 90% of its purchasing power since 1971, which is the year the country abandoned the gold standard -- a mechanism that prevented the government from printing more money unless it had an equal amount of physical gold to match. Unsurprisingly, since the government has been able to print more dollars at its own discretion over the last five decades, money supply has exploded. The...