Medical Properties Trust (NYSE: MPT) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns healthcare properties providing necessary services. Hospitals account for 60% of its revenue. That's the good news and why many investors will likely find the stock's 6.6% yield highly compelling. There's just one problem: The yield is that high for a reason. The S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) has a yield of a...
Medical Properties Trust (NYSE: MPT) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns healthcare properties providing necessary services. Hospitals account for 60% of its revenue. That's the good news and why many investors will likely find the stock's 6.6% yield highly compelling. There's just one problem: The yield is that high for a reason. The S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) has a yield of about 1.2%. The average REIT has a yield of 3.8%. So, when you see a REIT backed by essential properties with a 6.6% yield, you need to ask yourself why the yield is so high. In this situation, the answer is that Medical Properties Trust cut its dividend. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
German wage growth quickened at the end of 2025, though recent agreements point to smaller salary increases ahead, according to the Bundesbank. Fourth-quarter negotiated pay rose 3.4% from a year ago after more or less stagnating in the the previous three months, the central bank said Thursday in its monthly report. It stressed, however, that the move was largely due to base effects including infl...
German wage growth quickened at the end of 2025, though recent agreements point to smaller salary increases ahead, according to the Bundesbank. Fourth-quarter negotiated pay rose 3.4% from a year ago after more or less stagnating in the the previous three months, the central bank said Thursday in its monthly report. It stressed, however, that the move was largely due to base effects including inflation compensation bonuses and pay rises that took effect in summer 2024. Without those, wages rose 4% in the fourth quarter — down from 5% in the third. New agreements “are likely to be moderate” since “the overall economic environment is likely to improve only gradually,” the Bundesbank said. German Investor Outlook Unexpectedly Sours in Blow to Recovery German Industrial Production Drops in Setback for Recovery Euro-Zone Economy Beats Estimates, Defying Trade Turmoil A gauge of negotiated wages in the euro zone, due Friday, will be scrutinized by the European Central Bank as it weighs its next steps for interest rates. The ECB is relying on a further decline in pay growth cooling still-elevated services inflation. On economic growth, the Bundesbank reiterated its view that a recovery will probably continue in the first quarter, “albeit with weak momentum.” From spring, though, output is “expected to grow more dynamically, driven primarily by fiscal stimulus.”
The United States’ plan to expand deployments of advanced missile systems and unmanned platforms in the Philippines is less about hardware than geography and what it signals about Washington’s long-term strategy in the region, analysts said. Announced after the 12th Philippines–US Bilateral Strategic Dialogue this week, the move reflects a steady effort to reinforce the so-called First Island Chai...
The United States’ plan to expand deployments of advanced missile systems and unmanned platforms in the Philippines is less about hardware than geography and what it signals about Washington’s long-term strategy in the region, analysts said. Announced after the 12th Philippines–US Bilateral Strategic Dialogue this week, the move reflects a steady effort to reinforce the so-called First Island Chain and bolster the US–Philippines alliance’s defensive posture in both the South China Sea and the...
Airbus SE Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury says that Pratt & Whitney’s engine delivery outlook for 2026 is “significantly behind their previous commitments.” He speaks to Bloomberg’s Guy Johnson after the aircraft manufacturer said monthly production of A320 aircraft may fall short of 75 units by the end of next year because Pratt isn’t able to keep up with demand.
Airbus SE Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury says that Pratt & Whitney’s engine delivery outlook for 2026 is “significantly behind their previous commitments.” He speaks to Bloomberg’s Guy Johnson after the aircraft manufacturer said monthly production of A320 aircraft may fall short of 75 units by the end of next year because Pratt isn’t able to keep up with demand.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discusses the democratization of AI, saying we should remain 'humble' about what we still don’t know about superintelligence. He pointed to the uncertainty around how the technology could be used by totalitarian governments while speaking at India's AI summit. Oil steadied after its biggest daily gain since October, following a report that American military intervention in Ir...
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discusses the democratization of AI, saying we should remain 'humble' about what we still don’t know about superintelligence. He pointed to the uncertainty around how the technology could be used by totalitarian governments while speaking at India's AI summit. Oil steadied after its biggest daily gain since October, following a report that American military intervention in Iran could come sooner than expected. Brent held above $70 a barrel after adding 4.3% on Wednesday, while West Texas Intermediate traded above $65. (Source: Bloomberg)
JasonDoiy/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images eBay ( EBAY ) on Wednesday after the closing bell reported a top-and-bottom-line beat for the fourth quarter, helped by its eBay Live holiday shopping events and AI initiatives, among other things, and the e-commerce giant provided a better-than-expected forecast for the current quarter and approved a $2B stock buyback. Shares of the company are up more...
