Confluent press release ( CFLT ): Q4 Non-GAAP EPS of $0.12 beats by $0.02 . Revenue of $314.82M (+20.5% Y/Y) beats by $6.76M . More on Confluent Buy Confluent For The Attractive Arbitrage Spread, Buy IBM For Potential Hybrid Cloud Dominance IBM: The $11B Confluent Deal Changes The AI Growth Story Wall Street Breakfast Podcast: IBM Eyes Another AI Deal Confluent Q4 2025 Earnings Preview Confluent g...
Confluent press release ( CFLT ): Q4 Non-GAAP EPS of $0.12 beats by $0.02 . Revenue of $314.82M (+20.5% Y/Y) beats by $6.76M . More on Confluent Buy Confluent For The Attractive Arbitrage Spread, Buy IBM For Potential Hybrid Cloud Dominance IBM: The $11B Confluent Deal Changes The AI Growth Story Wall Street Breakfast Podcast: IBM Eyes Another AI Deal Confluent Q4 2025 Earnings Preview Confluent gets rating cut at Bernstein following acquisition by IBM
A little more than two months ago, a Rocket Lab employee called the Stennis Space Center Fire Department from the nearby A3 test stand. There was a grass fire where Archimedes engines undergo testing. Could they please send personnel over? According to the fire station's Nov. 30 dispatcher log, the employee said, "The fire started during a test when an anomaly caused an electrical box to catch fir...
A little more than two months ago, a Rocket Lab employee called the Stennis Space Center Fire Department from the nearby A3 test stand. There was a grass fire where Archimedes engines undergo testing. Could they please send personnel over? According to the fire station's Nov. 30 dispatcher log, the employee said, "The fire started during a test when an anomaly caused an electrical box to catch fire." Satellite imagery from before and after the anomaly appear to show that the roof had been blown off the left test cell, one of two at the test stand at the historic NASA facility in southern Mississippi. One person with knowledge of the anomaly said, "The characterization of this as an electrical fire doesn't reflect what actually occurred. This was a catastrophic engine explosion that resulted in significant infrastructure damage." Read full article Comments
After initial concerns about AI disruption, this tech giant has become an AI winner in relatively short order. Alphabet (GOOG 2.29%)(GOOGL 2.42%) could be the hottest artificial intelligence (AI) stock on Wall Street right now. Shares have climbed by 68% over the past year, a staggering feat for a stock already worth a trillion dollars. But even after all that success, it still leaps off the page ...
After initial concerns about AI disruption, this tech giant has become an AI winner in relatively short order. Alphabet (GOOG 2.29%)(GOOGL 2.42%) could be the hottest artificial intelligence (AI) stock on Wall Street right now. Shares have climbed by 68% over the past year, a staggering feat for a stock already worth a trillion dollars. But even after all that success, it still leaps off the page as arguably the best AI stock investors can buy and hold for the next five years. Predicting that Alphabet will continue to win tremendously in AI moving forward may not be a bold statement, but you don't always need to go off the board to make a lot of money. Here is why Alphabet is the no-brainer AI stock to own now and for the future. Alphabet's dominance of the Internet economy is an overwhelming AI advantage Alphabet's dominance goes well beyond Google Search. Alphabet's YouTube is the leading streaming service. Products like Gmail, Sheets, and Chrome have billions of users. Nearly three-quarters of the world's smartphones operate on Alphabet's Android software. All those products and services generate mountains of first-party data that are helping Alphabet win in AI. Its deep pockets allow it to move quickly and aggressively invest to support its growth opportunities. It's tough to compete with Alphabet when you stack all of these advantages. The latest earnings report offered a glimpse into the future Integrating AI into all these products and services is only strengthening them further, and the results show in Alphabet's latest earnings. It seems like a distant memory, but investors once feared that AI would ruin Alphabet's core ads business by disrupting search engines. Revenue from Google Search soared by nearly 17% year over year, finishing 2025 at a whopping $224.5 billion, up from $175 billion in 2023. Growth in its Google Cloud segment is accelerating. Fourth-quarter cloud revenue came in at $17.66 billion, nearly 48% higher than a year ago. Gemini AI now has ...
