Federal immigration officers have been seen at several U.S. airports on Monday after the Trump administration said it would deploy ICE agents to ease security lines amid an ongoing partial government shutdown. The shutdown, which began on February 14, has resulted in long lines at airport pre-gate security checkpoints, typically handled by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents. Since...
Federal immigration officers have been seen at several U.S. airports on Monday after the Trump administration said it would deploy ICE agents to ease security lines amid an ongoing partial government shutdown. The shutdown, which began on February 14, has resulted in long lines at airport pre-gate security checkpoints, typically handled by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents. Since the shutdown, hundreds of thousands of agents under the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA, have worked without pay since Congress failed to pass new funding. Democrats are calling for changes to federal immigration operations after reports of abuse by agents, including the killing of two U.S. citizens earlier this year. In recent days, travelers have filmed lines with wait times estimated at several hours. Trump border czar Tom Homan told CNN that ICE agents would be deployed starting Monday to airports with the longest wait times. Homan said details of the plan were still under discussion. Critics say having ICE agents at airports would increase tensions with travelers. Federal agents have been seen making at least one arrest at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday night, according to eyewitness accounts. One video posted to TikTok shows unidentified, plain-clothed agents declining to identify themselves as they detain a person, including a child, past the security line at a terminal gate. A video posted to Reddit shows the agents detaining a person from another angle. TechCrunch has contacted the poster. A spokesperson for ICE did not immediately return a request for comment about the arrest. According to reporters with the Associated Press, ICE agents have also been seen at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The Guardian reports ICE was seen at airports in Newark, New Orleans, and New York’s John F. Kennedy. CNN reports that Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Phoenix, and San Juan are among the airports where ICE has been deployed. ICE is ...
Two Democratic senators are scrutinizing Nvidia’s (NVDA) $20 billion licensing deal with the artificial intelligence startup Groq, raising antitrust concerns. For investors who've watched NVDA stock soar on the back of the AI boom, the question is simple: Does this change anything? Here's the full picture. What Is the Nvidia-Groq Deal? Nvidia didn't technically acquire Groq. The deal, sealed at th...
Two Democratic senators are scrutinizing Nvidia’s (NVDA) $20 billion licensing deal with the artificial intelligence startup Groq, raising antitrust concerns. For investors who've watched NVDA stock soar on the back of the AI boom, the question is simple: Does this change anything? Here's the full picture. What Is the Nvidia-Groq Deal? Nvidia didn't technically acquire Groq. The deal, sealed at the end of 2025, granted Nvidia a non-exclusive license to Groq's inference-chip technology and brought several senior Groq executives, including co-founder and CEO Jonathan Ross, into the Nvidia fold. Most of Groq's software engineers and hardware designers also made the move. Groq's cloud business, however, continues to operate independently under new leadership. The transaction was valued at $20 billion in cash, according to CNBC, making it by far the largest deal Nvidia has ever done. For context, its biggest prior acquisition was Israeli chip designer Mellanox in 2019, which cost close to $7 billion. Jensen Huang, Nvidia's CEO, described the rationale clearly: In an internal email obtained by CNBC , Huang wrote that the company plans to fold Groq's low-latency processors into Nvidia's AI factory architecture to serve a broader range of inference and real-time workloads. , Huang wrote that the company plans to fold Groq's low-latency processors into Nvidia's AI factory architecture to serve a broader range of inference and real-time workloads. That aligns perfectly with what Huang detailed at GTC 2026 in March, where he laid out how Groq's technology slots into Vera Rubin, Nvidia's next-generation AI system. The plan: use Groq chips to handle the most latency-sensitive, bandwidth-hungry parts of AI inference—the slice where traditional GPU designs run out of steam. Huang estimated Groq could be relevant to about 25% of a data center's workload, potentially boosting total revenues from that infrastructure by a meaningful margin. Why Senators Are Pushing Back Senators Eliza...
TLDR TD Cowen reiterated a Buy rating and $300 price target on Amazon, naming it a preferred large-cap pick. Barclays also reiterated an Overweight rating and $300 price target, citing AI-driven AWS growth. Amazon stock rose roughly 2.8% in pre-market trading on Monday, March 23, 2026. The OpenAI deal brings total AWS committed spend to $138 billion over seven to eight years, per Barclays. Anthrop...