JasonDoiy/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images eBay ( EBAY ) on Wednesday after the closing bell reported a top-and-bottom-line beat for the fourth quarter, helped by its eBay Live holiday shopping events and AI initiatives, among other things, and the e-commerce giant provided a better-than-expected forecast for the current quarter and approved a $2B stock buyback. Shares of the company are up more than 8% in early premarket trading on Thursday. In a separate press release, eBay announced that it will purchase the secondhand clothing marketplace Depop from Etsy ( ETSY ) for $1.2B in cash in a move to capture the Gen Z and Millennial customer base . The company also hiked its cash dividend for the first quarter to $0.31 per share, from a previous payout of $0.29 per share. The dividend is payable on March 20 to stockholders of record as of March 6. For Q1, eBay expects net revenue between $3B and $3.05B, ahead of the consensus estimate of $2.80B, and non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.53 to $1.59, ahead of the $1.48 per share estimate. "We have built significant momentum across our strategic priorities, delivering meaningful growth and reinforcing our leadership in recommerce," CEO Jamie Iannone said. "As we continue to harness AI to elevate the customer experience worldwide, eBay is in the strongest position it has been in years." In Q4, gross merchandise volume was $21.2B, up 10% on an as-reported basis and up 8% excluding forex impact. Active buyers—buyers who paid for a transaction on the company's marketplace platforms in the past 12 months—were up 0.75% from last year at 135M. Net income for the quarter was $525M, or $1.14 per share, compared to $680M, or $1.40 per share, for the same period last year, weighed down by higher operating expenses. Excluding one-time items, earnings per share from continuing operations were $1.41, beating the average analyst expectation by 6 cents. Net revenue was up 15% at $3B and topped estimates by at least $100M. More on eBay eBa...
Furious fans, bloated storylines and television seemingly made only to sell merch … it’s time to stop dragging series out. Most of them deserve no more than one outing Though it aired almost two months ago, fans are still angry about the Stranger Things finale. So disappointing was the wrap to the five-season sci-fi that its cast are still having to deny that there is an upcoming secret final epis...
Furious fans, bloated storylines and television seemingly made only to sell merch … it’s time to stop dragging series out. Most of them deserve no more than one outing Though it aired almost two months ago, fans are still angry about the Stranger Things finale. So disappointing was the wrap to the five-season sci-fi that its cast are still having to deny that there is an upcoming secret final episode. I was not remotely disappointed, however. I thought the show ended perfectly: when I stopped watching it after season one, episode eight. Continue reading...
Consulting firm keen to increase uptake of technology and is reportedly monitoring adoption by workforce Accenture has reportedly started tracking staff use of its AI tools and will take this into consideration when deciding on top promotions, as the consulting company tries to increase uptake of the technology by its workforce. The company told senior managers and associate directors that being p...
Consulting firm keen to increase uptake of technology and is reportedly monitoring adoption by workforce Accenture has reportedly started tracking staff use of its AI tools and will take this into consideration when deciding on top promotions, as the consulting company tries to increase uptake of the technology by its workforce. The company told senior managers and associate directors that being promoted to leadership roles would require “regular adoption” of artificial intelligence, according to an internal email seen by the Financial Times. Continue reading...
Ashi Sae Yang/iStock via Getty Images Artificial Intelligence OpenAI Signals AI Monetization Momentum OpenAI’s recent research highlights clear, quantifiable evidence of AI monetization momentum, showing how usage and revenue have tracked closely with expanded compute capacity — a key metric linking adoption to commercial growth. Over the past three years, OpenAI’s compute capacity scaled roughly ...
Ashi Sae Yang/iStock via Getty Images Artificial Intelligence OpenAI Signals AI Monetization Momentum OpenAI’s recent research highlights clear, quantifiable evidence of AI monetization momentum, showing how usage and revenue have tracked closely with expanded compute capacity — a key metric linking adoption to commercial growth. Over the past three years, OpenAI’s compute capacity scaled roughly 3x year-over-year, growing from 0.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2023 to 0.6 GW in 2024 and an estimated 1.9 GW in 2025. The company’s revenue followed the same trajectory, rising from about $2 billion in 2023 to $6 billion in 2024 and over $20 billion estimated in 2025. This alignment demonstrates that as more compute became available, more users and enterprises adopted OpenAI’s products and generated revenue through consumer subscriptions, team plans, and usage-based APIs tied directly to outcomes delivered. The company emphasizes that monetization scales with real value delivered, meaning pricing grows only as models become more capable and integrated into workflows, a powerful signal of increasing monetization visibility and robust demand for AI intelligence across use cases. 1 Defense Technology Record U.S. Defense Spending Proposal Prioritizes Advanced Tech U.S. defense could enter a new expansion phase under the Trump administration’s proposal for a roughly 50% increase in the fiscal year 2027 military budget. At roughly $1.5 trillion, the plan prioritizes modernizing military capabilities, including advanced weapons systems, missile defense, space and cyber capabilities, shipbuilding, and next-generation aircraft. The proposal could also incentivize defense contractors to prioritize production capacity and industrial investment as part of a push to strengthen the domestic defense industrial base. 2 The budget increase would further widen the gap between U.S. defense spending and that of other major powers, reinforcing America’s position as the world’s largest military spender....