After initial concerns about AI disruption, this tech giant has become an AI winner in relatively short order. Alphabet (GOOG 2.29%)(GOOGL 2.42%) could be the hottest artificial intelligence (AI) stock on Wall Street right now. Shares have climbed by 68% over the past year, a staggering feat for a stock already worth a trillion dollars. But even after all that success, it still leaps off the page ...
After initial concerns about AI disruption, this tech giant has become an AI winner in relatively short order. Alphabet (GOOG 2.29%)(GOOGL 2.42%) could be the hottest artificial intelligence (AI) stock on Wall Street right now. Shares have climbed by 68% over the past year, a staggering feat for a stock already worth a trillion dollars. But even after all that success, it still leaps off the page as arguably the best AI stock investors can buy and hold for the next five years. Predicting that Alphabet will continue to win tremendously in AI moving forward may not be a bold statement, but you don't always need to go off the board to make a lot of money. Here is why Alphabet is the no-brainer AI stock to own now and for the future. Alphabet's dominance of the Internet economy is an overwhelming AI advantage Alphabet's dominance goes well beyond Google Search. Alphabet's YouTube is the leading streaming service. Products like Gmail, Sheets, and Chrome have billions of users. Nearly three-quarters of the world's smartphones operate on Alphabet's Android software. All those products and services generate mountains of first-party data that are helping Alphabet win in AI. Its deep pockets allow it to move quickly and aggressively invest to support its growth opportunities. It's tough to compete with Alphabet when you stack all of these advantages. The latest earnings report offered a glimpse into the future Integrating AI into all these products and services is only strengthening them further, and the results show in Alphabet's latest earnings. It seems like a distant memory, but investors once feared that AI would ruin Alphabet's core ads business by disrupting search engines. Revenue from Google Search soared by nearly 17% year over year, finishing 2025 at a whopping $224.5 billion, up from $175 billion in 2023. Growth in its Google Cloud segment is accelerating. Fourth-quarter cloud revenue came in at $17.66 billion, nearly 48% higher than a year ago. Gemini AI now has ...
Vanda Pharmaceuticals press release ( VNDA ): Q4 GAAP EPS of -$2.39 misses by $1.07 . Revenue of $57.22M (+7.6% Y/Y) misses by $2.05M . Full Year 2026 Financial Objectives Full Year 2026 Guidance Total revenues $230 to $260 million Fanapt ® net product sales $150 to $170 million Other net product sales $80 to $90 million Click to enlarge Shares -10.77% AH. More on Vanda Pharmaceuticals Vanda Pharm...
Vanda Pharmaceuticals press release ( VNDA ): Q4 GAAP EPS of -$2.39 misses by $1.07 . Revenue of $57.22M (+7.6% Y/Y) misses by $2.05M . Full Year 2026 Financial Objectives Full Year 2026 Guidance Total revenues $230 to $260 million Fanapt ® net product sales $150 to $170 million Other net product sales $80 to $90 million Click to enlarge Shares -10.77% AH. More on Vanda Pharmaceuticals Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VNDA) Presents at 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Transcript Vanda Pharmaceuticals: SG&A Takes Off, TAM Doesn't (Rating Downgrade) Vanda's 2026 Catalyst Run With Nereus Launch And Bysanti PDUFA In Focus Vanda falls as FDA rejects jet lag drug Biggest stock movers Wednesday: Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Axsome Therapeutics and Cybin
Novo Nordisk says more than 246,000 people are now taking its weight-loss pill. CEO Mike Doustdar sits down with Bloomberg’s Katie Greifeld to discuss GLP-1 supply, pricing and the company’s lawsuit against Hims over alleged obesity drug copycats. (Source: Bloomberg)
Novo Nordisk says more than 246,000 people are now taking its weight-loss pill. CEO Mike Doustdar sits down with Bloomberg’s Katie Greifeld to discuss GLP-1 supply, pricing and the company’s lawsuit against Hims over alleged obesity drug copycats. (Source: Bloomberg)
adventtr/E+ via Getty Images Almost all of Apple's ( AAPL ) big tech peers are set to see their free cash flows approach zero in 2026, as they invest heavily in AI. Amazon ( AMZN ) is looking at $200 billion of capex, Alphabet ( GOOG ) at $180 billion, Microsoft at $150 billion, and Meta at $120 billion. Meanwhile, Apple, the most profitable company on earth, is on track for a little less than $10...
