Lone Star Stock/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Texas Capital Bancshares ( TCBI ) is a Texas-based company and the holding company of the Texas Capital Bank, which ended 2025 with a n excess of $31.5 billion in assets on its balance sheet. In a previous article, I was focused on the bank’s preferred shares as I thought they provided a nice option for the fixed-income portion of my portfolio. ...
Lone Star Stock/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Texas Capital Bancshares ( TCBI ) is a Texas-based company and the holding company of the Texas Capital Bank, which ended 2025 with a n excess of $31.5 billion in assets on its balance sheet. In a previous article, I was focused on the bank’s preferred shares as I thought they provided a nice option for the fixed-income portion of my portfolio. The risk/reward ratio was pretty good, and I now want to have another look at these securities. Data by YCharts A strong 2025 sets the scene for 2026 Before discussing the details of the preferred stock, it makes sense to take a step back and take a look at the bank’s financial results in 2025. As you can see below, the total interest income increased by more than 2% to $1.77 billion, and although that sounds like a relatively low percentage increase, keep in mind this went hand in hand with a 10% decrease in the interest expenses . This ultimately resulted in a net interest income of approximately $1.03 billion , which is a 14% increase compared to the NII in the preceding year. Another important element is the substantial reduction in the loan loss provisions, which reached the lowest level in several years. TCBI Investor Relations The bank also saw its non-interest income increase pretty sharply, but before getting too excited, the large difference is predominantly caused by the loss on the sale of securities recorded in 2024, which makes a comparison pretty difficult. That being said, I am very pleased to see the investment banking and advisory fees remain strong. Meanwhile, the bank was also able to keep its operating expenses under control, and this resulted in a pre-tax income of almost $433 million. The net income reported in 2025 was $330 million, with $313 million of that net income attributable to the common shareholders of Texas Capital Bancshares. This resulted in an EPS of $6.86. TCBI Investor Relations From the perspective of a preferred shareholder, it is gr...
Audits Spotlight Unusual Trends In Medicaid Spending For Autism Care Authored by Sylvia Xu via The Epoch Times, One in 31 U.S. children has an autism diagnosis. Among Minnesota’s Somali community, that number jumps to one in 12. That discrepancy made headlines last fall when the Department of Justice charged a Somali woman with netting millions in fraudulent autism services. Now, state and federal...
Audits Spotlight Unusual Trends In Medicaid Spending For Autism Care Authored by Sylvia Xu via The Epoch Times, One in 31 U.S. children has an autism diagnosis. Among Minnesota’s Somali community, that number jumps to one in 12. That discrepancy made headlines last fall when the Department of Justice charged a Somali woman with netting millions in fraudulent autism services. Now, state and federal investigators are putting autism spending in the spotlight. The September 2025 federal indictment alleged that a therapy center—run by 28-year-old Asha Farhan Hassan—recruited Somali children for an autism services program that was then reimbursed by Medicaid. The White House pointed to the indictment on March 16 in an executive order announcing the creation of a federal task force to eliminate fraud. “The staggering fraud and waste in Minnesota alone is a case in point,” the order reads. “There is also strong reason to believe that similar problems exist in other States, including California, Illinois, New York , Maine, and Colorado .” Nationwide, Medicaid spending for autism therapy services increased by over 200 percent between 2018 and 2024—nearly four times the rate of overall Medicaid spending. In some states, the increase was much higher. The surge is linked to what Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called an autism epidemic, including “an alarming escalation in case severity, and increasingly stark disparities across racial and ethnic groups.” However, investigators say the rise in spending can’t be explained by the increase in diagnoses or escalation in severity alone. Meanwhile, a series of federal audits has drawn attention to four states where auditors found millions in “improper” or incorrectly billed payments for Medicaid-funded autism services. Here is a look at states that have uncovered higher-than-usual Medicaid spending for autism services. Minnesota Since 2018, Minnesota has spent more than $18 billion on 14 Medicaid programs...
Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction A lot has happened for Broadcom ( AVGO ) since I last rated it a Buy back in early September 2025 and I want to revisit my thesis as to see if the company can still lead the charge in this new AI world, as it posted a return of negative 4% since despite having two blowout quarters in a row. Current Dynamics I’ll first go through the...
Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction A lot has happened for Broadcom ( AVGO ) since I last rated it a Buy back in early September 2025 and I want to revisit my thesis as to see if the company can still lead the charge in this new AI world, as it posted a return of negative 4% since despite having two blowout quarters in a row. Current Dynamics I’ll first go through the latest earnings as to provide a quick snapshot of what has been happening at the firm. Broadcom posted a double beat in its fiscal Q1 with Non-GAAP EPS coming out to $2.05, a slight beat of 3 cents, while revenue came out to a staggering $19.31B, a 29.4% Y/Y growth rate and a beat of $170MM. This was largely linked to the robust demand for custom AI accelerators and AI networking, with the overall AI revenue growth accelerating. That’s why the company has guided for AI revenue to be $10.7B in Q2 and overall revenue is set to come to $22B, ahead of the consensus of $20.4B, while EBITDA margin is set to come out to 68%. More so, management has set a clear line of sight to achieve AI revenue in excess of $100B by fiscal 2027 , which would be a giant leap from the reported $20B in AI sales reported during the whole fiscal 2025. Though this is actually credible considering the 140% Y/Y target of $10.7B for the incoming quarter. This is largely linked to the CapEx environment, where hyperscalers are projected to spend around $630B on AI infrastructure in 2026 alone. That is particularly highlighted by the number of partnerships it has signed for custom accelerators, in which Broadcom holds around 60% market share as of 2026. This dominance is a result of manufacturing capacity as well as great IP and design expertise that allows hyperscalers to develop highly efficient hardware for their specific software stacks. These XPUs are meant to eliminate the massive weight of Nvidia ( NVDA ) in the industry, in which its GPUs have unnecessary features relative to inference or training. ...
Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction A lot has happened for Broadcom ( AVGO ) since I last rated it a Buy back in early September 2025 and I want to revisit my thesis as to see if the company can still lead the charge in this new AI world, as it posted a return of negative 4% since despite having two blowout quarters in a row. Current Dynamics I’ll first go through the...
Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction A lot has happened for Broadcom ( AVGO ) since I last rated it a Buy back in early September 2025 and I want to revisit my thesis as to see if the company can still lead the charge in this new AI world, as it posted a return of negative 4% since despite having two blowout quarters in a row. Current Dynamics I’ll first go through the latest earnings as to provide a quick snapshot of what has been happening at the firm. Broadcom posted a double beat in its fiscal Q1 with Non-GAAP EPS coming out to $2.05, a slight beat of 3 cents, while revenue came out to a staggering $19.31B, a 29.4% Y/Y growth rate and a beat of $170MM. This was largely linked to the robust demand for custom AI accelerators and AI networking, with the overall AI revenue growth accelerating. That’s why the company has guided for AI revenue to be $10.7B in Q2 and overall revenue is set to come to $22B, ahead of the consensus of $20.4B, while EBITDA margin is set to come out to 68%. More so, management has set a clear line of sight to achieve AI revenue in excess of $100B by fiscal 2027 , which would be a giant leap from the reported $20B in AI sales reported during the whole fiscal 2025. Though this is actually credible considering the 140% Y/Y target of $10.7B for the incoming quarter. This is largely linked to the CapEx environment, where hyperscalers are projected to spend around $630B on AI infrastructure in 2026 alone. That is particularly highlighted by the number of partnerships it has signed for custom accelerators, in which Broadcom holds around 60% market share as of 2026. This dominance is a result of manufacturing capacity as well as great IP and design expertise that allows hyperscalers to develop highly efficient hardware for their specific software stacks. These XPUs are meant to eliminate the massive weight of Nvidia ( NVDA ) in the industry, in which its GPUs have unnecessary features relative to inference or training. ...
Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images Main Thesis & Background The purpose of this article is to evaluate the First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund ( TDIV ) as an investment option at its current market price. The fund "seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index", which includes Tech st...
Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images Main Thesis & Background The purpose of this article is to evaluate the First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund ( TDIV ) as an investment option at its current market price. The fund "seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index", which includes Tech stocks with a history of paying dividends. This is a fund I had written positively about many times but it has been a while since I last revisited it. If we look back to that prior review , I had a bullish take on the fund about two and a half years ago. Suffice to say, this would have been a profitable holding for those who bought it back then: Fund Performance (Seeking Alpha) Of course, much has changed in the short-term that we should consider the macro-backdrop even if longer term performance is strong. As I'm sure my followers are aware, US Tech (along with the broader market) has been facing some challenges of late. TDIV has not been immune to this either - with this ETF falling over 5% in the last month: 1-Month Performance (TDIV) (Seeking Alpha) The wider backdrop is surely unnerving to some investors but I would suggest that buying during times of turmoil is really how one finds "alpha" over time. In this light I think TDIV remains a strong option now. The US Tech sector has backed away from sky-high valuations and the outlook for this area in 2026 remains robust. I therefore believe getting in on this pullback makes sense and I see merit to keeping a "buy" rating in place. I will use this article to justify this opinion. Premium To S&P 500 Has Shrunk To begin this review I want to focus on why I believe readers should be considering Tech now . This is relevant for TDIV of course, since this fund is exclusive to the Tech sector. But I would concede this attribute is relevant for most US Tech plays. So even if one rules out TDIV as an option, this discussion is releva...