TLDR TD Cowen reiterated a Buy rating and $300 price target on Amazon, naming it a preferred large-cap pick. Barclays also reiterated an Overweight rating and $300 price target, citing AI-driven AWS growth. Amazon stock rose roughly 2.8% in pre-market trading on Monday, March 23, 2026. The OpenAI deal brings total AWS committed spend to $138 billion over seven to eight years, per Barclays. Anthropic saw a 35% rise in annual recurring revenue in just weeks during Q1 2026, boosted by Claude Code and Cowork. 💥 Find the Next KnockoutStock! Get live prices, charts, and KO Scores from KnockoutStocks.com , the data-driven platform ranking every stock by quality and breakout potential. Amazon is getting some love on Wall Street this Monday morning, and the stock is responding. AMZN jumped roughly 2.8% in pre-market trading on March 23, 2026, after two separate analyst notes landed backing the e-commerce and cloud giant. Amazon.com, Inc., AMZN TD Cowen analyst John Blackledge reiterated his Buy rating and kept his $300 price target in place. He named Amazon a top large-cap pick heading into the next year. Barclays followed with its own Overweight reiteration and the same $300 target, pointing to a string of AI-related tailwinds building behind AWS. With AMZN trading near $205 at the time of writing, both price targets imply roughly 46% upside from current levels. AWS Expected to Reaccelerate AWS is the centerpiece of both bullish notes. TD Cowen expects cloud growth to “reaccelerate through 2025 and into 2026 as demand for AI workloads increases,” after earlier pressure from capacity constraints. Barclays took a more specific angle. The bank highlighted Amazon’s deal with OpenAI, which it says brings total committed AWS spend to $138 billion over seven to eight years. Barclays expects the AWS backlog to move above $350 billion in the next quarter as that deal gets reflected in the numbers. The bank also raised its 2027 AWS revenue estimate by 5% and now expects AWS revenue g...
Welcome to the Mideast Money newsletter , where we chronicle the intersection of money and power in a region that’s become one of the most influential in global finance. This week , let’s dive straight into the latest on the US-Israeli war on Iran . US President Donald Trump postponed threatened strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure and power plants for five days, pending the outcome of wh...
Welcome to the Mideast Money newsletter , where we chronicle the intersection of money and power in a region that’s become one of the most influential in global finance. This week , let’s dive straight into the latest on the US-Israeli war on Iran . US President Donald Trump postponed threatened strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure and power plants for five days, pending the outcome of what he said were talks with Iran to end the war that’s now in its 24th day. However, Iran hasn’t had “direct or indirect communication with Trump,” the country’s semi-official Fars news agency reported. Oil plunged as much as 14% after Trump’s comments, which came out of the blue as fears were growing of an escalation in the conflict. Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz — a vital waterway for oil and gas flows — since the start of the conflict on Feb. 28. The United Arab Emirates has borne the brunt of the Islamic Republic’s attacks, while energy infrastructure across the Gulf has been targeted. The Middle East’s largest stock markets have diverged in performance since the start of the war. Dubai’s benchmark has extended losses to about 14% — the worst performer globally — while Abu Dhabi is down around 7%, despite a liquidity and resilience package from the UAE central bank aimed at supporting lending and the broader economy. By contrast, Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index is up 2.5% over the same period, buoyed by heavyweights including Aramco. Rating agencies and economists, meanwhile, see both risks and buffers. Moody’s said the impact on Middle Eastern sovereigns will hinge on how long the conflict lasts and the extent of damage to energy and civilian infrastructure, pointing to Kuwait, Qatar and Abu Dhabi’s large financial assets that can help preserve creditworthiness even in an extended Strait of Hormuz closure scenario. Goldman Sachs struck a similar balance. Even as it warned that some Gulf economies are at risk of their worst slump since the 1990s...
Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO) is expanding its growth strategy by strengthening both cybersecurity offerings and AI infrastructure capabilities. Semiconductor stocks rebounded on Monday as easing geopolitical tensions improved sentiment across the sector. Markets reacted after President Donald Trump signaled progress in U.S.-Iran talks and ordered a five-day pause on potential strikes against Iranian...
Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO) is expanding its growth strategy by strengthening both cybersecurity offerings and AI infrastructure capabilities. Semiconductor stocks rebounded on Monday as easing geopolitical tensions improved sentiment across the sector. Markets reacted after President Donald Trump signaled progress in U.S.-Iran talks and ordered a five-day pause on potential strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure, raising hopes for diplomacy. Investors also focused on signs the administration is exploring an exit from the conflict, reducing concerns around supply disruptions tied to the Strait of Hormuz. New Security Platform Targets Underserved Customers Broadcom on Monday introduced Symantec CBX, a cloud-based security platform that combines Symantec and Carbon Black technologies into a single, easy-to-use system. The company designed CBX for organizations that lack large security teams or technical resources but still face serious cyber threats. As attacks grow more advanced, many smaller teams struggle to keep up due to limited staff, high costs, and complex tools. CBX combines multiple security functions—such as preventing attacks, detecting threats, and responding quickly—into a single platform. It helps users monitor activity across devices, networks, and data in one place, making it easier to spot and stop threats. The system also connects related security events and highlights the most important issues, allowing teams to act faster. It can identify unusual behavior, block suspicious activity, and provide guidance on how to respond. Broadcom said the platform gives smaller organizations access to advanced protection that was previously difficult or expensive to implement, helping them better defend against increasingly complex cyberattacks. AI Push And Analyst Growth Outlook Broadcom is also expanding its AI push by rolling out new networking products and tools that help data centers move more data and run AI systems more efficiently. The company has s...
Good news, fellow PC enthusiasts; things are heating up in the desktop CPU space. Intel today unleashed its best CPU in years in the form of Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, and the knock-on effect is likely to be price cuts on competing parts. At £299, the Intel newcomer holds serious potential for productivity builds, but AMD is keen to ensure it maintains the gaming crown established through its hugely ...
Good news, fellow PC enthusiasts; things are heating up in the desktop CPU space. Intel today unleashed its best CPU in years in the form of Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, and the knock-on effect is likely to be price cuts on competing parts. At £299, the Intel newcomer holds serious potential for productivity builds, but AMD is keen to ensure it maintains the gaming crown established through its hugely popular X3D range of processors. To that end, the venerable Ryzen 7 9800X3D is raining on Core Ultra’s parade by dropping to an all-time-low price at Amazon, both in the UK and across the pond. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D “There’s little doubt that Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor on the market. Back in 2022 we questioned whether gamers would be willing to sacrifice everyday performance in favour of gaming excellence; now they don’t have to.” Read our review. Buy from Amazon Right now, the go-to gaming CPU is available for £382.99 / $419.95, marking a 12% reduction over the official MSRP. Price trackers confirm that this is the lowest price to date at either Amazon UK or Amazon US. While gamers have been inclined to lean toward X3D hardware in recent years, the decision is no longer clear cut. Intel’s Arrow Lake Refresh has delivered meaningful improvements in 3D workloads, and while cache-laden AMD Ryzen parts will continue to hold sway, Core Ultra’s sizeable core-and-thread count gives pause for thought. As the price gap closes, users may be faced with that exact quandary. Is it better to go with an eight-core, 16-thread AMD part that specialises in gaming, or a 24-core Intel chip that rules the roost in most other workloads? That’s going to depend on the user, but having the choice is absolutely a good thing, and one has to wonder if Intel’s aggressively-priced launch will cause other chips to see similar dips. The likes of 9700X and 9600X, in particular, may need a jostle for mid-range position. At the very least, it’s good to see genuine competition in the CPU spac...
Tesla, Inc. TSLA is reportedly negotiating a $2.9 billion deal to acquire solar manufacturing equipment from Chinese suppliers, including Suzhou Maxwell Technologies, the world’s leading maker of screen-printing tools for solar cells. Per Reuters, deliveries could begin before autumn, with the equipment headed to Texas to support Tesla’s next phase of U.S.-based solar production. This effort build...
