Keir Starmer has been accused of trying to mimic Donald Trump’s social media output after posting a TikTok video about the crisis in the Middle East overlaid with the prime minister’s voice and the Dire Straits song Money for Nothing. The video opens with footage showing Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters flying over his head before cutting to British military jets in action and a drone being destroye...
Keir Starmer has been accused of trying to mimic Donald Trump’s social media output after posting a TikTok video about the crisis in the Middle East overlaid with the prime minister’s voice and the Dire Straits song Money for Nothing. The video opens with footage showing Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters flying over his head before cutting to British military jets in action and a drone being destroyed, as Starmer’s voice states the position he has taken on the conflict. “Our number one priority is protecting our people,” says Starmer, overlaid with the sound of electric guitars played by Dire Straits. Starmer refused to join the US and Israeli strikes on Iran but has since authorised “defensive” action. Al Pinkerton, a Liberal Democrat MP, said that the choice of song when the military was “crying out” for the government’s defence spending plan seemed “particularly cloth-eared” “Trump’s illegal war in the Middle East is not a movie for promotion despite what [the president’s] press channels may imply,” he added, referring tosocial media clip posts by the White House which celebrated the bombing of Iran with a montage of clips from Hollywood films and television shows. “Downing Street seems unable to avoid being sucked into the orbit of Trump’s deranged confusion of blockbuster with international conflict.” The Green party said that the TikTok clip “has echoes of videos coming out of the White House glorifying war”. Asked if the prime minister approved the music used on his social media posts, his spokesperson told reporters: “I’m not going to get into internal processes but you have his words on his commitment to defence spending.” Starmer told the Munich Security Conference last month that the UK was “going to have to spend more, faster” when it came to defence, after promising last year to spend 2.5% of national economic output on core defence by April 2027. TikTok has increasingly become a social media platform of choice for the prime minister, whose output has been...
High dividend yields often attract income-focused investors, and Annaly Capital Management NLY stands out in this regard with its notably high payout. As a publicly traded mortgage real estate investment trust (mREIT), the company has historically delivered favorable long-term shareholder returns while maintaining a sizable dividend yield that appeals strongly to income-oriented investors. The key...
High dividend yields often attract income-focused investors, and Annaly Capital Management NLY stands out in this regard with its notably high payout. As a publicly traded mortgage real estate investment trust (mREIT), the company has historically delivered favorable long-term shareholder returns while maintaining a sizable dividend yield that appeals strongly to income-oriented investors. The key question, however, is whether such a generous payout can remain sustainable over the long term. In 2025, Annaly increased its cash dividend 7.7% to 70 cents per share, reinforcing its commitment to returning capital to shareholders. At present, the company’s dividend yield stands at 12.2%. Annaly Capital Management Inc Dividend Yield (TTM) Annaly Capital Management Inc dividend-yield-ttm | Annaly Capital Management Inc Quote Beyond dividends, Annaly is also focused on enhancing shareholder value through capital management initiatives. On Jan. 31, 2025, the company’s board authorized a share repurchase program that allows the repurchase of up to $1.5 billion in common stock through Dec. 31, 2029. A central factor supporting NLY’s dividend is its disciplined investment strategy, which emphasizes prudent asset selection and efficient capital allocation to produce stable returns. The company primarily invests in Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS), which are generally considered safer instruments because their principal and interest payments are guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. As of Dec. 31, 2025, Annaly’s total investment portfolio was valued at $104.7 billion, with $92.9 billion allocated to highly liquid Agency MBS. In addition to its portfolio strength, NLY maintains a solid liquidity position that supports its ability to navigate market volatility. At the end of 2025, the company had $9.4 billion in total assets available for financing, including $6.1 billion in cash and unencumbered Agency MBS. This liqui...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) climbed 3% on Friday even as the company prepares to cut thousands of jobs, potentially starting this month. The reductions target positions the company sees as less essential due to automation from AI tools. The layoffs are part of broader spending on AI and data centers supporting clients including OpenAI. CEO Larry Ellison h...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) climbed 3% on Friday even as the company prepares to cut thousands of jobs, potentially starting this month. The reductions target positions the company sees as less essential due to automation from AI tools. The layoffs are part of broader spending on AI and data centers supporting clients including OpenAI. CEO Larry Ellison has pushed Oracle to expand its cloud offerings to compete with Amazon and Microsoft. Analysts expect the investments to push cash flow into negative territory for several years, with a potential recovery around 2030. Oracle is also reviewing open positions in its cloud division, effectively imposing a hiring freeze. The company employs about 162,000 globally. Earlier AI-focused positioning had lifted shares, with gains of 61% in 2024 and 20% in 2025, but costs have pressured the stock, which has fallen 54% from its September 2025 peak and slipped another 1.5% to $150.12 last Thursday. Oracle joins other tech giants navigating AI investment pressures while reducing staff. Microsoft cut roughly 15,000 jobs last year amid data center and AI expansion, and Block co-founder Jack Dorsey recently cited AI-driven efficiency for workforce reductions. Oracle's current fiscal year restructuring is expected to cost up to $1.6 billion and ends in May 2026.