Former Tesla Inc. president Jon McNeill revealed that after its 2010 IPO, Elon Musk intentionally “starved the balance sheet,” often keeping only enough cash on hand to last a single quarter to avoid complacency. Tesla Operated on Minimal Cash Speaking on TBPN with John Coogan and Jordi Hays, McNeill explained that Tesla sometimes had less than three weeks of net cash once payables were included. ...
Former Tesla Inc. president Jon McNeill revealed that after its 2010 IPO, Elon Musk intentionally “starved the balance sheet,” often keeping only enough cash on hand to last a single quarter to avoid complacency. Tesla Operated on Minimal Cash Speaking on TBPN with John Coogan and Jordi Hays, McNeill explained that Tesla sometimes had less than three weeks of net cash once payables were included. Musk believed that operating so close to financial risk forced the team to stay focused and discipli
Kirsty Muir becomes the first British woman to win both the slopestyle and overall World Cup titles by finishing second in the season finale in Switzerland.
Kirsty Muir becomes the first British woman to win both the slopestyle and overall World Cup titles by finishing second in the season finale in Switzerland.
For many working people, a 401(k) retirement plan is their first or second-largest financial asset. You spend years, even decades, stashing money away, letting it grow and compound. It's easy to set it and forget it, especially when the main idea is not to touch that money until later in life. Eventually, Father Time calls all of us home, and hopefully, your 401(k) has helped you live out your fin...
For many working people, a 401(k) retirement plan is their first or second-largest financial asset. You spend years, even decades, stashing money away, letting it grow and compound. It's easy to set it and forget it, especially when the main idea is not to touch that money until later in life. Eventually, Father Time calls all of us home, and hopefully, your 401(k) has helped you live out your final years comfortably. But it's worth asking: What happens to that money when we die? Your 401(k)'s fate might not matter to you after you've passed, but it will matter a lot to your loved ones. So, what do heirs need to know in 2026 about 401(k) plans following the account holder's passing? Continue reading
The average one-year price target for Orlen (SEP:PKN) has been revised to CZK639.01 / share. This is an increase of 24.05% from the prior estimate of CZK515.12 dated February 23, 2026. The price target is an average of many targets provided by analysts. The la
The average one-year price target for Orlen (SEP:PKN) has been revised to CZK639.01 / share. This is an increase of 24.05% from the prior estimate of CZK515.12 dated February 23, 2026. The price target is an average of many targets provided by analysts. The la
Incident in the city’s 8th arrondissement reportedly involved a homemade explosive device French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris on Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case said. The incident occurred at roughly 3.30am in front of a Bank of America building in the city’s 8th arrondissem...
Incident in the city’s 8th arrondissement reportedly involved a homemade explosive device French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris on Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case said. The incident occurred at roughly 3.30am in front of a Bank of America building in the city’s 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets away from the Champs-Élysées. Continue reading...
French Police Foil Overnight Terror Plot: Suspect Caught Trying To Ignite Bomb Outside BofA Headquarters In Paris French anti-terrorism authorities thwarted an attempted attack early Saturday morning when police arrested a suspect as he tried to ignite an explosive device directly in front of the Bank of America headquarters in Paris. The incident unfolded around 3:25-3:30 a.m. when officers from ...
French Police Foil Overnight Terror Plot: Suspect Caught Trying To Ignite Bomb Outside BofA Headquarters In Paris French anti-terrorism authorities thwarted an attempted attack early Saturday morning when police arrested a suspect as he tried to ignite an explosive device directly in front of the Bank of America headquarters in Paris. The incident unfolded around 3:25-3:30 a.m. when officers from the Paris police's BAC (Brigade Anti-Criminalité) unit, already on heightened patrol near the building due to prior threats, spotted the individual attempting to set fire to the device with a lighter. The device consisted of a 5-liter transparent jerrycan filled with an unidentified flammable liquid (reportedly a hydrocarbon such as gasoline) attached to a mortar-style tube or large firecracker containing approximately 650 grams of explosive powder . No detonation occurred, and there were no injuries or damage. A second individual, believed to have been acting as a lookout, fled the scene on foot. The arrested suspect, a 17-year-old minor born in Senegal and residing in a Paris suburb, was taken into custody. During initial questioning, he reportedly claimed he had been dropped off at the location by a driver and was recruited via the social media app Snapchat for a payment of €600 to carry out the act. BofA Paris HQ, April 2019 According to Le Monde , France’s Parquet National Antiterroriste (PNAT) , the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, immediately opened a formal investigation. The probe is being conducted in flagrante delicto on charges including: Attempted degradation by fire or dangerous means in connection with a terrorist undertaking Manufacturing, possession, and transport of an incendiary or explosive device in a terrorist context Participation in a terrorist criminal association The Paris judicial police’s anti-terrorism section and France’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI , are leading the inquiry alongside judicial police units. The device was...