The Philippines has crowned its newest Miss Universe candidate, Bea Millan-Windorski, with the country – known for its penchant for beauty pageants – preparing to send its latest representative to the global competition in November. The 23-year-old, who grew up in Wisconsin in the United States and is a history and international relations graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, stood out ...
The Philippines has crowned its newest Miss Universe candidate, Bea Millan-Windorski, with the country – known for its penchant for beauty pageants – preparing to send its latest representative to the global competition in November. The 23-year-old, who grew up in Wisconsin in the United States and is a history and international relations graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, stood out among seven final candidates last weekend with her winning answer. Asked why the Philippines was...
Africa’s farmland could be worth $1 trillion, but global shocks are raising the stakes. Fertilizer shortages, rising costs and supply disruptions are putting pressure on food production across the continent. (Source: Bloomberg)
Africa’s farmland could be worth $1 trillion, but global shocks are raising the stakes. Fertilizer shortages, rising costs and supply disruptions are putting pressure on food production across the continent. (Source: Bloomberg)
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment thesis Why does Leidos Holdings, Inc. ( LDOS ) have a declining share price despite a high return on equity? In this article, we assess the defense contractor’s fundamentals, share price, return on equity, and compounding. I conclude that investors are concerned with exogenous factors and have not noticed the high ROE or the growing gap betwee...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment thesis Why does Leidos Holdings, Inc. ( LDOS ) have a declining share price despite a high return on equity? In this article, we assess the defense contractor’s fundamentals, share price, return on equity, and compounding. I conclude that investors are concerned with exogenous factors and have not noticed the high ROE or the growing gap between earnings and the share price. I rate Leidos a Buy. About Leidos The company describes itself, in its 10-K for 2025 , as “an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations.” While it references commercial customers, 87% of its fiscal 2025 revenue came from U.S. government business. Of the remaining 13%, 8% came from international business. Leidos is known mainly as a defense contractor, but it also has a Health & Civil segment that delivered 30% of total revenues in fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2024. Those fiscal years ended on January 2 nd . The firm is currently working its way through what it calls its NorthStar 2030 Strategy. This excerpt from a slide in the Q1-2026 presentation provides an overview: LDOS NorthStar 2030 (LDOS Q1-2026 earnings presentation) On its website , Leidos stated, “We are carrying out our NorthStar 2030 strategy, focusing on five growth engines where demand is expanding and our expertise sets us apart: defense tech, managed health, digital infrastructure and cyber, energy resilience, and mission software.” The main takeaway: Leidos’ management has articulated a plan that should help grow the company, improve profitability, and provide better returns for shareholders. The company also has been a busy acquirer, most recently buying ENTRUST Solutions Group for roughly $2.4 billion. In a news release , it added, “The addition of ENTRUST effectively doubles Leidos' presence in the energy infrastructure market, bringing more than 3,100 experienced professionals with exp...
The US is shifting strategy to fund local African processing and mining infrastructure after recognising it cannot yet process the critical minerals it is racing to secure from the continent to counter China. Tom Haslett, managing director of policy for critical minerals at the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), said that unlike China, which had “significant industry backing f...
The US is shifting strategy to fund local African processing and mining infrastructure after recognising it cannot yet process the critical minerals it is racing to secure from the continent to counter China. Tom Haslett, managing director of policy for critical minerals at the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), said that unlike China, which had “significant industry backing for both processing and downstream manufacturing”, the US and Europe did not yet have that...
In this article DEO Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images President Donald Trump's decision to remove the 10% tariff on Scotch whisky exports to the U.S. has brought relief to the embattled sector — and could also provide a much-needed boost to a niche corner of the industry: premium cask investing. Cask investing involves buying an oak barrel filled with S...
In this article DEO Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images President Donald Trump's decision to remove the 10% tariff on Scotch whisky exports to the U.S. has brought relief to the embattled sector — and could also provide a much-needed boost to a niche corner of the industry: premium cask investing. Cask investing involves buying an oak barrel filled with Scotch — either shortly after the spirit's distillation or having already aged — and allowing its contents to mature over a period of 10 to 20 years, before selling it on. Barrels are typically traded within the industry through individual contracts between blenders and distillers, often involving cask exchanges rather than money, or via specialist Scotch whisky brokers. Individual investors can also purchase casks of newly-distilled or maturing Scotch whisky, either for personal use or as a speculative bet with a view to selling at a profit in secondary markets. Like other collectible alternative assets, such as fine art, rare watches and classic cars, cask investing is a high-risk, speculative, long-term bet on a largely unregulated, illiquid asset. While often seen as a hedge against inflation, the value of such assets depends entirely on secondary market demand. John Kennedy, managing director at Decant Index — a trading platform for investors to buy and sell alternative collectables, including premium whisky — said Trump's decision to ditch import levies could improve exit valuations for cask investors. The U.S. is the single biggest export market for Scotch, worth about £933 million ($1.27 billion) in 2025, according to the Scotch Whisky Association, the industry trade body. Kennedy said removing tariffs would reduce friction for importers, distributors and independent bottlers sourcing stock from Scotland, while also strengthening long-term confidence across the industry. "The biggest impact is likely to be felt at the premium end of the market," he said. "American co...