adventtr/E+ via Getty Images Almost all of Apple's ( AAPL ) big tech peers are set to see their free cash flows approach zero in 2026, as they invest heavily in AI. Amazon ( AMZN ) is looking at $200 billion of capex, Alphabet ( GOOG ) at $180 billion, Microsoft at $150 billion, and Meta at $120 billion. Meanwhile, Apple, the most profitable company on earth, is on track for a little less than $10 billion in capital spending for FY26. There are two very different ways to look at this discrepancy. One, Apple is uniquely positioned to benefit from AI of third parties. Two, Apple has fully embraced its fate as a slow-growing staple business. As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle. The Last Free Cash Flow Producer Standing Going into 2026, some investors were hoping to see some relief from big tech spending on capex. Well, those investors, myself included, got exactly the opposite. Data by YCharts The Q4 earnings season was a capex festival, with most of big tech guiding humongous spending plans that make last year's spending look like kindergarten. Amid this compute rush, there's one company that stands in clear contrast - good old Apple. In the recently announced December quarter, Apple spent about $2.4 billion on capex. For context, this is about what Meta plans to spend per week in 2026. There's no clearer tell about Apple's strategy than this. Simply put, Apple believes that AI poses no threat to its dominance as a device maker. Therefore, it will be able to ride the investments of others to capitalize on the AI tailwind, without taking on any of the risk. If you're an Apple bull, this strategy is probably music to your ears. However, there is a decent chance that a few years from now, Apple's staying out of this battle would turn out to be a fatal decision. For Now, It Didn't Hurt Apple's Growth The December quarter numbers were frankly shocking. Apple exceeded revenue expectations by over $5.2 billion and EPS estimates by over 6%, combining for one of th...
AndreyPopov/iStock via Getty Images AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE: AER ) has reported its fourth quarter and full year results with EPS of $15.37, topping my $14.65 estimate. Since my last report , share prices of the world’s largest airplane lessor have increased by 9.3% as the company is using the premium on flight equipment sales to repurchase shares. In this report, I discuss AerCap’s Q4 2025 ear...
AndreyPopov/iStock via Getty Images AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE: AER ) has reported its fourth quarter and full year results with EPS of $15.37, topping my $14.65 estimate. Since my last report , share prices of the world’s largest airplane lessor have increased by 9.3% as the company is using the premium on flight equipment sales to repurchase shares. In this report, I discuss AerCap’s Q4 2025 earnings, the outlook for 2026, and I update my price target. AerCap Lease Revenue Growth Accelerates The Aerospace Forum For AerCap, we assess the adjusted revenues as the reported revenues include purchase accounting to account for GECAS leases being revalued to the prevailing market conditions at the time of acquisition rather than the economic realities of the contract. This is simply a requirement for acquisitions. By adding back the lease premium amortization as well as amortization of maintenance rights assets, we get a more reflective performance indication. What we see is that basic lease rents increased 4% to $1.71 billion, and maintenance rent doubled to $261 million, driving an 11% increase in total lease revenues. Lease revenues were substantially higher than in the prior year, which I believe is driven by the restructuring of Spirit Airlines. When an airline goes through a restructuring of the lease or terminates a lease, the deposits, including maintenance deposits, are forfeited by the lessee and recognized by the lessor on the revenue line, creating an increase in booked revenues. Net gain on sale decreased 3%. We do note that the company sold 55 assets for $1.3 billion, booking $253 million of gains. This is a 19% margin, which is substantially down compared to the same quarter last year when the margin was 30%. However, we note that timing and mix of sales can affect the margins. Demand is not getting softer, but I do believe that AerCap is not necessarily optimizing the yield, but they are actively working on selling more assets to keep the value circulatio...
Fourth quarter revenue growth of 12% and full year revenue growth of 14% Fourth quarter net income per diluted share of $4.66; adjusted net income per diluted share of $1.65 Full year net income per diluted share of $4.89; adjusted net income per diluted share of $2.42 Operating cash flow of $52.5 million in the fourth quarter with full year operating cash flow of $117.0 million MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. ...
