Key Points There’s never a bad time to invest in the United States’ economic titans. There are also times when better opportunities lie elsewhere. Analysts believe AI is creating asymmetrical growth opportunities all over. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard International Equity Index Funds - Vanguard Total World Stock ETF › Do you view the market's recent weakness as a buying opportunity? Mayb...
Key Points There’s never a bad time to invest in the United States’ economic titans. There are also times when better opportunities lie elsewhere. Analysts believe AI is creating asymmetrical growth opportunities all over. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard International Equity Index Funds - Vanguard Total World Stock ETF › Do you view the market's recent weakness as a buying opportunity? Maybe a chance to step into a new position in a broad-based index fund at a discounted price? If so, good idea! Even if we haven't hit the ultimate bottom yet, stocks are certainly on sale here. But which fund? The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY) and the essentially identical Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) are always popular choices. If you've got the option of buying anything though, maybe something with a bit more international exposure like the Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (NYSEMKT: VT) is a better option right now. 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 » Exactly what it sounds like Just as the name suggests, the Vanguard Total World Stock ETF owns stocks of companies located all over the planet. Built to mirror the FTSE Global All Cap Index, this exchange-traded fund (ETF) holds stakes in over 10,000 equities of all shapes and sizes, many of which you've likely never even heard of. Roughly two-thirds of this ETF's value consists of North American companies (most of which are U.S. listings), while European stocks account for 15% of its holdings. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific names and emerging markets each make up about 10% of VT's portfolio. Said another way, about one-third of this fund's value consists of stocks that aren't in the S&P 500. Great. But given that the U.S. economy and market have been outperforming most others of late, why fix what isn't broken? Because nothing is ever perma...
With the Strait of Hormuz currently closed and the threat of ongoing attacks on energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and the price of oil almost $100 a barrel at the time of writing, investors have inevitably started looking at which energy-related stocks might help protect a portfolio from headline risk. I have two ideas. Headline risk is rising It's important to pause ...
With the Strait of Hormuz currently closed and the threat of ongoing attacks on energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and the price of oil almost $100 a barrel at the time of writing, investors have inevitably started looking at which energy-related stocks might help protect a portfolio from headline risk. I have two ideas. Headline risk is rising It's important to pause for a few seconds and consider the bigger picture. For example, the obvious way to invest in such an environment is to buy U.S. oil producers that will benefit from higher prices without facing supply issues. Moving beyond that, there's also the potential for structural damage to energy infrastructure in the Gulf and the instability's impact on the willingness or cost of investing in energy assets in the region. Oil captures the headlines, and understandably so, because according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 34% of global crude oil trade went through the Strait in 2025. Still, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 20% of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows through the Strait , and LNG flowing through the Strait accounts for 27% of Asia's LNG imports. It gets worse. Natural gas is the primary raw material used to make fertilizers such as urea and ammonium nitrate, and fertilizer prices have soared this year. Countries like India, China, and Australia are highly reliant on fertilizers or materials (sulfur) used to make fertilizers that pass through the Strait. Two stocks to buy From these observations, it's clear that buying U.S.-focused producers of raw materials used to make fertilizers, such as CF Industries (CF +0.86%), makes sense. The company has six manufacturing facilities in the U.S., two in Canada, and one in the U.K. It's the world's largest producer of ammonia (used to make fertilizers) and a major producer of urea. Its access to North American gas means it's not exposed to supply instability, and it's well placed to help...
filo/iStock via Getty Images I am rating ARMOUR Residential REIT ( ARR ) stock a Hold. To expand here, the 16.9% dividend yield and a stabilizing macroeconomic backdrop (like Fed easing and FHFA mandates) yield an attractive optical yield. On the top, ARMOUR stock has an attractive-yield for bulls’ long-term capital. But, in my opinion, the irreconcilable gross equity management fee backs permanen...