Earnings Call Insights: Mammoth Energy Services, Inc. (TUSK) Q4 2025 Management View Mark Layton, CFO, highlighted that 2025 marked a significant transformation for Mammoth Energy Services, with four major transactions generating approximately $150 million in proceeds. The company sold its transmission and distribution as well as engineering businesses, and exited both the pressure pumping equipme...
Earnings Call Insights: Mammoth Energy Services, Inc. (TUSK) Q4 2025 Management View Mark Layton, CFO, highlighted that 2025 marked a significant transformation for Mammoth Energy Services, with four major transactions generating approximately $150 million in proceeds. The company sold its transmission and distribution as well as engineering businesses, and exited both the pressure pumping equipment and a sand mine that were not meeting return standards. Layton stated, “We are a leaner, more focused company because of them.” Layton emphasized a strategic pivot into aviation rentals with over $65 million deployed, aiming for stable recurring revenue: “Aviation started the year with limited scale and it ended the year with real operating scale and a clear path to becoming a core earnings contributor as utilization ramps.” The fourth quarter saw revenue of $9.5 million, a decrease from both the third quarter and the prior year, attributed to ongoing portfolio changes. Layton acknowledged, “EBITDA in Q4 was below our expectations and below our standard. This was not a demand problem. It was an execution and cost control issue, and we own it.” Bernard Lancaster, COO, described Q4 as mixed operationally, with strength in aviation and accommodations, but challenges in fiber infrastructure and sand. Lancaster noted, “Profitability was pressured by higher equipment rental costs and insurance premiums... we have identified additional opportunities to be more strategic with our customer and fleet mix.” Layton reported management changes within the fiber business to address execution issues, with a focus on improved accountability and cost control. Lancaster confirmed a 25% increase in accommodations occupancy and ongoing improvements, while detailing reduced performance in sand and drilling. Investment in drilling, including motor and MWD capacity upgrades, is planned for 2026 to improve utilization and profitability. Layton emphasized the company’s debt-free status and $121.6...
Sleeplessness, fear and exhaustion gripped residents of Tehran as successive waves of strikes struck the Iranian capital, judging from messages sent by people in the city after the latest overnight onslaught, which several described as the worst bombardment in six days of war. With the Iran imposing a near-total internet blackout, information emerging from inside the country is fragmentary and dif...
Sleeplessness, fear and exhaustion gripped residents of Tehran as successive waves of strikes struck the Iranian capital, judging from messages sent by people in the city after the latest overnight onslaught, which several described as the worst bombardment in six days of war. With the Iran imposing a near-total internet blackout, information emerging from inside the country is fragmentary and difficult to verify. But in a series of accounts sent through proxy connections, and calls with friends abroad, Tehranis described a night of intense explosions. Zahra, a teacher and mother of one living in central Tehran, said the strikes, in what she said was the heaviest attack to date, had left her deeply worried for civilians who found themselves in danger not just from Iran’s attackers but from their own government. “This is the first time since the war began that I am genuinely scared for my fellow Iranians,” said Zahra*. “We are trapped between the regime that is killing us with machine guns, and a foreign power has likely decided that we are collateral damage.” View image in fullscreen Smoke billows after an airstrike in the Iranian capital earlier this week. Photograph: Wana News Agency/Reuters Although she had protested against the government in January and had celebrated the killing of the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in the first few seconds of the war a week ago, she has become increasingly fearful of the civilian toll. “The initial joy of the regime’s leaders paying the price is soon turning into fear. Who will be left in free Iran if we all get killed?” Zahra said. She described Thursday night as being unlike anything she had experienced before. “I don’t think I have ever experienced a night like this before or even seen [anything like it] in the movies. I am really scared, especially because I am in total information blackout.” “If they don’t stop now, Tehran will turn into Gaza,” said Farzad*, a 36-year-old who has fled the city. “We can now tell the differe...
