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On Monday, Innovation Beverage Group Limited (NASDAQ:IBG) said it has closed a registered public offering, raising approximately $6 million in gross proceeds before fees and expenses.

Offering Details And Use of Proceeds

The company, which develops and markets a portfolio of 60 beverage formulations across 13 alcoholic and non-alcoholic brands, structured the offering on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The transaction closed on March 16, 2026.

The public offering consisted of 3,428,569 Common Units, with each unit priced at $1.75. The company intends to use approximately $2.5 million of the net proceeds to make a non-interest-bearing loan to Blockfuel.

The remaining funds will be allocated for general corporate purposes and working capital.

The transaction closed on March 16, 2026, and follows a registration statement. It …

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Rubrik, Inc. (NYSE:RBRK) shares are trading slightly lower on Tuesday. Citigroup analyst Fatima Boolani maintains a Buy rating on the stock, lowering the price forecast from $115 to $88.

According to Benzinga Pro, RBRK stock has lost over 227% in the past year. Investors can gain exposure to the stock via Global X Cybersecurity ETF (NASDAQ:BUG).

On March 13, the company reported strong quarterly results that contributed to this positive movement.

Rubrik Hits Revenue Of $378 Million

Rubrik reported earnings of 4 cents per share, surpassing …

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TORONTO, March 17, 2026 /CNW/ – Manulife Investments announced today that it has launched Manulife CQS Multi Asset Credit Fund ETF Series (Ticker: MMAC), with its affiliated investment adviser Manulife | CQS Investment Management (“Manulife CQS”), a London-headquartered research-driven alternative credit specialist with 20+ years of experience. The new ETF series has closed its initial offering and will begin trading on the TSX today.

“We have seen strong interest in the Manulife CQS’s flagship strategy since launching it to Canadian investors last year and the ETF series gives additional flexibility and access to advisors and their clients,” said Kristie Feinberg, Head of Retail, Manulife Wealth & Asset Management.

Manulife CQS Multi Asset Credit Fund ETF Series seeks to generate income and capital growth by investing primarily in credit-related investments of global issuers and deliver attractive, income-driven, risk-adjusted returns across market cycles. The portfolio is managed by a team led by Craig Scordellis, Co-CIO and Senior Portfolio Manager, James Fitzpatrick, Head of …

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The robotaxi race isn’t shaping up as Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) versus a handful of rivals. It’s starting to look like Tesla versus… everyone else.

Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) is quietly stitching together a global network of automakers— BYD Co., Ltd. (OTC:BYDDF) (OTC:BYDDY), Hyundai Motor Co (OTC:HYMTF) (OTC:HYMLF), Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (OTC:NSANY), Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (OTC:GELYF) (OTC:GELHY) and more—into a shared autonomous driving ecosystem.

Add legacy giants like General Motors Co (NYSE:GM), Toyota Motor Corp

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For decades, the path to real estate wealth required a massive down payment, a mortgage and enough cash reserves to deal with the typical issues that come with property ownership. 

But a new generation of investors is proving that you don’t need to hold a deed to reap the rewards of the real estate market. 

Investors on the Arrived platform earned $10.5 million in dividends last year—all without ever picking up a paintbrush or screening a tenant, according to the 2025 Arrived Year in Review. 

The Rise of Fractional Ownership

The secret behind these multimillion-dollar payouts is fractional real estate. By moving the investment process online, platforms like Arrived allow people to buy shares of rental properties rather than the entire building. 

In 2025, the model reached a tipping point. The platform surpassed $170 million in total property value and maintained an occupancy rate of over 96%. …

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Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades and initiations, please see our analyst ratings page.

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As of March 17, 2026, three stocks in the financial sector could be flashing a real warning to investors who value momentum as a key criteria in their trading decisions.

The RSI is a momentum indicator, which compares a stock’s strength on days when prices go up to its strength on days when prices go down. When compared to a stock’s price action, it can give traders a better sense of how a stock may perform in the short term. An asset is typically considered overbought when the RSI is above 70, according to Benzinga Pro.

Here’s the latest list of major overbought players in this sector.

Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GLRE)

  • On March 9, Greenlight Capital Re posted fourth-quarter earnings of $1.44 per share, versus a year-ago loss of 81 cents per share. Greg Richardson, Chief Executive Officer of Greenlight Re, said, “We are proud of our fourth quarter 2025 underwriting results, which resulted in a combined ratio of 92.1%, allowing us to close the year with a record underwriting income and a …

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IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) shares are down during Tuesday’s premarket session.