Fourth quarter revenue growth of 12% and full year revenue growth of 14% Fourth quarter net income per diluted share of $4.66; adjusted net income per diluted share of $1.65 Full year net income per diluted share of $4.89; adjusted net income per diluted share of $2.42 Operating cash flow of $52.5 million in the fourth quarter with full year operating cash flow of $117.0 million MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: INSP) (Inspire), a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative, minimally invasive solutions for patients with obstructive sleep apnea, today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2025. “We are very excited with the strong finish to 2025. The team made excellent progress with the Inspire V launch, with clinical insights from the early phase of commercial adoption continuing to validate positive patient outcomes and improvements in therapy delivery,” said Tim Herbert, Chairman and CEO of Inspire Medical Systems. “Despite the dynamic reimbursement landscape, our strong fourth quarter execution positions us well as we enter 2026.” “In the last week, we received clarification regarding the coding that should be used for the Inspire V procedure. Currently, healthcare centers and physicians should bill the most recent healthcare policies, be it a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MACs) or a commercial payor, and based on this clarification, we believe the code will transition to CPT code 64582 for the Inspire V procedure, including the use of a -52 modifier,” continued Mr. Herbert. “While we are disappointed with this result, this clarification provides direction for us going forward, and we will work with payers, including the MACs, government agencies, commercial payers and physician societies to attempt to minimize the impact to the physician fee from this change. Additionally, we are seeking a long-term solution, namely the creatio...
SAN JOSE, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Outset Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: OM), a medical technology company pioneering a first-of-its-kind technology to improve clinical outcomes in dialysis with less cost and complexity, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2025. Fourth Quarter, Year-End and Recent Highlights Net revenue totaled $28.9 million in the ...
SAN JOSE, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Outset Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: OM), a medical technology company pioneering a first-of-its-kind technology to improve clinical outcomes in dialysis with less cost and complexity, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2025. Fourth Quarter, Year-End and Recent Highlights Net revenue totaled $28.9 million in the fourth quarter, bringing revenue in 2025 to $119.5 million, a 5% increase over $113.7 million in 2024. Recurring revenue consisting of Tablo consumables and services was $22.5 million in the fourth quarter and grew 6% in 2025 to $88.7 million compared to $83.9 million in 2024. Gross margin expanded by nearly 600 basis points in the fourth quarter to 42.4% (42.9% on a non-GAAP basis). Gross margin for the year of 39.1% (39.6% on a non-GAAP basis) expanded more than 500 basis points from 33.9% in 2024. Year-end cash, including restricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, totaled $173 million. Net cash used in operations in 2025 was $46 million compared to $116 million in 2024. Received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the next-generation Tablo platform, designed for enterprise-level cybersecurity, reliability and connectivity, which is expected to launch in the second quarter. “We enter 2026 standing on a strong foundation for growth, well capitalized, and with a highly differentiated platform to help healthcare providers transform their clinical, operational and financial outcomes by insourcing dialysis with Outset,” said Leslie Trigg, Chair and Chief Executive Officer. Fourth Quarter 2025 Financial Results Revenue for the fourth quarter was $28.9 million, a decrease of 2% compared to $29.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. Product revenue was $19.9 million as compared to $21 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. Service and other revenue of $9 million increased 6% compared to $8.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. Recurrin...
00:00 Speaker A Meta announcing plans to build a new data center in Indiana. Yahoo Yahoo Finance's tech editor, Dan Howley, has all the details, Dan. 00:08 Speaker B That's right, Josh. This is a biggin as uh they say, I guess. I'm from Jersey. I don't think that people say that there. But anyway, this is a 10 billion dollar data center that they're going to be building in Indiana. It's their seco...