To be clear, I'm pro-401(k). However, I'm the first to admit that focusing so much on our 401(k)s has left me scrambling to build other types of accounts. Here's what happened. About 15 years ago, after a series of financial catastrophes, I realized that I had to get serious about our retirement accounts. To accomplish that, I dedicated myself to building two 401(k)s -- my husband's employer-spons...
To be clear, I'm pro-401(k). However, I'm the first to admit that focusing so much on our 401(k)s has left me scrambling to build other types of accounts. Here's what happened. About 15 years ago, after a series of financial catastrophes, I realized that I had to get serious about our retirement accounts. To accomplish that, I dedicated myself to building two 401(k)s -- my husband's employer-sponsored plan and my solo 401(k) . After rearranging our monthly budget so that our 401(k)s were "paid" first (and everything else paid from whatever was left), I dove in. As awful as a budget rearrangement sounds, prioritizing retirement plans turned out to be a good thing. First, it was good to have an account that we didn't have to pay taxes on right away. Even though I trimmed the fat from our existing budget, it wasn't as painful as I expected it to be. There's nothing like watching your nest egg grow to inspire you to keep going. Continue reading
pingingz/iStock via Getty Images Another Tech Name in the AI Space Who Beat Q1 Earnings Estimates To change the tone from my usual dividend-income stocks I cover, today's article journeys into the tech world and a non-dividend payer that recently beat Q1 earnings estimates on May 5th, now beating them 4 times in a row, and is also up nearly +2% since my buy rating last September (as of Friday morn...
pingingz/iStock via Getty Images Another Tech Name in the AI Space Who Beat Q1 Earnings Estimates To change the tone from my usual dividend-income stocks I cover, today's article journeys into the tech world and a non-dividend payer that recently beat Q1 earnings estimates on May 5th, now beating them 4 times in a row, and is also up nearly +2% since my buy rating last September (as of Friday morning data). The company is Teradata Corp. ( TDC ), which focuses on its AI and Knowledge platform designed for enterprise-grade workloads, among other solutions. This time around, I'll be exploring this stock across 7 rating categories, both fundamental and technical, and in lieu of a dividend discussion, I will take a closer look at cash flow trends. The Thesis Overwhelmingly is Bullish My updated thesis today reaffirms my buy rating from last autumn, and from my rating worksheet below, we can see there is overwhelming bullish strength across the board for this stock, with particular upside expected to come from the demand for AI-related platforms/solutions but also an attractive balance sheet risk and cash flow-generating business model that is proven by now. TDC - rating worksheet (author) A Revenue Recovery Story: As Growth Could Still Come From AI Demand To lead the discussion today, when considering what could drive growth and what could cause headwinds, I am a strong buy in this section due to macro demand for AI-related solutions, the company's growth in ARR, and its historic revenue recovery trend. To get a sense of what macroeconomic factors could impact upside for Teradata and its niche sector, it makes sense to understand something about this company's platform , which "scales knowledge and execution in lockstep—so as demand grows, AI stays accurate, governed, and effective." So, what comes to mind for me is whether there continues to be demand for AI-driven solutions. If we are to consider recent earnings results for major tech names, evidence points to continue...
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) is one of the best high volume stocks to invest in according to hedge funds. On May 4, Palantir reported earnings for Q1 2026, achieving its highest-ever year-over-year growth rate of 85% with total revenue reaching $1.63 billion. This surge was fueled by the company’s US business, which more than doubled […]
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) is one of the best high volume stocks to invest in according to hedge funds. On May 4, Palantir reported earnings for Q1 2026, achieving its highest-ever year-over-year growth rate of 85% with total revenue reaching $1.63 billion. This surge was fueled by the company’s US business, which more than doubled […]
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is one of the best high volume stocks to invest in according to hedge funds. On May 5, AMD reported Q1 2026 revenue of $10.3 billion, a 38% increase year-over-year. The Data Center segment officially became the company’s primary growth engine, contributing $5.8 billion (up 57% year-over-year) due to high […]
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is one of the best high volume stocks to invest in according to hedge funds. On May 5, AMD reported Q1 2026 revenue of $10.3 billion, a 38% increase year-over-year. The Data Center segment officially became the company’s primary growth engine, contributing $5.8 billion (up 57% year-over-year) due to high […]
OhmZ/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Airbnb ( ABNB ) reported +15% (FXN) revenue growth in 1Q’26 which was its highest topline growth over the last eight quarters. It is particularly impressive given the backdrop of the Iran war. Airbnb mentioned growth accelerated from January to February but then experienced a “slight deceleration” in March due to cancellations across the EMEA and APAC regions...