On Monday the company is forging a strategic alliance with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI). T

his collaboration aims to advance quantum-high performance computing (HPC) hybrid technologies, which may be impacting investor sentiment as broader markets edged lower.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) focuses on integrating IonQ’s quantum hardware with KISTI’s HPC infrastructure, utilizing NVIDIA’s accelerated computing technology. This partnership is expected to enhance the national quantum ecosystem in South Korea and provide foundational technology necessary for practical quantum computing applications.

Additionally, the collaboration emphasizes the development of AI models and quantum-classical integration, aiming to position South Korea as a leader in hybrid quantum research.

This initiative builds on IonQ’s existing partnerships in the region, which …

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Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades and initiations, please see our analyst ratings page.

  • BMO Capital analyst Daniel Jester initiated coverage on Navan Inc (NASDAQ:NAVN) with an Outperform rating and announced a price target of $13. Navan shares closed at $8.81 on Monday. See how other analysts view this stock.
  • Roth Capital analyst Jeff Martin initiated coverage on TIC Solutions Inc (NYSE:TIC) with a Buy rating and announced a price target of $10. TIC Solutions shares closed …

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U.S. stock futures were lower this morning, with the Dow futures falling around 0.1% on Tuesday.

Shares of Microvast Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:MVST) fell sharply in pre-market trading after reporting weak quarterly results.

Microvast reported quarterly losses of 11 cents per share which missed the analyst consensus estimate of profit of 2 cents per share. The company reported quarterly sales of $96.399 million which missed the analyst consensus estimate of $133.755 million.

Microvast shares dipped 22.9% to $1.78 in pre-market trading.

Here are some other stocks moving lower in pre-market trading.

  • Dragonfly Energy Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:DFLI) dipped 24.4% to $2.21 in pre-market trading …

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Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) shares experienced a sharp reversal as the stock’s momentum score plummeted from a bullish 91.24 to 77.65 on a week-over-week basis.

Momentum Cracks Following Conservative 2026 Guidance

The erosion in price strength follows a disappointing fiscal 2026 outlook that overshadowed an otherwise strong fourth-quarter performance.

Despite beating revenue estimates with $3.9 billion in sales, the stock has retreated 14.59% year-to-date as investors digest a normalized post-pandemic beauty market.

The Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings now reflect a complete breakdown in ULTA‘s price structure. According to the latest data, Ulta’s short, medium, and long-term trends have all shifted to negative.

Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings ...</a></figure></p><p><a href=https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/26/03/51292884/ulta-beautys-momentum-score-loses-luster-as-ceo-warns-of-global-uncertainty-after-tepid-forecast?utm_source=benzinga_taxonomy&utm_medium=rss_feed_free&utm_content=taxonomy_rss&utm_campaign=channel alt=Ulta Beauty's Momentum Score Loses Luster As CEO Warns Of 'Global Uncertainty' After Tepid Forecast>Full story available on Benzinga.com</a></p></div></body></html>

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Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades and downgrades, please see our analyst ratings page.

  • Morgan Stanley raised Lemonade Inc (NYSE:LMND) price target from $80 to $85. Morgan Stanley analyst Bob Huang upgraded the stock from Equal-Weight to Overweight. Lemonade shares closed at $57.74 on Monday. See how other analysts view this stock.
  • Mizuho cut the price target for Canadian Solar Inc (NASDAQ:CSIQ) from $21 to $19. Mizuho analyst Maheep Mandloi upgraded the stock from Underperform to Neutral. Canadian Solar shares closed at $18.04 on Monday. See how other analysts view this stock.
  • Piper Sandler raised Tandem Diabetes Care Inc (NASDAQ:TNDM) price target from $21 to $33. Piper Sandler analyst Matt O’Brien upgraded the stock from Neutral to Overweight. Tandem Diabetes Care shares closed at $21.91 on Monday. See how other analysts view this stock.
  • Stifel increased price target for Ichor Holdings Ltd

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Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE:UBER) shares climbed in Tuesday’s premarket trading session. The rally follows an announcement regarding its autonomous vehicle (AV) strategy.

The ride-hailing giant is deepening its ties with chip powerhouse NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA).

Global Fleet Expansion Plans

The companies announced plans late Monday to launch a global fleet of autonomous vehicles. These cars will run entirely on Nvidia software. The rollout is scheduled for the first half of 2027.

Initial launches will target Los Angeles and San Francisco. The partnership aims to reach 28 cities globally by 2028. The fleet utilizes the Nvidia DRIVE …

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In the wake of a deepening economic crisis in Cuba, President Donald Trump has suggested the possibility of “taking Cuba, in some form.”

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump indicated that he could “do anything” with Cuba, considering its current “weakened” state.

“That’d be good. That’s a big honor,” said Trump.