00:00 Speaker A Meta announcing plans to build a new data center in Indiana. Yahoo Yahoo Finance's tech editor, Dan Howley, has all the details, Dan. 00:08 Speaker B That's right, Josh. This is a biggin as uh they say, I guess. I'm from Jersey. I don't think that people say that there. But anyway, this is a 10 billion dollar data center that they're going to be building in Indiana. It's their second in the state. The company says it'll be meant to power both their AI and core products. So, making sure that you stay on Instagram to keep looking at pictures of cats and people's food pictures. But it's it's interesting because as part of this announcement, they've really went ahead and pushed the idea that they're kind of trying to help the community around the area. So they talk about some of the investments that they're making in uh the infrastructure, uh with uh more than 120 million for water in the Lebanon area, which is where it's going to be happening, uh improvements to transmission lines and area utilities as well as upgrades to road. They also mention uh that they're paying for all of their uh full cost of the energy that the data center uses. Um makes sense. Uh but on top of that, they also said uh that this system in particular is a closed loop liquid cool system. In other words, it doesn't necessarily need to use water all the time from surrounding areas. Uh it's going to use them, they say, the vast majority of the time it'll be turned off. Occasionally it'll come back on, I guess, to bring in more liquid. And you know, this has been an ongoing issue for folks who live adjacent to, I mean, some people are just direct neighbors to these data centers. 01:46 Speaker A Not everybody loves it. 01:47 Speaker B No, no. 01:48 Speaker A It's the the sounds, the cooling systems, the utility bill, right? 01:52 Speaker B Sounds, pollution, utility bill, the water, you know, I mean so these are these are big time issues that folks are dealing with and, you know, grew ...
Q4 2025 product revenue of €240 million and FY 2025 product revenue of €684 million Q4 2025 operating profit of €10 million and cash flow from operating activities of €73 million TransCon ® CNP under FDA Priority Review, PDUFA action goal date of February 28, 2026 CNP under FDA Priority Review, PDUFA action goal date of February 28, 2026 Conference call today at 4:30 pm ET COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb...
Q4 2025 product revenue of €240 million and FY 2025 product revenue of €684 million Q4 2025 operating profit of €10 million and cash flow from operating activities of €73 million TransCon ® CNP under FDA Priority Review, PDUFA action goal date of February 28, 2026 CNP under FDA Priority Review, PDUFA action goal date of February 28, 2026 Conference call today at 4:30 pm ET COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascendis Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ASND) today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025, and provided a business update. “With a continued focus on making a meaningful difference for patients, we believe Ascendis is entering a steep growth phase as we transform into a leading global biopharma company,” said Jan Mikkelsen, President and CEO of Ascendis Pharma. “With strong execution and the power of our TransCon platform, we are positioned to generate approximately €500 million in operating cash flow in 2026 while aspiring to deliver at least €5 billion in global annual product revenue by 2030. At the same time, we are advancing a growing pipeline of highly differentiated programs to deliver durable, long-term growth.” Select 2025 Highlights & Anticipated 2026 Milestones TransCon PTH (palopegteriparatide, marketed as YORVIPATH) YORVIPATH revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025 totaled €187 million and €477 million for the full year 2025, as previously announced. More than 5,300 unique U.S. patient enrollments, with nearly 2,400 unique prescribing healthcare providers at year end. Outside the U.S., now available commercially or through named patient programs in more than 30 countries, with full commercial launches anticipated in 10 additional countries by year end 2026. Presented pooled analysis of 3-year data from PaTHway and PaTH Forward trials at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2025, reinforcing that treatment with TransCon PTH led to rapid and sustained improvements in kidney func...
NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AMC Networks Inc. ("AMC Networks" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: AMCX) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025. AMC Networks Chief Executive Officer Kristin Dolan said: "AMC Networks had a successful 2025. Streaming is now the largest single source of revenue in our domestic segment, a significant milesto...
NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AMC Networks Inc. ("AMC Networks" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: AMCX) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025. AMC Networks Chief Executive Officer Kristin Dolan said: "AMC Networks had a successful 2025. Streaming is now the largest single source of revenue in our domestic segment, a significant milestone and inflection point in the ongoing transformation of our business. We delivered free cash flow(1) well ahead of our previously increased forecast and once again achieved our financial guidance for the year. We look forward to continuing to take advantage of our independence and unique strengths as we drive the company forward during a time of change in our industry." Operational Highlights: Completed significant affiliate renewal activity in 2025, representing more than a third of our subscriber footprint in the US and Canada, including long-term agreements with DirecTV, National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC), Philo, and EastLink in Canada, among others. More than 1.1 million Spectrum TV customers have activated ad-supported AMC+ on Charter since launch. Advanced targeted streaming business across multiple fronts: launched new unscripted service All Reality and relaunched Sundance Now with 1,000+ hours of the best in indie film. Diversified original programming slate for 2026 includes: new darkly comedic Silicon Valley drama The Audacity; new seasons of Dark Winds, The Vampire Lestat, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and The Terror; sports docuseries Rise of the 49ers; weekly live programming from TNA Wrestling; and much more. Acquired remaining 17% of RLJ Entertainment in the fourth quarter; important RLJE assets include Acorn TV, ALLBLK, RLJE Films and a substantial investment in Agatha Christie Limited. Fourth Quarter Financial Highlights: Net cash provided by operating activities of $49 million; Free Cash Flow of $40 million. Operating loss of $51 million; Ad...
McDonald’s Corp. ’s US sales grew at the fastest pace in more than two years in the fourth quarter as value meals continued to resonate with cost-conscious diners. Sales from established US restaurants jumped 6.8% in the period from a year ago when foot traffic was dented by an E. coli outbreak , ahead of expectations and the highest since 2023. Earnings, excluding one-time items, also outpaced th...
McDonald’s Corp. ’s US sales grew at the fastest pace in more than two years in the fourth quarter as value meals continued to resonate with cost-conscious diners. Sales from established US restaurants jumped 6.8% in the period from a year ago when foot traffic was dented by an E. coli outbreak , ahead of expectations and the highest since 2023. Earnings, excluding one-time items, also outpaced the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg, as did comparable sales at the company’s two international divisions. McDonald’s priority in recent quarters has been to regain its status as an affordable dining-out option after prices surged coming out of the pandemic. The fourth-quarter results suggest those efforts, which have included more affordable menu items and value meals priced as low as $5, are paying off and allowing the burger chain to outperform competitors. The focus on affordability helped to improve traffic in the fourth quarter, Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski said in the company’s statement Wednesday. Diners also spent more per visit in the US, the company said, citing “successful marketing promotions.” During the quarter, the company brought back its popular Monopoly game and launched a Grinch-themed kids meal. Investors may question the cost of the efforts, however. A pre-tax charge of $80 million, or 9 cents a share, was related to restructuring charges as McDonald’s looks “to modernize ways of working” under its latest strategic plan. Operating margin, a measure of profitability, missed Wall Street’s expectations and declined from the previous quarter. Even so, the results suggest that McDonald’s is gaining market share as consumers change their spending habits in response to higher costs. Restaurant Brands International Inc. , which owns Burger King, is scheduled to report results on Thursday morning, while Wendy’s Co. will release earnings the following day. Earlier this month, McDonald’s competitor Yum! Brands Inc. posted better-than-expecte...
US stocks were little changed on Wednesday, as investors digested a January jobs report that blew past expectations on a monthly basis — signaling resilience in the labor market and bolstering the case for interest rates to stay on hold — while showing a heavily revised 2025. The blue chip-focused Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell 0.1% to retreat from its record high, while the S&P 500 (^GS...
US stocks were little changed on Wednesday, as investors digested a January jobs report that blew past expectations on a monthly basis — signaling resilience in the labor market and bolstering the case for interest rates to stay on hold — while showing a heavily revised 2025. The blue chip-focused Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell 0.1% to retreat from its record high, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose above the flatline. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) fell 0.1%. After a bruising recent run of labor market data, the unexpectedly strong "Super Bowl of jobs reports" showed the US economy added 130,000 positions in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed on Wednesday, and the unemployment rate ticked down slightly to 4.3% from 4.4%. However, the bullish monthly data was counterbalanced by heavy revisions to 2025 numbers, which brought the year's payrolls growth at 181,000, down from the previously reported 584,000 additions. That represents the weakest annual job growth since 2003, outside of a recession. Wednesday's surprise is feeding into bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts, which had been bolstered by soft December retail data that revealed fresh signs of weakness in the economy. Markets are now pricing in a bigger possibility that the Fed will hold rates steady in the coming months, with over 40% expecting the central bank to now stand pat through June. Most traders are still pricing in two cuts by the end of the year. Earnings season could provide further insight into the American consumer as well as Corporate America, with McDonald's (MCD) reporting after the bell, while Kraft Heinz (KHC) said in its earnings release Tuesday morning that it would pause its spin-off plans. After the market close, Cisco's (CSCO) quarterly report comes as the tech stalwart takes on Nvidia (NVDA) for Big Tech spending with a new AI networking chip. LIVE 19 updates
takasuu/iStock via Getty Images Mag 7 Fades, Smaller Caps and Value Stocks Rise Mega-cap growth stocks have come under pressure in 2026 as the Magnificent 7 leadership that dominated the past few years shows signs of fatigue. Earnings from several flagship technology names have been mostly solid, yet price action suggests investors are demanding greater selectivity rather than paying any price for...
