iPhone and iPad maker Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced better-than-expected revenue in Q1 CY2026, with sales up 16.6% year on year to $111.2 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $2.01 per share was 3.6% above analysts’ consensus estimates.
iPhone and iPad maker Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced better-than-expected revenue in Q1 CY2026, with sales up 16.6% year on year to $111.2 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $2.01 per share was 3.6% above analysts’ consensus estimates.
Wondering if Amazon.com is still reasonably priced after its long run as a market favorite, or if the current share price already reflects most of the opportunity? The stock last closed at US$268.26, with returns of 1.6% over 7 days, 27.9% over 30 days, 18.4% year to date, 41.2% over 1 year and 153.9% over 3 years, compared to 63.0% over 5 years. Recent coverage has focused on Amazon.com's positio...
Wondering if Amazon.com is still reasonably priced after its long run as a market favorite, or if the current share price already reflects most of the opportunity? The stock last closed at US$268.26, with returns of 1.6% over 7 days, 27.9% over 30 days, 18.4% year to date, 41.2% over 1 year and 153.9% over 3 years, compared to 63.0% over 5 years. Recent coverage has focused on Amazon.com's position in online retail and cloud services, along with its ongoing investments across logistics and...
Shares of Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM) have risen 120% over the past year. However, over that 52-week period, there was a 10% drawdown, a 20% drawdown, and a 25% drawdown. Those are dramatic declines, but nobody should be surprised. The stock is currently around 8% off from its 52-week high, but the rollercoaster ride isn't over. Here's why Newmont Mining is attractive and why some investors may sti...
Shares of Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM) have risen 120% over the past year. However, over that 52-week period, there was a 10% drawdown, a 20% drawdown, and a 25% drawdown. Those are dramatic declines, but nobody should be surprised. The stock is currently around 8% off from its 52-week high, but the rollercoaster ride isn't over. Here's why Newmont Mining is attractive and why some investors may still want to avoid it. Newmont Mining is a large miner , as its name implies. It primarily produces gold, with modest exposure to silver, copper, lead, and zinc. These other metals are often found alongside gold and aren't a major source of revenue for the company. The big story is gold. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
J. Michael Jones/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Shares of First Citizens Bancshares ( FCNCA ) have been a moderate performer over the past year, gaining about 11%. While the company has been aggressively buying back stock, pressure on margins and concerns about credit reserves have dogged shares. I expect its large software exposure to limit potential multiple expansion. I last covered First Ci...
J. Michael Jones/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Shares of First Citizens Bancshares ( FCNCA ) have been a moderate performer over the past year, gaining about 11%. While the company has been aggressively buying back stock, pressure on margins and concerns about credit reserves have dogged shares. I expect its large software exposure to limit potential multiple expansion. I last covered First Citizens in January , downgrading the stock to a “hold,” given my concerns about margins and reserve coverage, and that has been the prudent move with shares down 1% since then. With updated financials and a revised macro environment, now is a good time to revisit FCNCA. Seeking Alpha In the company’s first quarter , FCNCA earned $44.86, which blew past estimates by $5.63. Looking first at its balance sheet, deposits surged by 5.7% sequentially, due to strength in Tech. Total deposits are now up 7.5% from last year to $171 billion. This was very encouraging after a year of stagnant deposit trends. Venture capital investment was unusually large in Q1, hitting $267 billion vs an average of ~$75 billion a quarter. This strong fundraising environment boosted deposits from its legacy Silicon Valley Bank operations. Given these companies are generally burning free cash flow, I expect deposits to trend back down from here. First Citizens Management has flagged that the deposit environment has been highly competitive, and interestingly, we are seeing a weakening of its deposit basis. Through Q3 of last year, it had been able to pass on 56% of rate cuts to interest-bearing deposits. That is down to just 50% as it passes on less of the recent cuts. Assuming no change in Fed policy over the next six months, I see a risk that deposit rates could increase a bit in coming months as the fight among banks for deposits leads them to push up rates to garner flows. This will add to existing margin pressure on the business. First Citizens On the other side of its balance sheet, loans were up abo...