The president confirmed ongoing discussions with Cuba but refrained from sharing any specifics.

Washington has been escalating pressure on Cuba, as indicated by Trump’s previous suggestion of a “friendly takeover” of the …

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Lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) will release earnings for its fourth quarter after the closing bell on Tuesday, March 17.

Analysts expect the Vancouver, Canada-based company to report quarterly earnings of $4.78 per share. That’s down from $6.14 per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for Lululemon’s quarterly revenue is $3.59 billion (it reported $3.61 billion last year), according to Benzinga Pro.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in eight of the last 10 quarters overall.

Shares of Lululemon rose 1.4% to close at $159.91 on Monday.

Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.

Let’s have a look at how Benzinga’s most-accurate analysts have rated …

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As severe energy constraints threaten to throttle the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, Nebius Group NV (NASDAQ:NBIS) has emerged as the premier infrastructure play, securing massive hyperscaler contracts to meet the market’s “insatiable demand” for compute power.

The New AI Bottleneck

Appearing recently on Fox Business, Futurum Group experts Daniel Newman and Shay Boloor ranked top AI infrastructure stocks, placing Nebius firmly at the pinnacle of their Neocloud leaderboard.

The dramatic shift in market focus from chipmakers to foundational energy capacity is driving this momentum. “Energy is the new bottleneck,” Newman explained.

“We keep hearing about chips, but the reality is — power and capacity constraints are what’s holding back the next wave of AI scaling. Hyperscalers have insatiable demand for compute, but they literally cannot get enough power or infrastructure online fast enough.”

Nvidia Validation And A Massive Pipeline

To fill this …

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During times of turbulence and uncertainty in the markets, many investors turn to dividend-yielding stocks. These are often companies that have high free cash flows and reward shareholders with a high dividend payout.

Benzinga readers can review the latest analyst takes on their favorite stocks by visiting Analyst Stock Ratings page. Traders can sort through Benzinga’s extensive database of analyst ratings, including by analyst accuracy.

Below are the ratings of the most accurate analysts for three high-yielding stocks in the health care sector.

Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK)

  • Dividend Yield: 2.95%
  • Wells Fargo analyst Mohit Bansal maintained an Overweight rating and raised the price target from $135 to $150 on March 12, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 69%.
  • RBC Capital analyst Trung Huynh initiated coverage on the stock with an Outperform rating and a price target of $142 on Feb. 25, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 72%
  • Recent News: On March 16, Merck highlighted new …

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Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades and initiations, please see our analyst ratings page.

  • Morgan Stanley analyst Bob Huang upgraded Lemonade Inc (NYSE:LMND) from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raised the price target from $80 to $85. Lemonade shares closed at $57.74 on Monday. See how other analysts view this stock.
  • Mizuho analyst Maheep Mandloi upgraded Canadian Solar Inc (NASDAQ:CSIQ) from Underperform to Neutral and lowered the price target from $21 to $19. Canadian Solar shares closed at $18.04 …

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Rio Tinto Plc (NYSE:RIO), BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP), and the United States Forest Service (USFS) have finally completed a land exchange in Arizona. The transaction was a major hurdle for the development of the Resolution Copper project, one of the largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world.

The transaction gives Rio Tinto, the project’s majority owner with a 55% stake, control of the land required to move forward with development of the underground mine near Superior, Arizona, roughly 60 miles east of Phoenix. BHP holds the remaining 45% interest.

“Completing the land exchange is a significant milestone and another positive step forward for the Resolution Copper project, which has the potential to satisfy up to 25% of America’s copper demand for decades to come,” Rio Tinto CEO Katie Jackson said in a statement.

“As demand for copper continues to grow, projects like Resolution can play an important role in strengthening domestic supply chains,” she added.

Upholding the Decision

Under the terms of the exchange, Resolution Copper transferred more than 5,400 acres of environmentally and culturally sensitive land in Arizona to the USFS …

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The President Donald Trump administration’s Department of the Interior (DOI) has revealed a series of deals totaling around $56 billion, including a deal between Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and South Korea’s LG Energy Solutions to kick off production of a $4.3 billion battery plant.

Securing Critical Supply Chain

In an official statement released on Monday, the agency confirmed that it had “catalyzed” agreements worth over $56 billion in “private sector commitments that will create good-paying American jobs and secure critical energy supply chains.” Among the agreements, the DOI also mentioned the deal between Tesla and LG Energy.

“Tesla and LG Energy Solution are expanding their partnership with a supply agreement to build a $4.3 billion LFP prismatic …

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The most oversold stocks in the consumer staples sector presents an opportunity to buy into undervalued companies.

