da-kuk/E+ via Getty Images Mounting geopolitical tensions and financial market uncertainties are raising risks for U.S. equities this year, though Citi has kept its year-end 2026 target for the S&P 500 ( SP500 ) unchanged at 7.7K. In a note, Citi said several unexpected headwinds have emerged since the start of the year, including the conflict involving Iran, uncertainty in private credit markets,...
da-kuk/E+ via Getty Images Mounting geopolitical tensions and financial market uncertainties are raising risks for U.S. equities this year, though Citi has kept its year-end 2026 target for the S&P 500 ( SP500 ) unchanged at 7.7K. In a note, Citi said several unexpected headwinds have emerged since the start of the year, including the conflict involving Iran, uncertainty in private credit markets, and concerns about artificial intelligence disrupting parts of the corporate spending cycle. Citi strategist Scott Chronert said these developments represent rising “tail risks” rather than the typical economic or policy-driven volatility markets usually contend with. “The duration of the Iran conflict and private credit uncertainty, along with AI disruption and funding concerns, present tail risks that cannot be ignored,” Chronert wrote. The bank said elevated oil prices linked to geopolitical tensions could weigh on consumer spending if they persist. Higher fuel costs risk crowding out discretionary purchases, potentially offsetting some of the benefits from fiscal stimulus or tax refunds. Citi said the situation bears similarities to the supply shock triggered by the Russia–Ukraine war in 2022, when oil prices surged and defensive sectors outperformed while cyclicals struggled. Despite the risks, the bank said the fundamental underpinnings of its outlook remain largely intact, supported by strong earnings expectations and continued momentum in large technology and AI-linked companies. Chronert said reaching the 7.7K target would require broader participation beyond mega-cap technology stocks, with both large growth names and the rest of the index contributing to gains. Still, Citi warned that prolonged geopolitical tensions, tighter credit conditions, or sustained energy shocks could lead to heightened volatility or a corrective phase in equities before the target is reached. Here are S&P ETFs: ( SPY ), ( VOO ), ( IVV ), ( RSP ), ( SSO ), ( UPRO ), ( SH ), ( SDS ), and ...
Micron (MU +4.55%) stock jumped 6.3% through 9:50 a.m. ET Monday after announcing it completed purchase of a Taiwanese production site from Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC). The 300,000-square-foot cleanroom facility will be upgraded and expanded to focus on DRAM production, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in artificial intelligence. News... sort of This is...
Micron (MU +4.55%) stock jumped 6.3% through 9:50 a.m. ET Monday after announcing it completed purchase of a Taiwanese production site from Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC). The 300,000-square-foot cleanroom facility will be upgraded and expanded to focus on DRAM production, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in artificial intelligence. News... sort of This isn't a surprise. Micron announced in January it would buy the Tongluo site from PSMC. Today's news just makes the purchase official and final. Nor will HBM production increase immediately. Refitting the facility will take time, and Micron doesn't expect "meaningful" production to begin before fiscal 2028. Long term, though, the boost in production should be significant. Currently set up for production of ordinary DRAM semiconductors, the retrofitted facility will be more advanced -- and much bigger. The planned expansion will nearly double the amount of cleanroom space to 570,000 square feet and will collaborate with Micron's existing Taiwanese HBM facility. Expand NASDAQ : MU Micron Technology Today's Change ( 4.55 %) $ 19.37 Current Price $ 445.50 Key Data Points Market Cap $480B Day's Range $ 444.66 - $ 454.83 52wk Range $ 61.54 - $ 455.50 Volume 715K Avg Vol 35M Gross Margin 45.53 % Dividend Yield 0.11 % What does it mean for Micron stock? HBM prices are surging due to increased demand and insufficient supply to meet it. The forecast is current for basic DRAM prices to rise 50% to 55% sequentially in Q1 2026, versus Q4 2025, with price increases for HBM memory rising even faster. Micron's already profiting from this trend, with sales up 57% last quarter, and profits up 180%. Forecasts for the coming quarter's results anticipate the revenue growth rate accelerating to 138%, and the profits growth rate -- to more than 450%! Even at a share price 40 times trailing earnings, Micron stock looks cheap if this rate of growth continues. It makes sense the company would want to c...