filo/iStock via Getty Images I am rating ARMOUR Residential REIT ( ARR ) stock a Hold. To expand here, the 16.9% dividend yield and a stabilizing macroeconomic backdrop (like Fed easing and FHFA mandates) yield an attractive optical yield. On the top, ARMOUR stock has an attractive-yield for bulls’ long-term capital. But, in my opinion, the irreconcilable gross equity management fee backs permanent value leakage to ACM (aka ARMOUR Capital Management LP). The dependence on BUCKLER for 47% of repo funding leads to highly concentrated counterparty risk. Moreso, MBS spreads are priced for perfection. Any reversion to historical norms ( -10.24% equity per 25bps widening ) can be a direct hit on book value. Dividend-Bulls should hold only for short-term tactical carry, but can start booking profits on any move toward and above book value ($18.37) . What Can Take ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Price Higher? To start on ARMOUR Residential REIT stock’s bullish thesis, I want to first focus on ARMOUR Residential's portfolio construction. The portfolio holds a strong defensive posture against prepayment burnout. With 92% of ARMOUR Residential’s $20 billion portfolio allocated to specified pools (heavily weighted toward loan-balance, geo-specific, and credit-story pools), it has protected its asset base against refinancing wave (generic). As the 30Y mortgage rate shifts toward the 6% threshold , generic TBA pools hold negative convexity. However, ARMOUR Residential’s Q4 rotation (that is deploying over $1 billion into deeper discount MBS and shifting away from current-coupon belly risk) builds a long-term advantage. What’s my point here? Ok, if affordability initiatives freeze housing turnover, then these seasoned discount collateral pools can preserve higher yields. If turnover accelerates, the discount to par accelerates capital appreciation and turns a traditional prepayment risk into an accretion-catalyst. Apart from that, the liability side of the balance sheet is formed to...
"They're getting floods of applications. So I don't blame them. But it's coming to a point where students are becoming lazy. They're like 'if you're going to screen with AI, I'm going to apply with AI. And they use AI to write their CVs. I don't blame them either. Everyone's trying to figure it out," she says.
"They're getting floods of applications. So I don't blame them. But it's coming to a point where students are becoming lazy. They're like 'if you're going to screen with AI, I'm going to apply with AI. And they use AI to write their CVs. I don't blame them either. Everyone's trying to figure it out," she says.
Iran’s huge Pars gas field was hit on Wednesday in the first reported strikes on Iran’s Gulf energy infrastructure of the US-Israeli war, prompting Tehran to announce it would respond with attacks on oil and gas targets throughout the Gulf. Oil prices shot up after the attack, a major escalation in a war that has already halted shipping from the world’s most important energy-producing region and...
Iran’s huge Pars gas field was hit on Wednesday in the first reported strikes on Iran’s Gulf energy infrastructure of the US-Israeli war, prompting Tehran to announce it would respond with attacks on oil and gas targets throughout the Gulf. Oil prices shot up after the attack, a major escalation in a war that has already halted shipping from the world’s most important energy-producing region and could now bring lasting damage to its infrastructure. Benchmark Brent crude prices rose around 5 per cent to above US$108. Stock markets veered lower. Advertisement Pars is the Iranian sector of the world’s largest natural gas deposit, which Iran shares with Qatar across the Gulf. Iran’s Fars news agency reported that gas tanks and parts of a refinery had been hit, workers had been evacuated to a safe location and emergency crews were trying to put out a fire. State media later said the fire was under control. 03:29 US-Israel war on Iran is as reckless and catastrophic as it is stupid and illegal US-Israel war on Iran is as reckless and catastrophic as it is stupid and illegal The attack was widely reported in Israeli media to have been carried out by Israel with US consent, though neither country acknowledged immediate responsibility. The Israeli military did not respond to requests for comment.
vzphotos/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis Considering Oracle Corporation's ( ORCL ) metrics and performance, I am issuing a 'Strong Buy' rating on this stock, with a price target ranging between $265-$275 for the September 2027 timeline. This target is based on a practical P/E multiple of 22x-23x and solid projections of two-year compound growth. Looking at every detail of the c...