Tesla, Inc. TSLA is reportedly negotiating a $2.9 billion deal to acquire solar manufacturing equipment from Chinese suppliers, including Suzhou Maxwell Technologies, the world’s leading maker of screen-printing tools for solar cells. Per Reuters, deliveries could begin before autumn, with the equipment headed to Texas to support Tesla’s next phase of U.S.-based solar production. This effort builds on Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s broader plan to establish 100 gigawatts of annual solar manufacturing capacity in the United States, an initiative also pursued by SpaceX. Per Tesla’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call, the company is working toward 100 GW a year of solar cell production with full supply chain integration, from raw materials to finished panels. The push is driven by rising electricity demand, fueled by AI data centers and increased electrification. Electricity demand in the United States reached a second straight record in 2025 and is expected to keep rising through 2026 and 2027, largely fueled by the rapid expansion of AI data centers and the increasing electrification of transport. Tesla’s energy division, known for its Megapack grid-scale storage systems, is expanding quickly, with solar power playing a key supporting role in enabling further growth. Per Musk, solar is the most viable solution to meet this demand at scale. However, Tesla’s ambitions face a contradiction. Despite aiming for domestic production, it still depends on Chinese suppliers to maintain cost efficiency. The deal highlights challenges, including high U.S. tariffs on solar, which make domestic deployment more expensive given China’s dominance in the sector. Regulatory hurdles remain as well, as Suzhou Maxwell awaits export approval from China’s commerce ministry, leaving the timeline uncertain. TSLA carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. TSLA’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates Tesla has underperf...
Key Points Taiwan Semiconductor controls over 70% of the global foundry market. The company is seeing demand significantly outpace available capacity. TSMC’s leadership in advanced nodes and packaging has made it a key player. 10 stocks we like better than Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing › When investors think about semiconductor stocks, Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Broadcom usually get ...
Key Points Taiwan Semiconductor controls over 70% of the global foundry market. The company is seeing demand significantly outpace available capacity. TSMC’s leadership in advanced nodes and packaging has made it a key player. 10 stocks we like better than Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing › When investors think about semiconductor stocks, Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Broadcom usually get most of the attention. But all these companies rely heavily on one company to manufacture their chips, and that is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM). 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 » TSMC, as it's also known, is the largest pure-play foundry, controlling over 70% of theglobal market The global foundry market is currently worth nearly $185 billion and is expected to grow to around $360.5 billion by 2036. Since Taiwan Semiconductor manufactures chips for many designers and technology giants, it benefits from the explosive industrywide demand for cutting-edge chips and is not reliant on any single company or technology. Powering the AI boom TSMC's competitive position looks exceptionally strong. In 2025, 3-nanometer chips contributed 24% of its wafer revenue, while 5-nanometer and 7-nanometer chips accounted for 36% and 14% of the wafer revenue, respectively. Overall, advanced technologies of 7-nanometer and below accounted for 74% of total wafer revenue. Additionally, TSMC also commenced mass production of the 2-nanometer chips in late 2025. This dominance is important, as artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) applications are increasingly depending on cutting-edge chip manufacturing. While competing foundries such as Samsung and Intel are investing aggressively, they are still lagging in advanced-node yield. Management has also reiterated its technolo...
AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) is pursuing the largest telecom opportunities in the market, and the upside could be enormous as execution improves. But after the BlueBird 6 launch, major partnerships, and a huge stock run, the bigger story may be whether this pullback is a rare opportunity before the next move higher. Stock prices used were the market prices of March 17, 2026. The video was publis...
AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) is pursuing the largest telecom opportunities in the market, and the upside could be enormous as execution improves. But after the BlueBird 6 launch, major partnerships, and a huge stock run, the bigger story may be whether this pullback is a rare opportunity before the next move higher. Stock prices used were the market prices of March 17, 2026. The video was published on March 22, 2026. 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 » Should you buy stock in AST SpaceMobile right now? Before you buy stock in AST SpaceMobile, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and AST SpaceMobile wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $495,179!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,058,743!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 898% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 183% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of March 23, 2026. Rick Orford has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AST SpaceMobile. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Rick Orford is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through their link, they will earn some extra money that supports their channel. ...
Supreme Court To Decide If Federal Ballots Received After Election Day Are Counted Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times, The U.S. Supreme Court on March 23 will hear Mississippi’s appeal against a lower court ruling striking down its law counting ballots received after Election Day. The counting of ballots received after Election Day has become an increasingly contentious political issue ...
