Brigg, Lincolnshire: We work these vehicles hard and they will have problems, but today was really not the day for a steaming bonnet There’s never a good time for a tractor to break down, but this was exceptional timing. Late April was very dry as predicted, and with a change in weather prospects, the birdfood seed needed to go in. The purpose of this “crop” is to fill the birds’ winter hunger gap...
Brigg, Lincolnshire: We work these vehicles hard and they will have problems, but today was really not the day for a steaming bonnet There’s never a good time for a tractor to break down, but this was exceptional timing. Late April was very dry as predicted, and with a change in weather prospects, the birdfood seed needed to go in. The purpose of this “crop” is to fill the birds’ winter hunger gap, and it has to be sown in a narrow window: after the early May frosts, but before the soil dries out too much. We had just delivered the trailer of seed to the field, and were on the road returning to the farm, to collect the rolls that press the seed into the soil. As we passed through Brigg, the lights appeared on the dashboard and steam started to appear from the bonnet. This was our smallest and newest tractor. Hurriedly, we pulled into a driveway, water pouring from under the engine. Half on and half off the road, we started to collect traffic behind us. A quick look justified a call to the tractor dealers – it was a tricky job and the clock was ticking. Continue reading...
Evgeny Gromov/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash Consumer sentiment inched down further this month, hitting another record low. The preliminary May reading for the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index came in at 48.2, a 1.6-point drop from April's final print and below the projected 49.7 reading. The Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is a monthly survey of consumer confidence levels in the U.S....
Evgeny Gromov/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash Consumer sentiment inched down further this month, hitting another record low. The preliminary May reading for the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index came in at 48.2, a 1.6-point drop from April's final print and below the projected 49.7 reading. The Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is a monthly survey of consumer confidence levels in the U.S. with regard to the economy, personal finances, business conditions, and buying conditions, conducted by the University of Michigan. There are two reports released each month - a preliminary report released mid-month and a final report released at the end of the month. Joanne Hsu, the director of surveys, made the following comments : Consumer sentiment was essentially unchanged this month, coming in a scant 1.6 index points below April’s reading and comparable to the trough reached in June 2022. While the expectations index inched up, current conditions fell back about 9%, owing to a surge in concerns about high prices both for personal finances as well as buying conditions for major purchases. Real income expectations continued a decline that began in March. About one-third of consumers spontaneously mentioned gasoline prices and about 30% mentioned tariffs. Taken together, consumers continue to feel buffeted by cost pressures, led by soaring prices at the pump. Middle East developments are unlikely to meaningfully boost sentiment until supply disruptions have been fully resolved and energy prices fall. A Historical Perspective on Recession Risk The chart below provides a long-term perspective on this widely watched indicator. We have highlighted the index's value at the start of each recession. The current level of 48.2 is below the index's value at the start of all six recessions since its inception. To put today’s report in historical context, consumer sentiment is currently 42.5% below its average reading of 83.9 (arithmetic mean) and 41.7% below its geometric mean of...
NicoElNino/iStock via Getty Images By Ryan J. Puplava, CMT, CTS, CES AI Earnings Reckoning Arrives This week’s earnings season reinforced one dominant theme driving financial markets in 2026: artificial intelligence spending continues to overwhelm nearly every other macro concern. Investors entered the week questioning whether the market could continue justifying massive AI-related capital expendi...
NicoElNino/iStock via Getty Images By Ryan J. Puplava, CMT, CTS, CES AI Earnings Reckoning Arrives This week’s earnings season reinforced one dominant theme driving financial markets in 2026: artificial intelligence spending continues to overwhelm nearly every other macro concern. Investors entered the week questioning whether the market could continue justifying massive AI-related capital expenditures. By Friday, many of those doubts had been pushed aside by a wave of earnings reports, guidance increases, and infrastructure announcements that collectively suggested the AI buildout is still accelerating rather than slowing. The biggest market-moving report of the week came from Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ). AMD surged nearly 19% on Wednesday after delivering stronger-than-expected guidance driven by explosive demand for server CPUs tied to agentic AI deployment. CEO Lisa Su projected the server CPU market could reach $120 billion by 2030, reinforcing the idea that AI demand is evolving beyond just graphics processors and into the broader compute stack. The rally spread quickly across semiconductors, lifting names like Arm Holdings ( ARM ) and Intel ( INTC ) while helping push the PHLX Semiconductor Index sharply higher. Just as important was the market’s reaction to infrastructure bottlenecks. One of the most significant developments came from the partnership announced between Corning ( GLW ) and NVIDIA ( NVDA ). Corning said it would build three new optical manufacturing facilities to expand domestic fiber optic capacity tenfold. The move highlights how AI infrastructure is increasingly shifting from a pure chip story toward a systems-level story involving power management, networking, optical transmission, cooling, and memory bandwidth. That shift became even more apparent in memory markets. SanDisk ( SNDK ) and Micron Technology ( MU ) continued their parabolic moves higher after recent earnings beats and bullish commentary surrounding long-term memory supply a...
Despite geopolitical conflict, fluctuating oil prices, and macroeconomic volatility, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) continues to reach new highs. It's up almost 8% this year, the fourth in a row with gains. It's not the first time there's been such a streak, and anything could change for 2026 with most of the year still ahead. Should investors be worried? There's historical precedent for continuing...
Despite geopolitical conflict, fluctuating oil prices, and macroeconomic volatility, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) continues to reach new highs. It's up almost 8% this year, the fourth in a row with gains. It's not the first time there's been such a streak, and anything could change for 2026 with most of the year still ahead. Should investors be worried? There's historical precedent for continuing to invest as the market keeps rising. Investors should keep in mind that no matter how long the streak lasts, it will come to an end at some point. And while no one can say with any certainty how long this bull market will last, pullbacks are part of the process — two steps forward, one step back. Even a correction or a crash , only erases a fraction of the gains. Continue reading
Malaysia is resorting to cloud seeding to bring much-needed rain to the country’s “rice bowl” north, where a drought has delayed planting of the staple crop and raised supply fears. “This year ... has been affected by prolonged dry weather, low rainfall and reduced dam water levels,” said Malaysia’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mohamad Sabu. The conditions mean farmers have missed two...
Malaysia is resorting to cloud seeding to bring much-needed rain to the country’s “rice bowl” north, where a drought has delayed planting of the staple crop and raised supply fears. “This year ... has been affected by prolonged dry weather, low rainfall and reduced dam water levels,” said Malaysia’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mohamad Sabu. The conditions mean farmers have missed two of the three usual planting phases for so-called “wet direct seeding” of rice, a technique that...
How to Choose a Brokerage Account or Online BrokerInterface (NASDAQ:TILE) reported a stronger-than-expected start to fiscal 2026, with management pointing to broad-based sales gains, higher profitability and continued benefits from its One Interface strategy. Chief Executive Off
How to Choose a Brokerage Account or Online BrokerInterface (NASDAQ:TILE) reported a stronger-than-expected start to fiscal 2026, with management pointing to broad-based sales gains, higher profitability and continued benefits from its One Interface strategy. Chief Executive Off
Synaptics (NASDAQ:SYNA) reported its sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2026, with management pointing to continued strength in core IoT products and expanding customer activity in Edge AI and robotics. President and CEO Rahul Pate
Synaptics (NASDAQ:SYNA) reported its sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2026, with management pointing to continued strength in core IoT products and expanding customer activity in Edge AI and robotics. President and CEO Rahul Pate