vzphotos/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis Considering Oracle Corporation's ( ORCL ) metrics and performance, I am issuing a 'Strong Buy' rating on this stock, with a price target ranging between $265-$275 for the September 2027 timeline. This target is based on a practical P/E multiple of 22x-23x and solid projections of two-year compound growth. Looking at every detail of the company, Oracle's quarterly revenue of $17.2 billion is only a small fraction of a $253 billion infrastructure cloud Total Addressable Market (TAM), with $166 billion in sales projected through 2030, indicating a growth potential of more than 3x still available in cloud infrastructure. The company has increased its Research and Development (R&D) spending to $10.1 billion, and raising the Capital Expenditure (CapEx) to $50 billion for fiscal year 2026 clearly illustrates its aggressive data center expansion. An institutional holding of around 44% reflects the confidence of smart money, while a 23% increase in net income against a 22% growth in revenue proves the company is managing costs efficiently. Furthermore, with an 44% growth rate in Oracle Cloud (OCI), it has now begun to penetrate the market share of giants like AWS and Azure. However, my focus is not only on the company's strengths, as Oracle faces significant risks, including a heavy debt burden of over $134.5 billion, which could pressure net margins in a high-interest-rate environment. Net insider selling of over $1.8 billion in the last 12 months suggests that leadership may perceive the current valuation as a peak. Additionally, the massive $50 billion CapEx puts heavy pressure on free cash flow, raising concerns that the pace of future dividend growth or share buybacks may slow down. Rising hyper-competition in the cloud market and potential price-cutting by Google or Amazon could impact Oracle's pricing power and if AI demand does not grow as expected, these heavy investments could turn into dead assets. Oracl...
The company is targeting a massive $2 billion quarterly revenue run rate within two years, driven by increasing demand for optical solutions for advanced AI workloads.
The company is targeting a massive $2 billion quarterly revenue run rate within two years, driven by increasing demand for optical solutions for advanced AI workloads.
Gold stocks continue to sell off in March. Shares of the world's largest gold mining company, Newmont Corporation (NEM 2.90%) fell nearly 5% in early morning trade today, extending its March losses to 18% through 11:40 a.m. ET Wednesday. Is this an opportunity to buy? Why is Newmont stock falling? The price of gold fell more than 2.5% today, slipping below the critical $5,000-per-ounce mark, as in...
Gold stocks continue to sell off in March. Shares of the world's largest gold mining company, Newmont Corporation (NEM 2.90%) fell nearly 5% in early morning trade today, extending its March losses to 18% through 11:40 a.m. ET Wednesday. Is this an opportunity to buy? Why is Newmont stock falling? The price of gold fell more than 2.5% today, slipping below the critical $5,000-per-ounce mark, as investors fear the Federal Reserve will signal that interest rates will remain high for longer amid sticky inflation and rising oil prices. The Fed will announce its latest interest rate decision on March 18. Brent crude oil price, meanwhile, rose sharply by over 5% during the day, driven by intensified conflict in the Middle East and persistent supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, the producer price index for February rose more than expected. Because the demand for gold generally falls when interest rates are high, the yellow metal is selling off amid heightened uncertainty. Expand NYSE : NEM Newmont Today's Change ( -2.90 %) $ -3.23 Current Price $ 107.81 Key Data Points Market Cap $121B Day's Range $ 105.71 - $ 108.25 52wk Range $ 42.93 - $ 134.88 Volume 3.9M Avg Vol 9.7M Gross Margin 49.78 % Dividend Yield 0.91 % You'd rarely expect a gold stock to rise when the gold price dips. Newmont stock has also had a massive run-up in the last one year, more than doubling in value. Profit-taking on a dip in gold price, therefore, shouldn't come as a surprise. What should you do with Newmont stock now? With everyone offloading Newmont stock, it's tempting to follow the crowd. Don't give in to your temptation, though. Instead of hitting the panic button, these dips are an opportunity to buy shares of one of the most resilient gold miners in the industry. Newmont generated a record $7.3 billion in free cash flow in 2025 and used $3.4 billion each to repay debt and return to shareholders. Newmont is committed to growing dividends through commodity cycles a...