Supreme Court To Decide If Federal Ballots Received After Election Day Are Counted Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times, The U.S. Supreme Court on March 23 will hear Mississippi’s appeal against a lower court ruling striking down its law counting ballots received after Election Day. The counting of ballots received after Election Day has become an increasingly contentious political issue in recent years. Those who support the practice say it is necessary to maximize participation in the democratic process and that states should be able to craft ballot rules to accommodate voters’ needs. Those who oppose it say that allowing ballots to be accepted after Election Day invites fraud and erodes trust in the system. The Mississippi law allows the state to count mail-in ballots that officials receive within a five-day grace period after Election Day. The law was enacted in July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide flexibility to voters. Eighteen states accept mailed ballots received after Election Day if they bear a postmark made on or before Election Day, according to a National Conference of State Legislatures report. Mississippi argues that striking down its law will cause upheaval in those states that allow ballots received after Election Day to be counted. The Republican National Committee (RNC), the state’s Republican Party, and the state’s Libertarian Party sued over the state law, arguing that the federal election-day statute preempts—or prevails over—the state law. Three federal statutes—U.S. Code Sections 7 and 1 of Title 2, and Section 1 of Title 3—set the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in certain years as the Election Day for federal offices. A presidential election takes place every four years; a congressional election occurs every two years. President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14248 on March 25, 2025, stating that his administration would enforce those statutes and “require that votes be cast and received by the election...
Lean hog futures posted slight Thursday gains, with contracts up 7 to 25 cents, as June was up $4.70 last week. USDA’s national average base hog negotiated price was reported at $83.35 on Friday afternoon at $83.35. The CME Lean Hog Index was down another 28 cents from the previous day at $85.09 on April 15. Friday’s Commitment of Traders data showed specs adding back 3,960 contracts to their net ...
Lean hog futures posted slight Thursday gains, with contracts up 7 to 25 cents, as June was up $4.70 last week. USDA’s national average base hog negotiated price was reported at $83.35 on Friday afternoon at $83.35. The CME Lean Hog Index was down another 28 cents from the previous day at $85.09 on April 15. Friday’s Commitment of Traders data showed specs adding back 3,960 contracts to their net long position as of 4/15 to a net position of 40,222 contracts. Don’t Miss a Day: The Friday afternoon pork cutout report from USDA was $4.22 higher, at $97. The rib was the only primal reported lower, with the belly leading the charge to the upside, up $14.44.28. USDA’s federally inspected hog slaughter was estimated at 2.38 million head last week. That was down 104,000 head from last week and 100,603 head below the same week last year. May 25 Hogs closed at $90.400, up $0.250, Jun 25 Hogs closed at $98.025, up $0.075 Jul 25 Hogs closed at $98.100, up $0.200, More news from Barchart The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Live cattle futures were rallying into the close, with gains of 77 cents to $1.72 on the day, as April was $3.15 higher last week. Cash trade settled in late with $235-236 sales in the North and $235 in the South. The Friday morning Fed Cattle Exchange online auction showed $370 dressed sales on just 38 of the 1,026 head offered, with other bids of $233-235. Feeder cattle futures were in rally mod...
Live cattle futures were rallying into the close, with gains of 77 cents to $1.72 on the day, as April was $3.15 higher last week. Cash trade settled in late with $235-236 sales in the North and $235 in the South. The Friday morning Fed Cattle Exchange online auction showed $370 dressed sales on just 38 of the 1,026 head offered, with other bids of $233-235. Feeder cattle futures were in rally mode, up $32.22 to $3.42 at the close, with March $8.27 higher last week. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was up another $1.37 to $362.06 on March 19. Cattle on Feed data from Friday afternoon showed a total of 1.611 million head of feeders placed in lots over 1,000 head during February, a 3.67% increase yr/yr. Marketings totaled 1.522 million head, down 7.8% vs. last year. That took the March 1 on feed inventory to 11.549 million head, a 0.24% drop yr/yr and compares to a 1.86% decline on Feb 1. Don’t Miss a Day: Commitment of Traders data shows managed money in live cattle futures and options trimming 2,417 contracts from their net long position as of 3/17, taking it to 106,615 contracts. In feeder cattle futures and options, specs cut back 137 contracts to a net long of 17,933 contracts. Wholesale Boxed Beef prices were mixed the Friday afternoon report, with the Chc/Sel spread at $7.17. Choice boxes were down 19 cents to $400.11, while Select was 49 cents higher to $392.94. USDA estimated federally inspected cattle slaughter for last week at 508,000. That was down 17,000 head from last week and 49,527 head below the same week last year. Apr 26 Live Cattle closed at $234.050, up $0.775, Jun 26 Live Cattle closed at $233.425, up $1.725, Aug 26 Live Cattle closed at $230.825, up $1.725, Mar 26 Feeder Cattle closed at $357.750, up $2.475, Apr 26 Feeder Cattle closed at $351.175, up $3.425, May 26 Feeder Cattle closed at $346.375, up $2.950, On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this...