takasuu/iStock via Getty Images Mag 7 Fades, Smaller Caps and Value Stocks Rise Mega-cap growth stocks have come under pressure in 2026 as the Magnificent 7 leadership that dominated the past few years shows signs of fatigue. Earnings from several flagship technology names have been mostly solid, yet price action suggests investors are demanding greater selectivity rather than paying any price for size and brand. At the same time, a select group of smaller AI-leveraged growth companies and the value segment overall have quietly outperformed, highlighting an accelerating market rotation beneath the surface of the S&P 500. For a simplified perspective, you can look at key benchmark performance over the past month, where the Magnificent 7 ( MAGS ) has fallen behind an equal-weighted index ( RSP ) and high dividend yield stocks ( HDV ): Seeking Alpha Volatility has also returned, with the S&P 500 VIX Index spiking above 20 twice already this year, signaling that investors are increasingly questioning the market’s direction after a powerful multi-year run. While today’s backdrop is not identical to last year’s, the playbook for shifting sentiment in Q1, which triggered a near-bear market, can be similar. I continue to favor a barbell strategy that balances innovative growth leaders with high-quality, income-oriented value names, to participate in upside while managing risk. The mix of AI beneficiaries outside the Mag 7, along with Quant Strong Buy income stocks in this article, reflects that balanced approach. How I Chose the Best Stocks Outside of the Mag 7 Using a barbell approach, I selected three of the best AI stocks for the growth side and three of the best high dividend stocks for the income side. To do this, I began the search on the main Seeking Alpha Stock Screener page and used the pre-selected Top Technology Stocks screener and chose the top three Strong Buys. For the income side, I started with the Top Quant Dividend Stocks screener and edited it to include ...
Reading, writing and learning a language or two can lower your risk of dementia by almost 40%, according to a study that suggests millions of people could prevent or delay the condition. Dementia is one of the world’s biggest health threats. The number of people living with the condition is forecast to triple to more than 150 million globally by 2050, and experts say it presents a big and rapidly ...
Reading, writing and learning a language or two can lower your risk of dementia by almost 40%, according to a study that suggests millions of people could prevent or delay the condition. Dementia is one of the world’s biggest health threats. The number of people living with the condition is forecast to triple to more than 150 million globally by 2050, and experts say it presents a big and rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems in every community, country and continent. US researchers found that engaging in intellectually stimulating activities throughout life, such as reading, writing or learning a new language, was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, and slower cognitive decline. The study author Andrea Zammit, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said the discovery suggested cognitive health in later life was “strongly influenced” by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments. “Our findings are encouraging, suggesting that consistently engaging in a variety of mentally stimulating activities throughout life may make a difference in cognition. Public investments that expand access to enriching environments, like libraries and early education programs designed to spark a lifelong love of learning, may help reduce the incidence of dementia.” Researchers tracked 1,939 people with an average age of 80 who did not have dementia at the start of the study. They were followed for an average of eight years. Participants completed surveys about cognitive activities and learning resources during three stages. Early enrichment, before 18, included the frequency of being read to and reading books, access to newspapers and atlases in the home, and learning a foreign language for more than five years. Middle-age enrichment included income level at 40, household resources such as magazine subscriptions, dictionaries and library cards and the frequency of activities such as visiti...