Key Points The conflicts in Iran and the Middle East have escalated. The Federal Reserve could keep interest rates on hold. These factors are hurting gold and Newmont stock. 10 stocks we like better than Newmont › Gold stocks continue to sell off in March. Shares of the world's largest gold mining company, Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) fell nearly 5% in early morning trade today, extending its M...
Key Points The conflicts in Iran and the Middle East have escalated. The Federal Reserve could keep interest rates on hold. These factors are hurting gold and Newmont stock. 10 stocks we like better than Newmont › Gold stocks continue to sell off in March. Shares of the world's largest gold mining company, Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) fell nearly 5% in early morning trade today, extending its March losses to 18% through 11:40 a.m. ET Wednesday. Is this an opportunity to buy? 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 » Why is Newmont stock falling? The price of gold fell more than 2.5% today, slipping below the critical $5,000-per-ounce mark, as investors fear the Federal Reserve will signal that interest rates will remain high for longer amid sticky inflation and rising oil prices. The Fed will announce its latest interest rate decision on March 18. Brent crude oil price, meanwhile, rose sharply by over 5% during the day, driven by intensified conflict in the Middle East and persistent supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, the producer price index for February rose more than expected. Because the demand for gold generally falls when interest rates are high, the yellow metal is selling off amid heightened uncertainty. You'd rarely expect a gold stock to rise when the gold price dips. Newmont stock has also had a massive run-up in the last one year, more than doubling in value. Profit-taking on a dip in gold price, therefore, shouldn't come as a surprise. What should you do with Newmont stock now? With everyone offloading Newmont stock, it's tempting to follow the crowd. Don't give in to your temptation, though. Instead of hitting the panic button, these dips are an opportunity to buy shares of one of the most resilient gold miners in the industry. Newmont generat...
Red light artstudio/iStock via Getty Images Researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are expanding the use of remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches from search and rescue operations to everyday infrastructure monitoring, according to a Financial Times report released on Wednesday. Hirotaka Sato, a professor at NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has spent ...
Red light artstudio/iStock via Getty Images Researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are expanding the use of remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches from search and rescue operations to everyday infrastructure monitoring, according to a Financial Times report released on Wednesday. Hirotaka Sato, a professor at NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has spent over a decade developing the insect-hybrid robots. The technology was first deployed during Myanmar’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake last year, which killed more than 3.3K people. “In Japan, we have very old infrastructure,” Sato said. “We are testing more day-to-day uses, like checking old pipelines.” The cyborg cockroaches — Madagascan hissing cockroaches roughly the size of an adult thumb — are fitted with robotic backpacks containing circuit boards that send electric signals to control their movement. The latest devices use 25% less voltage than previous versions, extending battery life. For infrastructure work, the team developed new equipment resembling mini chariots with larger batteries, torches and cameras on wheeled platforms that the cockroaches pull through underground pipes, the FT reported. The insects offer advantages over traditional robots because millions of years of evolution have given them agility to navigate tight spaces. An automated fitting process now attaches devices in just over 60 seconds, making large-scale deployment feasible. Singapore’s transport system will be the first to trial the cockroach chariots for pipeline monitoring. Germany’s Swarm Biotactics recently announced similar technology for military reconnaissance, but Sato emphasized that Singapore’s cockroaches are “only for peaceful purposes.” Artificial Intelligence/robotics ETFs: ( AIQ ), ( BOTZ ), ( DTEC ), ( WTAI ), ( XAIX ), ( WISE ), ( GINN ), ( ROBT ), ( TECB ), ( XT ), ( THNQ ), and ( CHAT ). More on iShares Exponential Technologies ETF, Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ...
Nintendo’s most recent release isn’t a console or a game, but a toy. The Talking Flower is exactly what it sounds like: a physical version of the character first introduced in Super Mario Bros. Wonder that has the capability to talk. And that’s all it really does. You can set the real-world time, and on the hour it will announce what time it is, and it will also periodically say things at random. ...