Wheat is trading with losses across the front months on Monday AM, despite higher overnight action. The wheat complex faced pressure across the three markets on Friday. Chicago SRW futures were 12 to 13 1/2 cents lower, as May fell 18 ½ cents. KC HRW futures were 21 to 21 1/2 cents in the red at the close, with May down 23 ¾ for the week. MPLS spring wheat was down 10 ¾ to 15 3/4 cents in the fron...
Wheat is trading with losses across the front months on Monday AM, despite higher overnight action. The wheat complex faced pressure across the three markets on Friday. Chicago SRW futures were 12 to 13 1/2 cents lower, as May fell 18 ½ cents. KC HRW futures were 21 to 21 1/2 cents in the red at the close, with May down 23 ¾ for the week. MPLS spring wheat was down 10 ¾ to 15 3/4 cents in the front months, as May slipped back 17 ½ cents from last Friday. Early on Monday morning, President Trump put out a Truth Social post ordering the military to postpone strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for 5 days after weekend talks were “good and productive.” Iran state media responded stating there was no direct or indirect contact with the President. Oil is down $6.51 this morning. Don’t Miss a Day: CFTC data from Friday afternoon showed a total of 9,643 contracts trimmed from the CBT wheat spec net short position as of Tuesday. A mix of new longs and fewer shorts took the net short to 12,702 contracts. In KC wheat futures and options, managed money increased their net long by just 1,301 contracts to 10,729 contracts. USDA’s Export Sales data has wheat export commitments at 23.853 MMT, which is up 14% from last year. That is also 97% of the USDA export projection at 900 mbu and behind the 99% average sales pace. Shipment data is running ahead of schedule, at 19.279 MMT, which is 78% of USDA’s number vs. the 76% average pace. FranceAgriMer estimates the country’s wheat crop at 84% good/excellent, steady with last week, as durum was also steady at 81%. May 26 CBOT Wheat closed at $5.95 1/4, down 12 3/4 cents, currently down 6 cents Jul 26 CBOT Wheat closed at $6.07 1/4, down 12 1/4 cents, currently down 5 1/4 cents May 26 KCBT Wheat closed at $6.06 1/4, down 21 cents, currently down 5 1/2 cents Jul 26 KCBT Wheat closed at $6.21 1/4, down 21 cents, currently down 4 1/4 cents May 26 MIAX Wheat closed at $6.28, down 15 3/4 cents, currently down 2 cents ...
Cotton futures are trading with 14 to 35 point gains on Monday morning. Futures were down 3 to 36 points in the 2026 contracts on Friday, with deferred contracts up 8 to 32 points. May was 146 points in the green last week. Crude oil was up $2.67 on the day to $98.81, with the US dollar index up $0.237 to $99.295. Early on Monday morning, President Trump put out a Truth Social post ordering the mi...
Cotton futures are trading with 14 to 35 point gains on Monday morning. Futures were down 3 to 36 points in the 2026 contracts on Friday, with deferred contracts up 8 to 32 points. May was 146 points in the green last week. Crude oil was up $2.67 on the day to $98.81, with the US dollar index up $0.237 to $99.295. Early on Monday morning, President Trump put out a Truth Social post ordering the military to postpone strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for 5 days after weekend talks were “good and productive.” Iran state media responded stating there was no direct or indirect contact with the President. Oil is down $6.51 this morning. Don’t Miss a Day: Commitment of Traders data showed specs liquidating a large portion of their net short position in the week ending on 3/17, cutting it by 26,549 contracts. That was the largest Tuesday/Tuesday reduction to a net short position on record and took the net short to 40,205 contracts. Export Sales data has total cotton export commitments at 9.354 million RB, which is down 9% from last year. That is 83% of USDA’s forecast and lags the 96% average pace from the last 5 years. Shipments at 5.303 million RB are 5% below a year ago and 47% of the USDA export estimate, behind the 52% average shipping pace. The Seam showed sales of 3,286 bales on March 19, averaging 65.60 cents/lb. The Cotlook A Index was steady on Thursday at 79.35 cents. ICE certified cotton stocks were unchanged on 3/18, with the certified stocks level at 115,640 bales. The Adjusted World Price was raised by 2.72 cents to 54.22 cents/lb on Thursday. May 26 Cotton closed at 67.31, down 36 points, currently up 17 points Jul 26 Cotton closed at 69.33, down 28 points, currently up 23 points Dec 26 Cotton closed at 71.96, down 3 points, currently up 24 points On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this ...