bluebay2014/iStock via Getty Images By Warren Patterson , Head of Commodities Strategy, and Ewa Manthey , Commodities Strategist Energy - Middle East supply risks grow Oil prices surged higher yesterday, with the market increasingly worried about the potential for imminent US action against Iran. ICE Brent rallied 4.35% to settle above $70/bbl. This strength continued in early morning trading toda...
bluebay2014/iStock via Getty Images By Warren Patterson , Head of Commodities Strategy, and Ewa Manthey , Commodities Strategist Energy - Middle East supply risks grow Oil prices surged higher yesterday, with the market increasingly worried about the potential for imminent US action against Iran. ICE Brent rallied 4.35% to settle above $70/bbl. This strength continued in early morning trading today. While talks in Geneva between the US and Iran were constructive, US Vice President JD Vance said that Iran is ignoring key US demands. Furthermore, there were reports that if the US were to take military action, it would likely be a lengthier process (continuing for several weeks) than the strikes seen last year on Iranian nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, Iran temporarily closed part of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, amid military drills, which would have only added to concerns. With a deal looking increasingly difficult to reach, it also means it will be more challenging to find a route to de-escalation, especially following the US military build-up we have seen in the region. And if de-escalation is not possible, the key question will then be what type of action the US takes and how Iran responds to this. For oil markets, the concern is clearly what action would mean not only for Iranian oil supply, but also broader Persian Gulf oil flows, given the risk of disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran exports roughly 1.5m b/d of crude oil, and total oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz are around 20m b/d, which includes refined products. Russia-Ukraine talks in Geneva saw very little progress, with a second day of meetings ending just after 90 minutes with no breakthrough. While there was little detail from the meeting, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia is trying to drag out negotiations. For oil markets, any sign of meaningful progress in talks would start to raise the prospect of an easing in US sanctions. However, it seems ...
Melpomenem NiCE ( NICE ) on Thursday announced a new $600 million share repurchase program as it surpassed Street estimates for quarterly earnings, sending shares higher in premarket trading. The execution of this program is subject to the issuance of the company’s audited annual financial report for the year 2025. This authorization reflects the company’s conviction in its long-term growth opport...
Melpomenem NiCE ( NICE ) on Thursday announced a new $600 million share repurchase program as it surpassed Street estimates for quarterly earnings, sending shares higher in premarket trading. The execution of this program is subject to the issuance of the company’s audited annual financial report for the year 2025. This authorization reflects the company’s conviction in its long-term growth opportunity and durability of its cash flow generation, it said in a statement. Following this authorization, NiCE currently has approximately $1 billion of total remaining share repurchase capacity (including previously authorized share repurchase programs that were not fully exhausted). The new share repurchase program has an indefinite term. NiCE ( NICE ) shares rose ~7% to $105.00 in early trading. More on NICE NICE Faces A Waiting Game For Real AI-Driven Gains NICE Ltd.: Why I Choose To Skip A High-Quality Business At A Low Valuation NICE Ltd. (NICE) Presents at 53rd Annual Nasdaq Investor Conference Transcript NICE beats Q4 street views, cloud revenue jumps NICE Q4 2025 Earnings Preview
Getty Images So far in the few months of 2026, the stock market continues to struggle in finding direction. Massive rotations are happening underneath the surface of a flattish S&P 500, with software stocks declining rapidly as investors begin to think of AI as a net risk rather than a tailwind. All of this serves to highlight, in my view, the importance of careful stock picking as market leadersh...
Getty Images So far in the few months of 2026, the stock market continues to struggle in finding direction. Massive rotations are happening underneath the surface of a flattish S&P 500, with software stocks declining rapidly as investors begin to think of AI as a net risk rather than a tailwind. All of this serves to highlight, in my view, the importance of careful stock picking as market leadership changes, and in my view, Wingstop ( WING ) is particularly vulnerable. The rapidly expanding chicken wing chain just shot up 10% after reporting Q4 results after comp sales declines came in a bit better than expected. That said, we have to wonder: with the business doing less than stellar, can we really defend rising valuations here? Data by YCharts I last wrote a buy rating on Wingstop in December, when the stock was trading near $250 per share. Thanks to the post-Q4 earnings jump, I’m up nicely on my position since then, but I’ll cut to the chase: this is a perfect opportunity to lock in gains on the name. Wingstop itself is signaling rather sluggish comp sales this year, and on top of an increasingly promotional and aggressive competitor landscape, I don’t think the company is well suited to meaningful EBITDA expansion that can rationalize its valuation. I’m cutting my rating on the stock to neutral. In my view, Wingstop is now a fairly balanced bag of positives and negatives. On the bright side, here are the catalysts that Wingstop can count as tailwinds: Rapid unit expansion on a capital-light business model. Wingstop is growing like there’s no tomorrow, all fueled by rampant franchisee activity. It opened just shy of 500 restaurants in 2025 and is aiming for 15-16% unit growth (or 450-490 more locations) in FY26. The company owns fewer than 2% of the global store fleet of 3k+ locations, so all of this growth comes at high margin and has no capital constraints. Improving cost of sales. Wingstop is defying inflation and improving its gross margins, even in the wake o...