Investors weren't in much of a mood to find next-generation location services company Life360 (LIF +2.18%) lately. Much of this was due to the company's latest earnings release, which disappointed the market. As of mid-morning Friday, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, Life360's shares were down by more than 13%. Operational and financial metrics on the rise Life360's fo...
Investors weren't in much of a mood to find next-generation location services company Life360 (LIF +2.18%) lately. Much of this was due to the company's latest earnings release, which disappointed the market. As of mid-morning Friday, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, Life360's shares were down by more than 13%. Operational and financial metrics on the rise Life360's fourth quarter saw revenue rise 26% year over year to $146 million. That was on the back of a 30% increase in subscription revenue to $102.5 million, and a 20% increase in its monthly active user (MAU) count to 95.8 million. Net income under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) ballooned to $129.7 million ($1.51 per share) from the year-ago profit of $8.5 million. However, this was skewed by a one-time, non-cash income tax benefit of nearly $118 million. On average, pundits tracking the stock were modeling $144 million in revenue and $0.33 per share in profitability (though they likely didn't anticipate such a sizable tax benefit). In its earnings release, Life360 attributed its double-digit growth in key fundamentals and operational metrics to several factors. These include new product rollouts, higher user adoption, and the positive effects of increased artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities across the company. Expand NASDAQ : LIF Life360 Today's Change ( 2.18 %) $ 0.98 Current Price $ 45.89 Key Data Points Market Cap $3.6B Day's Range $ 43.75 - $ 45.91 52wk Range $ 29.62 - $ 112.54 Volume 17K Avg Vol 1M Gross Margin 77.81 % Worries about growth Life360 also published full-year 2026 guidance. It believes revenue for the year will total $640 million to $680 million, representing growth of 31% to 39% over 2025. Non-GAAP (adjusted) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) should come in at $128 million to $138 million, well up from the previous year's $93 million. MAUs are forecast to rise by 20%. I can't find much to dislike in th...
Key Points Investors have rather high expectations for tech companies these days. Some were worried that the company's robust growth rates would cool. 10 stocks we like better than Life360 › Investors weren't in much of a mood to find next-generation location services company Life360 (NASDAQ: LIF) lately. Much of this was due to the company's latest earnings release, which disappointed the market....
Key Points Investors have rather high expectations for tech companies these days. Some were worried that the company's robust growth rates would cool. 10 stocks we like better than Life360 › Investors weren't in much of a mood to find next-generation location services company Life360 (NASDAQ: LIF) lately. Much of this was due to the company's latest earnings release, which disappointed the market. As of mid-morning Friday, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, Life360's shares were down by more than 13%. Operational and financial metrics on the rise Life360's fourth quarter saw revenue rise 26% year over year to $146 million. That was on the back of a 30% increase in subscription revenue to $102.5 million, and a 20% increase in its monthly active user (MAU) count to 95.8 million. 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 » Net income under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) ballooned to $129.7 million ($1.51 per share) from the year-ago profit of $8.5 million. However, this was skewed by a one-time, non-cash income tax benefit of nearly $118 million. On average, pundits tracking the stock were modeling $144 million in revenue and $0.33 per share in profitability (though they likely didn't anticipate such a sizable tax benefit). In its earnings release, Life360 attributed its double-digit growth in key fundamentals and operational metrics to several factors. These include new product rollouts, higher user adoption, and the positive effects of increased artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities across the company. Worries about growth Life360 also published full-year 2026 guidance. It believes revenue for the year will total $640 million to $680 million, representing growth of 31% to 39% over 2025. Non-GAAP (adjusted) earnings before interest, taxes, deprecia...
Growth stocks are attractive to many investors, as above-average financial growth helps these stocks easily grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. But finding a growth stock that can live up to its true potential can be a tough task. By their very nature, these stocks carry above-average risk and volatility. Moreover, if a company's growth story is over or nearing its end, be...
