Natalia Lebedinskaia | Moment | Getty Images For most filers, the tax deadline has come and gone — and if your refund or balance due was bigger than expected , it may be smart to adjust paycheck withholdings for 2026. Typically, workers ask employers for withholding changes via Form W-4 , which includes marital status, number of jobs, dependents and other details. For midyear updates, the form sug...
Natalia Lebedinskaia | Moment | Getty Images For most filers, the tax deadline has come and gone — and if your refund or balance due was bigger than expected , it may be smart to adjust paycheck withholdings for 2026. Typically, workers ask employers for withholding changes via Form W-4 , which includes marital status, number of jobs, dependents and other details. For midyear updates, the form suggests using the IRS tax withholding estimator for the "most accurate" instructions. The free tool generates a pre-filled W-4 (or W-4P for pension income) after asking about you and your spouse, earnings, adjustments, deductions and credits. But it may not be enough for all filers, experts say. Read more CNBC personal finance coverage This free tax withholding tool could make it easier update your paycheck Women tend to be 'risk-appropriate' investors, expert says: How that helps Nearly half of 2025 retirees stopped working sooner than they expected: Survey Social Security benefits can be reduced for retirees who work. How that may change Insurance rates based on credit history draw scrutiny from state lawmakers Dating is getting too expensive for many young adults in the U.S., survey shows Average tax refund is 11.3% higher, IRS filing data through Tax Day shows Fed is likely to hold rates steady — here's how that impacts your wallet Retirees are thinking of annuities the wrong way — and it may trip them up Wealth, millionaire tax push spreads to more states. What experts say Trump officials give mixed guidance on new student loan cap: financial aid group Trump's Fed pick Kevin Warsh signals approach to interest rates Gen Z looks for scholarships on TikTok. There's a better way, experts say What a looming jet fuel shortage could mean for summer travel CNBC's Financial Advisor 100: Best financial advisors, top firms ranked How withholdings impacted filers this season Enacted in July, President Donald Trump 's " big beautiful bill " added retroactive tax cuts for 2025, includ...
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) and Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) are both high-quality consumer staples companies with durable competitive moats. Neither stock is cheap, and the better stock right now depends on what you're aiming to optimize -- but on the whole, Walmart is the buy right now. If you want a higher-growth, membership-driven compounder that rewards long-term holders, Costco stock is the pic...
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) and Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) are both high-quality consumer staples companies with durable competitive moats. Neither stock is cheap, and the better stock right now depends on what you're aiming to optimize -- but on the whole, Walmart is the buy right now. If you want a higher-growth, membership-driven compounder that rewards long-term holders, Costco stock is the pick. If you want lower valuation, more near-term earnings levers, and exposure to one of the fastest-growing retail advertising businesses in the world, Walmart stock has the edge. For most investors building a core position in consumer staples today, Walmart offers the better risk-reward proposition at current prices. Costco commands a higher multiple for good reason. Its membership renewal rate in the U.S. and Canada is 92.1%, while global renewal is 89.7%. Membership fee revenue hit $5.3 billion in fiscal 2025 and grew another 13.6% in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, even after absorbing a membership fee hike in late 2024. That recurring revenue is essentially annuity income. The revenue is predictable, durable, and nearly impervious to recessions. When Costco raises its membership price, its members renew anyway. Continue reading
Key PointsVanguard Small-Cap Value ETF provides exposure to a broader basket of holdings at a significantly lower expense ratio than iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF.
Key PointsVanguard Small-Cap Value ETF provides exposure to a broader basket of holdings at a significantly lower expense ratio than iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF.
Expand Energy ( EXE ) declares $0.575/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 2.28% Payable June 4; for shareholders of record May 14; ex-div May 14. See EXE Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Expand Energy Expand Energy Corporation 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Expand Energy: Excellent Q1 2026 Free Cash Flow After Winter Storm Fern...
Expand Energy ( EXE ) declares $0.575/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 2.28% Payable June 4; for shareholders of record May 14; ex-div May 14. See EXE Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Expand Energy Expand Energy Corporation 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Expand Energy: Excellent Q1 2026 Free Cash Flow After Winter Storm Fern Expand Energy's Discount Offers Upside Expand Energy Non-GAAP EPS of $3.83 beats by $0.20, revenue of $4.39B beats by $1.34B Expand Energy Q1 earnings preview: Analysts bullish
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Upgrading PLTR To "Buy" Ahead Of The Q1 Earnings Release I've been bearish on Palantir Technologies ( PLTR ) for some time in the past, with my latest period of bearishness spanning from August 2025 to February 2026. In my February update, I saw that the sentiment had become too dark and that the stock had started to look more reasonably valued again afte...