OhmZ/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Airbnb ( ABNB ) reported +15% (FXN) revenue growth in 1Q’26 which was its highest topline growth over the last eight quarters. It is particularly impressive given the backdrop of the Iran war. Airbnb mentioned growth accelerated from January to February but then experienced a “slight deceleration” in March due to cancellations across the EMEA and APAC regions once the war started. Airbnb estimates Nights growth would have been 10% (vs. the reported 9%) in the absence of the war. Source: Company Filings, MBI Deep Dives, Daloopa The reported revenue growth by region appears much more impressive in regions outside North America, but FX had a substantial impact on such regions. I would focus on Nights & Experiences (N&E) growth and Average Daily Rate (ADR) on an FX neutral basis to assess the underlying growth. Source: Company Filings, MBI Deep Dives, Daloopa Geographically, North America’s Nights growth finally moved upwards from the LSD-MSD range to HSD in 1Q’26. APAC region Nights growth also accelerated from mid-teens in the last four quarters to high teens in 1Q’26. First-time bookers accelerated to 10% growth (which was the highest since early 2022) primarily due to growth in expansion markets such as Brazil, India, and Japan. Source: Company Filings, MBI Deep Dives For the second consecutive quarter, origin nights booked from India grew 50% YoY and in Brazil, it maintained over 20% growth for three consecutive quarters. First-time bookers in India increased 75% YoY. Airbnb’s success in Brazil is particularly encouraging; I think such success has offered Airbnb a bit of a playbook that they now need to replicate and execute in other expansionary markets. Moreover, demand from the Airbnb app is growing much faster than the overall business. In 1Q’26, nights booked on the app accelerated to +22% YoY (vs. +17% in 1Q’25 and +20% in 4Q’25). The Airbnb app accounted for 63% of total nights booked in 1Q’26 (vs. 58% in 1Q’25). Origin...
primeimages/iStock via Getty Images By Lynn Song , Chief Economist, Greater China Exports cool in April mostly on slower computer exports Taiwan's export growth slowed to 39.0% YoY in April, down from 61.8% YoY in March, and falling well short of market forecasts on the month. By product, Taiwan's semiconductor exports moderated to 40.5% YoY, which was down only slightly from March's 45.7% YoY gro...
primeimages/iStock via Getty Images By Lynn Song , Chief Economist, Greater China Exports cool in April mostly on slower computer exports Taiwan's export growth slowed to 39.0% YoY in April, down from 61.8% YoY in March, and falling well short of market forecasts on the month. By product, Taiwan's semiconductor exports moderated to 40.5% YoY, which was down only slightly from March's 45.7% YoY growth, as AI chip demand remained strong. The computer and accessories category, which has been one of the leading subcategories in recent months, saw exports slow from triple-digit growth to 76.5% YoY. The broader machinery and electrical equipment category, which accounts for around 84% of Taiwan's total exports, grew 48.7% YoY in April, decelerating from the 66.6% YoY growth we saw over the first quarter. Most of Taiwan's other export categories continued to see relatively sluggish growth, leading to the softer headline export growth. By export destination, exports generally slowed across the board. However, exports to the US slumped sharply to 63.8% YoY, down from 124.0% YoY in March. While this growth certainly is still very impressive, the drop is a major factor behind the export data miss. Exports to the US fell from 35.6% to 31.8% of the total. Exports to Mainland China & Hong Kong, the second-largest destination, saw a more modest 15.8% YoY gain. One area where Taiwan is continuing to see positive signs is the export price index, which continued to accelerate for an eighth consecutive month to 18.0% YoY, reaching a multi-year high. As long as the demand for top-end AI chips remains robust, Taiwan's trade prospects remain bright. Imports miss too but higher oil prices start to appear in data On the other side of the trade equation, imports grew by 29.2% YoY in April, down from 38.3% YoY, also falling short of market forecasts. Taiwan's petroleum imports rose 18.3% YoY in April, bringing the year-to-date levels up to -14.6% YoY. The oil import price index began to capt...