The RSI is a momentum indicator, which compares a stock’s strength on days when prices go up to its strength on days when prices go down. When compared to a stock’s price action, it can give traders a better sense of how a stock may perform in the short term. An asset is typically considered oversold when the RSI is below 30, according to Benzinga Pro.

Here’s the latest list of major oversold players in this sector, having an RSI near or below 30.

MGP Ingredients Inc (NASDAQ:MGPI)

  • On Feb. 25, MGP Ingredients reported upbeat fourth-quarter financial results and issued FY26 guidance below estimates. “2025 was a year of deliberate repositioning for MGP,” said Julie Francis, president and CEO. “I am pleased with the team’s efforts as we did what we said we will do and made meaningful progress against each of …

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Morgan Stanley’s Chief U.S. Equity Strategist Mike Wilson claims the broader equity market correction is nearing its end, but his recent warning that memory stocks have “cooled off” stands in stark contrast to their actual breakneck performance.

Market’s Worst Might Be Behind Us

During his latest market commentary, Wilson explained that Wall Street has been digesting underlying risks for months. He noted that while the market previously saw “concentrated returns” in areas like emerging markets, industrial metals, and memory stocks, the landscape has recently shifted.

“More recently, the dollar has rallied and these same areas have noticeably cooled off,” Wilson stated.

He further cautioned investors to prepare for a “final downdraft” or a “capitulatory shock,” potentially triggered by hawkish Federal Reserve policies, backward-looking inflation concerns, or escalating global conflicts.

Defying The Downdraft

Despite Wilson’s assertion that the memory/storage sector is cooling, current market data tells a radically different and …

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Shares of Samsung Electronics  (OTC:SSNLF) surged in Seoul and closed 2.76% higher on Tuesday, after Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang disclosed that the South Korean giant has been selected to manufacture its latest AI chips.

Huang announced this at the GTC developer conference in California on Monday.

The CEO launched Nvidia’s new AI inference processor built with technology from Groq, crediting Samsung for manufacturing the chips, which are already in production and set to ship in the second half of the year.

NVIDIA acquired chip startup Groq for $20.6 billion in December.

Huang doubled the AI demand outlook to $1 trillion at …

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DocuSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:DOCU) will release earnings results for its fourth quarter, after the closing bell on Tuesday, March 17.

Analysts expect the San Francisco, California-based company to report quarterly earnings at 95 cents per share, versus 86 cents per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for DocuSign’s quarterly revenue is $828.22 million, versus $776.25 million a year earlier, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

On Feb. 23, Jefferies analyst Brent Thill downgraded Docusign from Buy to Hold and lowered the price target from $105 to $45.

DocuSign shares fell 0.5% to close at $46.82 on Monday.

Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.

Let’s have a look at how Benzinga’s most-accurate …

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President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order aimed at deregulating the U.S. mortgage market, touting massive savings for homebuyers and declaring that mortgage rates have hit their “lowest level in 5 years.”

Slashing Red Tape And Boosting Savings

The March 13 directive, titled “Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit,” seeks to reverse years of tightening regulations that the administration claims have sidelined community banks and restricted credit access.

Taking to Truth Social on March 17, he amplified the financial impact of the move. Trump said that his administration’s actions to buy $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities have caused the mortgage levels to reach the “lowest level in five years, adding that the “cost of new mortgage is down by $5000.”

The administration argues that easing compliance burdens, particularly those stemming from the Dodd-Frank Act, will revive bank participation and directly lower costs for rural and low-to-moderate-income households.

By removing these regulatory distortions, the policy aims to foster competition among all lender types to drive down consumer rates.

Easing Rules For Community …

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Elon Musk‘s Cybercab goals may have gotten a major boost as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed amendments to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

NHTSA Proposes Amended Safety Standards

The agency, in a filing on Monday, proposed amending the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, which dictates “Transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect.” The amendments outline that AVs without a steering wheel and pedals would not need to have a gear position indicator.

“As the transmission shift position display does not fulfill the same safety need in an ADS-equipped vehicle without manually operated driving controls, the amendment will not impact vehicle safety,” NHTSA said in the filing. The change would not affect traditional vehicles.

Tesla Cybercab

The amendment could provide a major boost to Musk’s Cybercab, which will have no steering wheel or pedals and is set to enter production at the company’s Gigafactory in Texas. The company is also reportedly setting up the …

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The U.S. economy faces an imminent downturn as surging oil prices tied to Middle East tensions threaten to push recession probabilities over 49%, according to Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi.