taylanibrahim/iStock via Getty Images Fund Highlights Believes that mid cap companies that exhibit faster earnings growth offer the best opportunity for superior real rates of return given the conviction that stock prices follow earnings growth Seeks reasonably priced stocks of companies with high forecasted earnings potential through in-depth, fundamental research and first-hand knowledge of comp...
taylanibrahim/iStock via Getty Images Fund Highlights Believes that mid cap companies that exhibit faster earnings growth offer the best opportunity for superior real rates of return given the conviction that stock prices follow earnings growth Seeks reasonably priced stocks of companies with high forecasted earnings potential through in-depth, fundamental research and first-hand knowledge of company operations derived through on-site visits and meetings with company management teams, as well as suppliers, users and competitors Emphasizes excellent company management, disciplined capital allocation, strong returns on invested capital, solid financial controls, unit volume growth, cash flow sufficient to fund growth and unique market position or pricing power Market Recap Equity markets delivered modest gains in the fourth quarter, closing out a year shaped by early trade disruptions, strong corporate earnings, and a widening gap between headline index performance and market breadth. While large cap technology stocks remained influential, leadership broadened late in the year as small caps and cyclical sectors gained traction, supported by resilient consumer spending, a steepening yield curve, and continued disinflation. A dovish shift by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) and easing financial conditions further buoyed sentiment, even as investors became more selective around AI-driven growth and monitored evolving labor market conditions. Against this backdrop, the Touchstone Mid Cap Growth Fund benefited from favorable factor exposure during the quarter. Risk-based attribution shows a tailwind from common factors, led by the Fund's overweight to Size, which more than offset a modest headwind from underweight Volatility. Combined with positive stock-specific performance, these factors contributed meaningfully to the Fund's overall results for the quarter. Portfolio Review The Touchstone Mid Cap Growth Fund (Class A Shares, Load Waived) outperformed its benchmark, the Ru...
Emirates is operating flights to Dubai that are near-empty in some cases as travelers avoid the Persian Gulf, highlighting the challenges for the world’s largest international airline to restore its network amid a protracted war. Flights from destinations in the US and continental Europe have been impacted the hardest, with planes returning from Prague or Budapest only about 5% to 10% occupied, ac...
Emirates is operating flights to Dubai that are near-empty in some cases as travelers avoid the Persian Gulf, highlighting the challenges for the world’s largest international airline to restore its network amid a protracted war. Flights from destinations in the US and continental Europe have been impacted the hardest, with planes returning from Prague or Budapest only about 5% to 10% occupied, according to data compiled by the Dubai-based airline that was reviewed by Bloomberg. Several aircraft returning from New York flew with only a fifth of the tickets sold, and at least one flight during the past week departed with fewer than 35 passengers on an Airbus SE jumbo A380 jet that ordinarily seats close to 500. Departures from Chicago operated with half-empty cabins, according to the documents. Flights leaving Dubai show a very different pattern, as many people depart the city on the reduced number of planes available. Emirates then flies the jets back to its hub with low occupancy. The airline also has to deal with several thousand no-shows every day on outbound flights, according to one memo, underscoring the complexities in running an operation that ordinarily includes hundreds of daily flights that are nearly full. The company is offering refunds and flexible rescheduling for flights until the end of the month. Emirates said in a statement it will continue to restore its network at pace, provided it can do so safely. Given the circumstances, current inbound occupancy is unsurprisingly light, an official said in response to questions. The company said it doesn’t comment on specific route occupancy. While passenger demand is slim, the company is also loading cargo into its aircraft, providing another stream of revenue and an inflow of perishable goods, in particular. Emirates is putting an emphasis on operating Boeing Co. 777 planes because they have more optimal cargo capacity than the Airbus A380. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed , making the flights on...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Upstart Holdings ( UPST ) was trading higher as BTIG upgraded the consumer finance stock on the back of its national bank charter application. UPST shares were 5.84% higher to $27.90 during Monday morning trading. Last week, Upstart announced plans to apply for a national bank charter, becoming the latest fintech to seek permission to operate as a nation...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Upstart Holdings ( UPST ) was trading higher as BTIG upgraded the consumer finance stock on the back of its national bank charter application. UPST shares were 5.84% higher to $27.90 during Monday morning trading. Last week, Upstart announced plans to apply for a national bank charter, becoming the latest fintech to seek permission to operate as a national bank. "The market didn't react at all to Upstart's bank application announcement," said analysts Vincent Caintic and Morgan O'Donovan."This surprised us, since a bank charter addresses what we consider to be a key downside risk of Upstart's private credit exposure, and one of the main reasons we had been Neutral-rated." "While there's no guarantee that Upstart will successfully become a bank, we think UPST's current share price is both 1) not pricing any potential upside from becoming a bank, and 2) pricing in significant liquidity risk of Upstart losing funding sources," said the research note. Shares were upgraded to Buy from Neutral, with the price target set at $43.00. BTIG's rating aligns with the average sell-side analysts and Seeking Alpha authors rating of Buy. On the other side, SA's Quant Rating system grades the stock as Strong Sell. More on Upstart Upstart's SoFi Moment Is Here: Assessing The Impact Of A Bank Charter Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript Upstart: Well-Priced AI And Lending Play Upstart plans to apply for bank charter, shares up Mid-cap financial stocks ranked by quant ratings after earnings season
Mirjana Pusicic/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Sportradar Group AG ( SRAD ) recently reported its Q4 and full-year results , so I thought it would be a good time to revisit and see how well it performed over the year. I covered it last year in March, and since my Hold recommendation, the share price dropped around 7% vs 17.6% growth in the SPDR® S&P 500 ETF Trust ( SPY ). By the Numbers Star...
Mirjana Pusicic/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Sportradar Group AG ( SRAD ) recently reported its Q4 and full-year results , so I thought it would be a good time to revisit and see how well it performed over the year. I covered it last year in March, and since my Hold recommendation, the share price dropped around 7% vs 17.6% growth in the SPDR® S&P 500 ETF Trust ( SPY ). By the Numbers Starting from the top, revenue for Q4 came in at around €369m, up about 20% y/y and in line with estimates. Let’s take a look at the revenue breakdown in more detail. Betting & Gaming content was the main revenue growth driver with 29% growth, going from €191.8m to €247.4m this latest quarter. Managed betting services grew 5% to €58m. Sports content, technology & services also grew around 5% to €63.4m for Q4. On the geographic breakdown, we can see that the rest of the world grew around 23% to €285.7m, while the U.S. saw growth of around 11% to €83.1m. The company attributed this performance to strong uptake of betting/gaming content and the addition of IMG Arena rights. Going over the company’s profitability, adjusted EBITDA expanded to 24.2%, which is up over 450bps y/y. That is a substantial expansion. We can see that a lot of it is due to the company’s operating leverage. While revenues increased 20%, personnel expenses only increased by 9%. The incremental costs of setting up new clients or markets are quite low since the company is a tech platform, once the initial infrastructure is set up. Additionally, the shift towards higher-margin services, like managed trading services, helped the company’s efficiency and profitability. What about the company’s financial position at the end of the year? SRAD finished 2025 with around €365.3m in cash and equivalents, against €52m in debt. That is a fine position to be in, in my opinion. The cash on hand easily covers the debt, while cash from operations came in at around €403m for the year as well, an increase of around €50m y/y. Fre...