DOJ Releases Report Alleging Anti-Christian Bias Under Biden Authored by Savannah Halsey Pointer via The Epoch Times, The Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 30 released a 500-page report detailing alleged anti-Christian bias on the part of the Biden administration. According to the report by the DOJ’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, the former administration’s prosecutions, policies...
DOJ Releases Report Alleging Anti-Christian Bias Under Biden Authored by Savannah Halsey Pointer via The Epoch Times, The Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 30 released a 500-page report detailing alleged anti-Christian bias on the part of the Biden administration. According to the report by the DOJ’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, the former administration’s prosecutions, policies, and practices constituted bias throughout multiple agencies, in accordance with the administration’s priorities. The task force is chaired by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “No American should live in fear that the federal government will punish them for their faith,” Blanche said. “As our report lays out, the Biden Administration’s actions devastated the lives of many Christian Americans.” Around 200 pages of the report are dedicated to the actions of more than 17 federal agencies that uncovered alleged religious discrimination. The investigation included a review of internal discussions and case files, as well as prosecutorial decisions. There were details of a since-retracted 2023 FBI memo on “radical traditionalist” Catholics, which cited the Southern Poverty Law Center. The review also listed Biden-era regulations on abortion, contraception, gender, and human sexuality, among other issues that pitted the government against religious groups. The report also makes note of the Biden administration’s reading of the 2019 Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which led to decisions that were based on what the Trump administration report called “sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools and sports.” According to the DOJ report, the previous administration used the FBI, IRS, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and other agencies to monitor, investigate, and apply pressure to various Christian groups at a federal level. The current DOJ’s task force was formed in accordance with President Donald Trump’s Feb. 6, 2025,...
Vietnam’s inflation picked up more than expected in April, as a surge in global energy prices driven by the Iran war began feeding through to transport and input costs. The country posted a trade deficit for a fourth straight month, propelled by an increase in imports as global raw material prices spiked as a result of the conflict. Consumer prices rose 5.46% in April from the year prior, accordin...
Vietnam’s inflation picked up more than expected in April, as a surge in global energy prices driven by the Iran war began feeding through to transport and input costs. The country posted a trade deficit for a fourth straight month, propelled by an increase in imports as global raw material prices spiked as a result of the conflict. Consumer prices rose 5.46% in April from the year prior, according to data released by the National Statistics Office Sunday. That was significantly higher than the expected 4.80% rise, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. The quickening of inflation was “mainly due to higher domestic gas prices in line with global fuel prices,” the statistics office said in a statement. Rising material and transport costs also pushed up prices for services and construction, fueling inflation, it said. Read More: Vietnam Gas Major Looks to US as Iran War Reorders LPG Flows (1) The Southeast Asian nation’s trade deficit in April was $3.28 billion, compared with a deficit of $677 million reported for March, the statistics office said. That was significantly wider than economists’ forecast of a $400 million deficit. Vietnam’s exports jumped 21% to $45.5 billion in April from a year ago, beating expectations of a 17% increase, the statistics office said. Imports rose 32.5% to $48.8 billion, higher than the expected 21.7%. Raw materials, equipment and spare parts for production accounted for the majority of total inbound shipments, according to the statistics office. In the first four months of 2026, the nation’s trade surplus with the US rose 24.4% year-on-year, reaching $46.9 billion. Vietnam’s trade deficit with China — its largest trade partner — increased 33.4% year-on-year to $46.4 billion for the same period. Read More: China’s Pivot to Vietnam Blows Hole in Trump’s Made-in-USA Plan The central bank forecasts inflation inflation may quicken to as much as 5.5% this year, higher than the government target of 4.5%, driven by rising...