Nintendo’s most recent release isn’t a console or a game, but a toy. The Talking Flower is exactly what it sounds like: a physical version of the character first introduced in Super Mario Bros. Wonder that has the capability to talk. And that’s all it really does. You can set the real-world time, and on the hour it will announce what time it is, and it will also periodically say things at random. If you can’t wait, there’s a big button that makes it spout a phrase. There is no real functional purpose for the Talking Flower. I already have plenty of ways to tell the time. And though you can set “sleep” and “wake” times, it’s not an alarm clock — Nintendo already has one of those — as those settings just ensure the flower isn’t annoying you at 1AM. So what’s the point? For $35 the Talking Flower injects a drip feed of whimsy into your home. Every so often the flower will just say things like “So exciting!” or “Feeling pretty great!” to create an overall positive vibe. Sometimes it feels prescient, like when it asked me yesterday, “Have you had lunch yet?” when I most certainly hadn’t. I also appreciate that it keeps saying that it’s “perfect weather for a nap” because I wholeheartedly agree. Likewise for the calming mantra I’ve heard a few times: “It’s gonna be alright. I like to take things slow.” (Sadly, the flower has yet to answer one of my most pressing questions: what the goo in Mario Wonder tastes like. The closest I’ve heard is it saying “the ocean tastes like tears.” The mystery remains.) Nintendo is always a company that zigs when everyone else zags — remember when it launched a new Game & Watch at the same time Microsoft and Sony were kickstarting the current generation of consoles? — and that has largely served it well. In its current form, the company continues to show restraint, staying conservative around its core products, and getting weird and fun for everything else. And the cheerful Talking Flower has plenty to say about that.
Cisco Systems CSCO shares are trading at a premium, as suggested by the Value Score of D. In terms of the forward 12-month price/sales, CSCO is trading at a premium of 4.95X, higher than the Zacks Computer Networking industry’s 4.78X and Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s HPE 0.69X. However, Cisco shares are trading at a discount compared with Arista Networks ANET and Broadcom AVGO. In terms of the forw...
Cisco Systems CSCO shares are trading at a premium, as suggested by the Value Score of D. In terms of the forward 12-month price/sales, CSCO is trading at a premium of 4.95X, higher than the Zacks Computer Networking industry’s 4.78X and Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s HPE 0.69X. However, Cisco shares are trading at a discount compared with Arista Networks ANET and Broadcom AVGO. In terms of the forward 12-month P/S, Arista Networks and Broadcom shares are trading at 14.26X and 12.87X, respectively. CSCO Stock’s Valuation Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research So, is the Cisco stock a buy at this level? Let’s find out. AI Push & Strong Networking Portfolio Aids Cisco’s Prospects Cisco expects more than $3 billion in AI infrastructure revenues from hyperscalers in fiscal 2026. The company plans to deploy Silicon One architecture across high-performance networking systems by fiscal year 2029. An expanding portfolio with the introduction of a 102.4 terabit per second G300 chip and two new pluggable optics, a 1.6 terabit per second OSFP and an 800-gig LPO (both built with Cisco silicon photonics technology), is driving CSCO’s footprint in high-performance AI infrastructure. Cisco sees a growing pipeline of more than $2.5 billion in orders for its high-performance networking products across sovereign, Neocloud and enterprise customers ($350 million worth of orders in the second quarter of fiscal 2026). The joint venture with AMD and HUMAIN plans to deliver up to 1 gigawatt of AI infrastructure by 2030. Sovereign solutions are gaining traction as rapid AI adoption is accelerating concerns related to privacy, data governance and regulatory compliance. Robust demand for AI infrastructure and campus networking solutions is expected to drive CSCO’s top-line growth. The company’s networking portfolio, powered by Silicon One, AI-native security solutions and operating systems, is expanding CSCO’s AI footprint. Networking product orders grew 20% in the re...
Counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale KC said: "Did you feel the need to communicate to the media what you were doing, rather than just getting on with what you were doing?"
Counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale KC said: "Did you feel the need to communicate to the media what you were doing, rather than just getting on with what you were doing?"