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Upgrading PLTR To "Buy" Ahead Of The Q1 Earnings Release I've been bearish on Palantir Technologies ( PLTR ) for some time in the past, with my latest period of bearishness spanning from August 2025 to February 2026. In my February update, I saw that the sentiment had become too dark and that the stock had started to look more reasonably valued again after a valuation reset with no real changes in the core fundamentals. Since that latest update of mine , the stock has managed to soar by over 6%, slightly beating the market. Seeking Alpha, Oakoff's coverage on PLTR Now, Palantir is rapidly approaching its Q1 2026 earnings update that is expected to see the light on May 4th before the market opens . I'm not suggesting that the stock's valuation has fully reflected the new risk factors and the Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) threat - there might be more downside to come, for sure - but from what I see, PLTR looks like a strong pick on this prolonged dip right before earnings because the underlying business momentum is unlikely to have stalled yet. I believe management will provide several positive commentaries, and PLTR will, once again in its corporate history, report a massive Rule of 40, outshining most other tech firms out there. The risk/reward looks favorable ahead of the earnings print, so I decided to upgrade my rating to "Buy" for the first time since mid-2024 . Previewing Palantir's Upcoming Earnings Print PLTR has lost over 20% on a YTD basis, which is a severe underperformance against the S&P 500 ( SPY ) and the tech sector ( XLK ) as well, although it seems to be just in line with the software sector's move ( IGV ): Data by YCharts The clearest catalyst for the sell-off was, of course, Anthropic's rise with their Claude Code and Mythos models, which have shown the market that they can execute complex workflows and autonomously coordinate tasks across multiple interfaces, thus potentially disrupting the whole SaaS world and i...
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Upgrading PLTR To "Buy" Ahead Of The Q1 Earnings Release I've been bearish on Palantir Technologies ( PLTR ) for some time in the past, with my latest period of bearishness spanning from August 2025 to February 2026. In my February update, I saw that the sentiment had become too dark and that the stock had started to look more reasonably valued again afte...
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Upgrading PLTR To "Buy" Ahead Of The Q1 Earnings Release I've been bearish on Palantir Technologies ( PLTR ) for some time in the past, with my latest period of bearishness spanning from August 2025 to February 2026. In my February update, I saw that the sentiment had become too dark and that the stock had started to look more reasonably valued again after a valuation reset with no real changes in the core fundamentals. Since that latest update of mine , the stock has managed to soar by over 6%, slightly beating the market. Seeking Alpha, Oakoff's coverage on PLTR Now, Palantir is rapidly approaching its Q1 2026 earnings update that is expected to see the light on May 4th before the market opens . I'm not suggesting that the stock's valuation has fully reflected the new risk factors and the Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) threat - there might be more downside to come, for sure - but from what I see, PLTR looks like a strong pick on this prolonged dip right before earnings because the underlying business momentum is unlikely to have stalled yet. I believe management will provide several positive commentaries, and PLTR will, once again in its corporate history, report a massive Rule of 40, outshining most other tech firms out there. The risk/reward looks favorable ahead of the earnings print, so I decided to upgrade my rating to "Buy" for the first time since mid-2024 . Previewing Palantir's Upcoming Earnings Print PLTR has lost over 20% on a YTD basis, which is a severe underperformance against the S&P 500 ( SPY ) and the tech sector ( XLK ) as well, although it seems to be just in line with the software sector's move ( IGV ): Data by YCharts The clearest catalyst for the sell-off was, of course, Anthropic's rise with their Claude Code and Mythos models, which have shown the market that they can execute complex workflows and autonomously coordinate tasks across multiple interfaces, thus potentially disrupting the whole SaaS world and i...
Editor's note: Seeking Alpha is proud to welcome Nataliia Gurinenko as a new contributing analyst. You can become one too! Share your best investment idea by submitting your article for review to our editors. Get published, earn money, and unlock exclusive SA Premium access. Click here to find out more » znm/iStock Editorial via Getty Images 1. Investment Thesis Bitcoin's ( BTC-USD ) options flow ...