Growth stocks are attractive to many investors, as above-average financial growth helps these stocks easily grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. But finding a growth stock that can live up to its true potential can be a tough task. By their very nature, these stocks carry above-average risk and volatility. Moreover, if a company's growth story is over or nearing its end, betting on it could lead to significant loss. However, the task of finding cutting-edge growth stocks is made easy with the help of the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects. Kontoor Brands (KTB) is on the list of such stocks currently recommended by our proprietary system. In addition to a favorable Growth Score, it carries a top Zacks Rank. Research shows that stocks carrying the best growth features consistently beat the market. And returns are even better for stocks that possess the combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). While there are numerous reasons why the stock of this maker of Wrangler and Lee apparel is a great growth pick right now, we have highlighted three of the most important factors below: Earnings Growth Earnings growth is arguably the most important factor, as stocks exhibiting exceptionally surging profit levels tend to attract the attention of most investors. For growth investors, double-digit earnings growth is highly preferable, as it is often perceived as an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration. While the historical EPS growth rate for Kontoor is 13.6%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 9.5% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of 1.8%. Impressive Asset Utilization Ratio Growth investors often overlook asset utilization ratio, also known ...
Investors seek growth stocks to capitalize on above-average growth in financials that help these securities grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. But finding a growth stock that can live up to its true potential can be a tough task. In addition to volatility, these stocks carry above-average risk by their very nature. Also, one could end up losing from a stock whose growth s...
Investors seek growth stocks to capitalize on above-average growth in financials that help these securities grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. But finding a growth stock that can live up to its true potential can be a tough task. In addition to volatility, these stocks carry above-average risk by their very nature. Also, one could end up losing from a stock whose growth story is actually over or nearing its end. However, the task of finding cutting-edge growth stocks is made easy with the help of the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects. Our proprietary system currently recommends Tapestry (TPR) as one such stock. This company not only has a favorable Growth Score, but also carries a top Zacks Rank. Studies have shown that stocks with the best growth features consistently outperform the market. And returns are even better for stocks that possess the combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). While there are numerous reasons why the stock of this maker of high-end shoes and handbags is a great growth pick right now, we have highlighted three of the most important factors below: Earnings Growth Arguably nothing is more important than earnings growth, as surging profit levels is what most investors are after. For growth investors, double-digit earnings growth is highly preferable, as it is often perceived as an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration. While the historical EPS growth rate for Tapestry is 17.1%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 26.7% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of 15.8%. Cash Flow Growth Cash is the lifeblood of any business, but higher-than-average cash flow growth is more beneficial and important for growth-or...
The ding of half a million phones, a pause and a collective gasp: in an instant, more than 500,000 people had just been declared homeless. Shooting in the air, panicked phone calls and honking filled the streets of Beirut as people began to flee. Thousands abandoned their cars and began the slow march to the sea, desperate to escape the Israeli bombs which they knew would soon fall on their homes ...
The ding of half a million phones, a pause and a collective gasp: in an instant, more than 500,000 people had just been declared homeless. Shooting in the air, panicked phone calls and honking filled the streets of Beirut as people began to flee. Thousands abandoned their cars and began the slow march to the sea, desperate to escape the Israeli bombs which they knew would soon fall on their homes – whether they were in them or not. The Israeli army issued its largest, most sweeping displacement order yet, ordering the immediate evacuation of the southern suburbs of Beirut – an area the size of lower Manhattan. By Friday, the usually vibrant area was a ghost town, the throngs of people replaced by rubble and fires from Israeli bombing. It was one more chunk of Lebanon declared off-limits by the Israelis. The entire country south of the Litani river, roughly 10% of Lebanon, had already been put under a displacement order the day before. Family WhatsApp chats were filled with the infamous blue maps issued by the Israeli military spokesperson over X, more and more towns and neighbourhoods shaded in red by the hour. View image in fullscreen A family flashes victory signs as they flee Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs. Photograph: Bilal Hussein/AP The Lebanese government told fleeing residents that all shelters in Beirut were full, and instructed them to head at least two hours north where there were available beds. The circle was tightening, safety harder to find. “A person leaving his house can only take a few clothes and maybe a mattress. All of the beautiful memories stay behind in the house, in the neighbourhood,” said Ali Hamdan, a 31-year-old father from the Haret Hreik neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs. War had returned to Lebanon before its residents had had time to rebuild from the last one. Israeli airstrikes pounded border villages and the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday, adding to the already heaping mounds of rubble from ...