Alex Cristi /iStock via Getty Images High-Quality Dividend Stock Investable Universe On September 1, 2024, I started tracking an investable universe of what I believe to be 50 high-quality dividend growth stocks. You can find out more about the formation of this investable universe in the original article . The goal for this investable universe is to identify high-quality companies and track them ...
Alex Cristi /iStock via Getty Images High-Quality Dividend Stock Investable Universe On September 1, 2024, I started tracking an investable universe of what I believe to be 50 high-quality dividend growth stocks. You can find out more about the formation of this investable universe in the original article . The goal for this investable universe is to identify high-quality companies and track them to identify opportune entry points. As share prices swing up and down and business fundamentals change daily, my custom tracking tool updates the valuation ratings for each stock and helps me figure out where to focus my attention. The investable universe as a whole started 2026 on a positive note, with all 50 stocks providing a positive total return of 4.06%. That positive momentum extended into February, with the universe finishing the month with another positive gain of 2.66%. However, this positive start to the year ended in March with the universe declining by 7.28% . Most of the March losses were recovered in April, with the universe collectively rising by 6.63%. For comparison, the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust ( SPY ) enjoyed a more robust gain in April of 10.51%. Meanwhile, the Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF ( SCHD ) started the year very strong, it faired better than my universe and SPY in March but trailed both in April; the ETF rose by 4.53%. Here are cumulative returns since 1/1/25: Investable Universe: +16.76 %. SPY: +23.64 %. SCHD: +19.44%. For a brief period of time SCHD was the winner but SPY has once again taken the lead. Here are the top 10 performers from the universe in 2026: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. ( MPWR ) +78.44% Applied Materials, Inc. ( AMAT ) +53.69% Lam Research Corporation ( LRCX ) +50.81% KLA Corporation ( KLAC ) +44.24% EOG Resources, Inc. ( EOG ) +36.18% NXP Semiconductor ( NXPI ) +35.94% Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. ( ODFL ) +35.66% Watsco ( WSO ) +31.99% Trane Technologies ( TT ) +26.85% Ross Stores, Inc. ( ROST ) +26.72% Bel...
The WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Fund (NYSEARCA:DEM) was built for a specific problem: U.S. investors who own the S&P 500, a few mega-cap tech names, and call it a day are sitting on a portfolio that is almost entirely tied to one currency, one economy, and one set of Federal Reserve decisions. DEM screens ... This High-Yield Emerging Funds ETF Offers International Diversification
The WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Fund (NYSEARCA:DEM) was built for a specific problem: U.S. investors who own the S&P 500, a few mega-cap tech names, and call it a day are sitting on a portfolio that is almost entirely tied to one currency, one economy, and one set of Federal Reserve decisions. DEM screens ... This High-Yield Emerging Funds ETF Offers International Diversification
China has become one of the largest sources of investment in land parcels and other properties in Singapore, as the safe-haven status of Southeast Asia’s top financial hub continues to attract global capital, according to analysts. China-linked developers and business entities have become more active in the market, said Alan Cheong, executive director for research and consultancy at Savills Singap...
China has become one of the largest sources of investment in land parcels and other properties in Singapore, as the safe-haven status of Southeast Asia’s top financial hub continues to attract global capital, according to analysts. China-linked developers and business entities have become more active in the market, said Alan Cheong, executive director for research and consultancy at Savills Singapore. “Chinese developers who have had experience in Singapore are now familiar with the rules,...
Two members of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party in Sinaloa state have temporarily stepped down after the US charged them with drug trafficking Two members of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party in the north-western Sinaloa state said they would temporarily step down from their posts after the United States charged them and eight other politicians and security officers with drug ...
Two members of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party in Sinaloa state have temporarily stepped down after the US charged them with drug trafficking Two members of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party in the north-western Sinaloa state said they would temporarily step down from their posts after the United States charged them and eight other politicians and security officers with drug trafficking. The bombshell indictment against the 10 has shaken Mexico’s political establishment. Continue reading...