United Parcel Service (UPS +0.94%) is one of the world's largest package delivery companies. It has a network that would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace. Add in a lofty 6.5% dividend yield, and you can see why income investors would be interested in buying the stock while it is trading near $100 per share. Is it worth it? The big risk dividend investors have to consider While UPS has a...
United Parcel Service (UPS +0.94%) is one of the world's largest package delivery companies. It has a network that would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace. Add in a lofty 6.5% dividend yield, and you can see why income investors would be interested in buying the stock while it is trading near $100 per share. Is it worth it? The big risk dividend investors have to consider While UPS has an attractive yield, its payout ratio is rather unattractive. At the end of 2025, the trailing 12-month dividend payout ratio was over 100%. That materially increases the risk of a dividend cut, given that it would require all of the company's earnings to cover just the dividend. Luckily, dividends aren't paid out of earnings. They are paid out of cash flow, so a payout ratio can rise above 100% for a period without triggering a dividend cut. As it stands, UPS is signaling that it intends to maintain the dividend at its current level in 2026. Still, conservative dividend investors may want to tread with caution. The turnaround is having the intended impact The real issue, however, is the turnaround UPS is currently implementing. It is cutting costs, modernizing and streamlining, and refocusing on its highest-profit customers. Its business is huge and complex, so this is no easy task. Right now, costs are high and, by design, the company's top line is falling as it sheds customers that aren't very profitable to serve. Notably, the company is pre-emptively reducing its reliance on Amazon (AMZN +0.68%), which has increasingly been delivering its own packages. Expand NYSE : UPS United Parcel Service Today's Change ( 0.94 %) $ 0.92 Current Price $ 98.13 Key Data Points Market Cap $83B Day's Range $ 97.61 - $ 98.40 52wk Range $ 82.00 - $ 122.41 Volume 878K Avg Vol 6.2M Gross Margin 18.53 % Dividend Yield 6.75 % The company believes 2026 will be the inflection point, with the second half of the year expected to be stronger than the first. Right now, the big positive is the ongoing ...
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Mike Larson Can “slow and steady” still win as an investing approach? Absolutely... and one stodgier stock I’ve been following for a while proves it! Take a look at the MoneyShow Chart of the Day, which shows how Verizon Communications Inc. ( VZ ) has traded over the past year. It caught my attention as I was reviewing the performance of all the st...
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Mike Larson Can “slow and steady” still win as an investing approach? Absolutely... and one stodgier stock I’ve been following for a while proves it! Take a look at the MoneyShow Chart of the Day, which shows how Verizon Communications Inc. ( VZ ) has traded over the past year. It caught my attention as I was reviewing the performance of all the stocks and ETFs in our MoneyShow 2026 Top Picks Report. Specifically, I saw that it had vaulted to the #6 spot, with a tracked gain of 27.9% since the report dropped in early January! Verizon: Big, Stodgy, and... Highly Profitable! (Source: StockCharts) No one would characterize the wireless communications company as a red-hot AI play. But its shares soared recently after it beat Q4 sales and earnings targets , boosted its profit forecast for 2026, and announced a massive $25 billion, three-year stock buyback. Verizon is also benefiting from market rotation, with investors seeking the safety of high-yielding, more defensive stocks thanks to the US-Israel-Iran conflict. The company currently pays out $2.83 per share in annual dividends, good for a yield of around 5.5%. When Kenny Polcari recommended VZ for our 2026 report, he wrote: “It will never be confused with a high-flying tech stock. But Verizon offers something arguably more valuable for those seeking stability: predictable cash flows, strong dividend income, and a business model built on essential services that consumers and enterprises simply cannot live without.” Turns out the chief market strategist at SlateStone Wealth was right on target. And his pick’s performance proves that slow and steady can pay off nicely - especially in a more volatile market like this one. Editor's Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors. Originally published on MoneyShow.com