The good news is, retailer Gap (GAP 13.57%) met its fiscal fourth-quarter sales and earnings expectations. The bad news is, the company didn't actually beat either estimate. It merely matched analysts' revenue and profit projections, which were measurably less than year-ago figures. Given this, the stock was vulnerable to any rhetoric that was less than bullish. All it took was the perception of t...
The good news is, retailer Gap (GAP 13.57%) met its fiscal fourth-quarter sales and earnings expectations. The bad news is, the company didn't actually beat either estimate. It merely matched analysts' revenue and profit projections, which were measurably less than year-ago figures. Given this, the stock was vulnerable to any rhetoric that was less than bullish. All it took was the perception of trouble to send shares 13.5% lower as of 12:40 p.m. ET Friday. Here's what you need to know. "Good" wasn't good enough Gap turned nearly $4.24 billion in revenue into a per-share profit of $0.45 for the three months ending in January, in-line with expectations, but down from the comparable quarter a year earlier when the company reported earnings of $0.54 per share on sales of $4.15 billion. The top-line growth was impressive given January's temporary store closures due to a severe winter storm, which only made the dip in profits resulting from new import tariffs all the more pronounced. Expand NYSE : GAP Gap Today's Change ( -13.57 %) $ -3.69 Current Price $ 23.51 Key Data Points Market Cap $10B Day's Range $ 23.26 - $ 24.70 52wk Range $ 16.99 - $ 29.36 Volume 811K Avg Vol 7.5M Gross Margin 40.93 % Dividend Yield 2.43 % The current quarter and full year are likely to be healthy enough as well. Gap is guiding for revenue growth of between 1% and 2% for the three months ending in April, and sales growth of 2% to 3% for the entire fiscal year. Both are also in-line with analysts' expectations, as is the company's expected 2026 profit of between $2.20 and $2.35 per share versus the consensus estimate of $2.32. When all was said and done, however, there was no room for anything less than a decisive beat of analysts' present and future expectations. Investors interpreted the glass as half-empty rather than half-full, perhaps rattled by apparent plans to simply accept that higher import costs will be pinching profit margins until further notice. The knee-jerk reaction may not real...
The highest human rights court in Latin America condemned Peru on Thursday over the death of its citizen Celia Ramos, who died at the age of 34 in 1997 after undergoing sterilisation “under coercion”. The landmark ruling by the inter-American court of human rights (IACHR) is the first on Peru’s forced sterilisation programme, which operated between 1996 and 2000 and was directed against poor, rura...
The highest human rights court in Latin America condemned Peru on Thursday over the death of its citizen Celia Ramos, who died at the age of 34 in 1997 after undergoing sterilisation “under coercion”. The landmark ruling by the inter-American court of human rights (IACHR) is the first on Peru’s forced sterilisation programme, which operated between 1996 and 2000 and was directed against poor, rural and Indigenous women. The court held the Peruvian state “internationally responsible” for the violation of Ramos’s right to life, health, personal integrity, family, access to information and equality before the law. The court determined that Ramos “was pressured by health personnel to undergo a tubal ligation” on 3 July 1997, in a makeshift facility that “did not have the necessary equipment or medications for proper risk assessment or to deal with emergencies”. Ramos, a mother of three girls, suffered a “severe allergic reaction” during the operation and died 19 days later. View image in fullscreen Celia Ramos with one of her children. Her eldest daughter said of the ruling: ‘We are reliving what we have carried for so many years. It is both difficult and comforting.’ Photograph: Handout The Peruvian state was found responsible for the “lack of due diligence and unjustified delay in investigating what happened” and for the impact Ramos’s death had on her daughters, husband and mother. As a result, the state had “violated the rights to personal integrity [and] family, and the rights of children”. The mass sterilisation of hundreds of thousands of women in the 1990s is regarded as Peru’s most flagrant violation of human rights under the late former president Alberto Fujimori. Neither Fujimori nor his health ministers were ever prosecuted for the campaign, which, according to the court, “resulted in more than 314,000 sterilisations of women and 24,000 of men, many under coercion and without valid consent, mainly affecting Indigenous women and those living in poverty or ext...