Corn price action has been back and forth early on Monday, with contracts down 1 to 2 cents so far. Futures sputtered late on Friday, with contracts down 3 ½ to 4 ¼ cents on the day, as some deferreds were fractionally lower. May was down 1 ¾ cents last week. Open interest was up 2,905 contracts on Friday, with exception to the front month May, dropping 7,023 contracts. The CmdtyView national aver...
Corn price action has been back and forth early on Monday, with contracts down 1 to 2 cents so far. Futures sputtered late on Friday, with contracts down 3 ½ to 4 ¼ cents on the day, as some deferreds were fractionally lower. May was down 1 ¾ cents last week. Open interest was up 2,905 contracts on Friday, with exception to the front month May, dropping 7,023 contracts. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price was down 4 cents to $4.23 3/4. Early on Monday morning, President Trump put out a Truth Social post ordering the military to postpone strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for 5 days after weekend talks were “good and productive.” Iran state media responded stating there was no direct or indirect contact with the President. Oil is down $6.51 this morning. Don’t Miss a Day: The Friday update to the CFTC Commitment of Traders report showed a total of 35,533 contracts added to the managed money net long position in corn futures and options as of Tuesday, That took the net long to 228,804 contracts, as shorts dropped to their lowest level since last March. Commercials added 44,702 contracts to their net short of 522,116 contracts as producer selling continues to pick up. Export Sales data from Thursday brought the marketing year corn export commitments to 67.658 MMT, which is 30% larger than the same period last year. That is 81% of USDA’s export number and near the 82% average pace. Shipments at 43.46 MMT are now 52% of USDA’s number and running ahead of the 45% average pace. Brazil’s AgRural estimates the Brazilian second corn crop at 97% planted as of last Thursday, as last year was already completed by this point. May 26 Corn closed at $4.65 1/2, down 4 1/4 cents, currently down 2 cents Nearby Cash was $4.23 3/4, down 4 cents, Jul 26 Corn closed at $4.76, down 4 cents, currently down 2 cents Dec 26 Corn closed at $4.90 3/4, down 3 3/4 cents, currently down 1 3/4 cents New Crop Cash was $4.49 1/2, down 4 cents, On the date of publ...
Soybeans are trading with steady to 2 cent higher trade so far on Monday AM trade after a busy morning of trade. Futures were under pressure on Friday, with contracts down 5 to 11 ¼ cents across the board. May was down 64 cents on the week. Friday’s open interest rose 2,525 contracts. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price was down 7 cents at $10.87 1/2. Pressure came from Soymeal futures,...
Soybeans are trading with steady to 2 cent higher trade so far on Monday AM trade after a busy morning of trade. Futures were under pressure on Friday, with contracts down 5 to 11 ¼ cents across the board. May was down 64 cents on the week. Friday’s open interest rose 2,525 contracts. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price was down 7 cents at $10.87 1/2. Pressure came from Soymeal futures, which were down $2.80 to $4.50, as May was still up $5.30 on the week. Soy Oil futures were mixed with front months steady to 10 points higher and deferreds weaker, as May fell 193 points on the week. Early on Monday morning, President Trump put out a Truth Social post ordering the military to postpone strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for 5 days after weekend talks were “good and productive.” Iran state media responded stating there was no direct or indirect contact with the President. Oil is down $6.51 this morning. Don’t Miss a Day: Commitment of Traders data showed spec funds trimming back their soybean net long position in the week ending on 3/17 by 20,110 contracts. That took their net long to 201,997 contracts as some longs were liquidating. In bean oil futures and options, managed money closed in on their previous record net long position, adding 13,518 contracts to a net long of 122,356 contracts. USDA Export Sales data has soybean export commitments at 36.79 MMT by 3/12, a 19% drop from the same period last year. That is now 86% of USDA’s estimate for 2025/26 and behind the 94% average sales pace. Shipments are 28.055 MMT, and now 65% of that USDA number and behind the 81% average pace. Brazil’s soybean harvest is estimated at 68% harvested as of Thursday, which still lags the 80% paced from last year according to AgRural. May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.61 1/4, down 7 1/4 cents, currently unch Nearby Cash was $10.87 1/2, down 7 cents, Jul 26 Soybeans closed at $11.76 1/2, down 6 3/4 cents, currently up 1/2 cent Nov 26 Soybeans closed a...