Editor's note: Seeking Alpha is proud to welcome Nataliia Gurinenko as a new contributing analyst. You can become one too! Share your best investment idea by submitting your article for review to our editors. Get published, earn money, and unlock exclusive SA Premium access. Click here to find out more » znm/iStock Editorial via Getty Images 1. Investment Thesis Bitcoin's ( BTC-USD ) options flow looks constructive after the April recovery, but I would not call it a new bullish regime yet. The better BTC reads came after spot moved from the early-April stress area around $66.7K-68.4K toward the $76K-78K area. The strongest evidence was not just a lower put/call ratio. It was the combination of call-heavy flow, positive net delta, and repeated concentration around higher call strikes. My current working case is recovery and consolidation above the $74K-76K recovery area, with conditional upside only if BTC can keep attracting confirmed flow around the $82K-84K call area. BTC gives the cleaner read because several high-volume April sessions had positive delta confirmation. ETH ( ETH-USD ) is less clean: it had defensive days, single-instrument distortion, and weaker delta confirmation on the same day BTC looked more constructive. The practical conclusion is simple. I would keep BTC on watch for continuation only if call-heavy flow remains supported by positive net delta and the futures curve stops showing near-term stress. For ETH, I would need cleaner adjusted PCR and better delta confirmation before treating it as equally constructive. 2. Market Context The data window runs from January 1 to April 28, 2026, inclusive. I exclude the next calendar day because it is only the technical report boundary, not part of the completed market data. For this article, I am focused on the April recovery segment because that is where the current investment question sits. BTC started April near the stress area. On April 1, the report showed BTC spot at $68,420, with PCR at 1.05 and ...
PUGUN SJ/iStock via Getty Images By Jay Jacobs Beyond the Magnificent 7: AI fuels broader earnings growth The U.S. equity market has reached historic levels of concentration. The top 10 companies now represent 37.92% of the S&P 500 2 , and in 2023 & 2024, the Magnificent Seven 1 (the largest U.S. tech stocks) delivered over 30% annual earnings growth. 3 But that dynamic has begun to shift. 5% of c...
PUGUN SJ/iStock via Getty Images By Jay Jacobs Beyond the Magnificent 7: AI fuels broader earnings growth The U.S. equity market has reached historic levels of concentration. The top 10 companies now represent 37.92% of the S&P 500 2 , and in 2023 & 2024, the Magnificent Seven 1 (the largest U.S. tech stocks) delivered over 30% annual earnings growth. 3 But that dynamic has begun to shift. 5% of companies are found to be systematically deploying AI at scale to reshape their economics, while 60% are bucketed as “laggards” Chart description: Chart shows that 5% of companies are systematically deploying AI at scale to reshape their economics, while 35% are starting to generate value and 60% are bucketed as 'laggards.' (Source: BCG Build for the Future 2025 Global Study (1,250 companies), as of 9/30/2025. Subject to change. The AI maturity score assesses company integration and effective use of AI across 41 dimensions.) In 2025, earnings growth for the Mag 7 dropped to 22%, and growth expectations for the largest companies has moderated, while earnings across the rest of the market have improved from negative in 2023 to ~9% in 2025.⁴ Growth beyond the mega-caps may continue accelerating in 2026, at attractive valuations, as companies increasingly implement AI. However, diversification will be key as concentration risk still remains a factor and differing rates of AI adoption may increase competition, potentially creating dispersion as clear “winners” and “losers” emerge. Against this backdrop, the iShares Large Cap Core Active ETF ( BLCR ) seeks to identify the “best of the rest” beyond the Mag 7 — companies benefiting from AI adoption could emerge from earnings slowdowns at more attractive valuations. The fund has 34% overlap with the S&P 500 5 , maintaining core U.S. large-cap exposure while providing differentiated portfolio exposures from companies potentially benefiting from reindustrialization, AI-related infrastructure demand, and possibly overlooked defensive tr...
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is holding its breath as the Fed prepares to deliver its latest rate decision this afternoon in what will be remembered as Jerome Powell’s final FOMC meeting as Chairman before Kevin Warsh is expected to take the reins. Meanwhile, Big Tech earnings are gearing up, with Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), Alphabet (Nasdaq: ... S&P 500 Holds Steady as Big Tech Earnings, Fed Decision and Oil P...
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is holding its breath as the Fed prepares to deliver its latest rate decision this afternoon in what will be remembered as Jerome Powell’s final FOMC meeting as Chairman before Kevin Warsh is expected to take the reins. Meanwhile, Big Tech earnings are gearing up, with Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), Alphabet (Nasdaq: ... S&P 500 Holds Steady as Big Tech Earnings, Fed Decision and Oil Prices Collide
PwC once held more than a 30% share of the Hong Kong market for listed companies with valuations exceeding HK$50 billion. Photo: VCG Shareholders of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. (HKEX) on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a plan to replace PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) with KPMG as the exchange operator’s auditor beginning in 2026. The move highlights the deepening fallout facing PwC’s Hon...
PwC once held more than a 30% share of the Hong Kong market for listed companies with valuations exceeding HK$50 billion. Photo: VCG Shareholders of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. (HKEX) on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a plan to replace PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) with KPMG as the exchange operator’s auditor beginning in 2026. The move highlights the deepening fallout facing PwC’s Hong Kong operations, which has lost a wave of high-profile clients after incurring record regulatory penalties tied to its role in the financial fraud at China Evergrande Group.