EvgeniyShkolenko/iStock via Getty Images I've kept GDS Holdings Limited ( GDS ) as a "Buy"-rated name. GDS's Q4 operating profitability was ahead of what the analysts had forecasted. The company's customers are charging more for their cloud-related services. This has good read-throughs for its profitability as well. My prior August 20, 2025, update drew attention to its multiple share price driver...
EvgeniyShkolenko/iStock via Getty Images I've kept GDS Holdings Limited ( GDS ) as a "Buy"-rated name. GDS's Q4 operating profitability was ahead of what the analysts had forecasted. The company's customers are charging more for their cloud-related services. This has good read-throughs for its profitability as well. My prior August 20, 2025, update drew attention to its multiple share price drivers. Quarterly EBITDA Was A Positive Surprise GDS's latest numbers were revealed in a 6-K filing issued on the morning of March 17. It turned around from 3Q25's -2.6% YoY turnover contraction to record a +8.6% growth for the recent three-month period. The firm's 4Q2025 headline EBITDA rose 5.2% year-on-year to CNY 1.37 billion , which was better than the preceding quarter's 3.6% increase. The reported EBITDA and turnover exceeded the sell-side's consensus projections by 1% and 4%, respectively, as per S&P Capital IQ. The group noted in its slides that 4Q25 "adjusted EBITDA" would have been 14.2% higher at CNY 1,437 million on a YoY and like-for-like basis. This includes financial contributions from "the data center project companies sold to the ABS/Asset-Backed Security (1Q2025) and C-REIT (3Q2025)." In my opinion, GDS's performance was boosted by faster-than-expected capacity absorption and leaner operations. According to the earnings presentation, the company's "utilization rate" expanded 1.7ppts YoY and 110bps QoQ to 75.5% as of Dec. 31, 2025. Its 6-K disclosures noted that GDS "achieved the highest level of gross new bookings and gross move-in for the past five years" with "AI as a transformative catalyst." I believe it has been very careful about how monies are spent. This is on top of fixed-cost leverage effects. GDS's total OpEx-to-sales was 250bps lower at 8.5% on YoY terms for the final quarter of last year. The 23% fall in "General & Administrative" or "G&A" expenditures during the same timeframe caught my eye too. The enterprise's 4Q2025 EBITDA-to-sales also repres...
Key Highlights Morgan Stanley maintained its Overweight stance on Apple with a price target of $315 The firm’s AlphaWise survey conducted in late 2025 revealed iPhone upgrade intentions reached unprecedented levels Upgrade rates in China surged 9 percentage points compared to the previous year Apple is projected to be the sole major smartphone manufacturer gaining market share in 2026 Consumer int...
Key Highlights Morgan Stanley maintained its Overweight stance on Apple with a price target of $315 The firm’s AlphaWise survey conducted in late 2025 revealed iPhone upgrade intentions reached unprecedented levels Upgrade rates in China surged 9 percentage points compared to the previous year Apple is projected to be the sole major smartphone manufacturer gaining market share in 2026 Consumer interest in paying for Apple Intelligence features showed year-over-year weakness Apple received an uplift on Monday following Morgan Stanley’s release of its AlphaWise Global Smartphone Survey results from late 2025, which highlighted exceptional iPhone replacement activity anticipated for 2026. Apple Inc., AAPL Shares climbed approximately 1% during premarket hours. Erik Woodring, the analyst behind the report who maintains an Overweight recommendation, reaffirmed his $315 valuation target. According to Woodring, the survey results support his thesis that Apple’s competitive position exceeds current Wall Street expectations. The global blended upgrade rate for iPhones reached 37% in the survey results — representing a 2 percentage point increase from the prior year and establishing a new record for the survey’s history. In China, a region that has generated investor apprehension, upgrade intentions jumped 9 percentage points year-over-year, also hitting survey records. Apple stock was hovering near that price level entering Monday’s session, with the tech giant commanding a market capitalization of $3.64 trillion and trading at a P/E ratio of 31.47. The survey revealed switching rates to Apple reached a five-year peak. Desired average storage capacity increased 18% year-over-year. Additionally, 27% of surveyed users in the installed base expressed interest in a foldable iPhone — a device category Apple has not yet entered. iPhone Sales Projections Exceed Consensus Based on the survey data, Woodring stated his expectation that Apple will stand alone among major global smartph...