Crossing The Critical Threshold

In a stark warning, Zandi declared that an economic contraction is once again a “serious threat.” According to his firm’s machine-learning leading economic indicator model, the probability of a downturn starting within the next 12 months already sat at an “uncomfortably high 49%” even before the latest geopolitical turmoil.

Now, with the Iran conflict triggering a rapid surge in global energy costs, Zandi anticipates conditions will deteriorate further. “It isn’t a stretch to expect the indicator to cross the key 50% threshold,” he stated.

Ultimately, he cautioned that “if oil prices remain elevated for much longer (weeks and not months), a recession will be difficult to avoid.”

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The S&P 500 rose 1.01% on Monday to close at 6,699.38, snapping a four-day losing streak as oil prices pulled back after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. is allowing Iranian oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and a Wall Street Journal report said a coalition to escort ships through the strait was imminent. By early Tuesday, futures had turned red.

The Polygon-based (CRYPTO: POL) Polymarket crowd is bearish heading into Tuesday, with the “S&P 500 Opens Up or Down on March 17?” market at 24% “Up” and 76% “Down” in early trading.

Why That Number Matters

Monday’s rally was qualified from the start. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters midday, signaled the tanker escort coalition isn’t finalized yet and encouraged other countries to get involved. Oil came off its session lows on his comments, but stayed …

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The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed almost no change in the overall fear level, while the index remained in the “Extreme Fear” zone on Monday.

U.S. stocks settled higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 gaining around 1% during the session as oil prices pulled back.

The S&P 500 recorded a 1.6% loss last week, while the 30-stock Dow dipped about 2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 1.3% during the week.

Speaking ahead of a Kennedy Center board meeting, Trump urged China, Japan and other Asia-Pacific nations heavily dependent on Hormuz oil flows to help police the waterway. China draws 90% of its oil from the strait, while Japan and South Korea draw 95% and 35%, respectively.

In earnings, Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR) reported upbeat earnings for the fourth quarter on Monday.

On the economic data …

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With U.S. stock futures trading lower this morning on Tuesday, some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are as follows:

  • Wall Street expects Academy Sports and Outdoors Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) to report quarterly earnings at $2.06 per share on revenue of $1.76 billion before the opening bell, according to data from Benzinga Pro. Academy Sports shares gained 0.2% to $56.61 in after-hours trading.
  • Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ:CMTL) posted mixed results for the second quarter after the closing bell on Monday. The company posted adjusted losses of 18 cents per share, compared with market estimates of 30 cents per share. …

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The Kharg Island, a strategically important terminal situated 15 miles from Iran’s coast, has become a part of the Iran war, with Trump reportedly considering its capture.

The Kharg Island handles nearly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports.

Trump Warns Of More Strikes

President Donald Trump has warned of more strikes on the Kharg Island, days after saying that the U.S. “totally obliterated” military targets on Kharg and warned of tougher action if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.

Trump said U.S. Central Command hit military targets at Kharg Island, while leaving oil infrastructure intact. He warned that this could change if Iran tries to obstruct shipping through the strait.

Here’s What Prediction Market Is Saying

Amid the strong statements from Trump, …

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Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) has revealed that Chinese automakers like BYD Co. Ltd. (OTC:BYDDY) (OTC:BYDDF) and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (OTC:GELHY) (OTC:GELYF) are among the companies incorporating its technology into their self-driving pursuits.

Companies To Adopt Drive Hyperion

In an official statement released on Monday following the GPU Technology Conference 2026, the chipmaker announced that, in addition to BYD and Geely, Japanese automakers Isuzu and Nissan will also incorporate Nvidia’s technology. Nvidia said in the statement that the automakers were “developing next-generation level 4 AV programs” based on the company’s “DRIVE Hyperion production-ready compute and sensor architecture.”

Nvidia Alpamayo 1.5

Besides the Drive Hyperion, Nvidia also unveiled an updated iteration of the Alpamayo technology, which has been touted as a “ChatGPT moment” for physical AI and AVs by …

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March Madness 2026 has arrived with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament running from March 17 through April 6.

Just how rare is a perfect bracket — and is it even possible?

Here’s a look at the odds and how prediction market company Kalshi is looking to reward the near impossible.

• DraftKings stock is trading near recent lows. What should traders watch with DKNG?

Kalshi Offers $1 Billion Prize

Prediction market company Kalshi is offering a $1 billion prize if anyone can complete a perfect bracket of the round-of-64 games through the national championship, which doesn’t include the First Four games set for Tuesday and Wednesday.

The contest is backed by Susquehanna International Group with no purchase or deposit required from users.

Along with the $1 billion prize for a perfect bracket, Kalshi will pay $1 million to the top-scoring bracket and award $1 million to charities and scholarships as part of the promotion. The company said in a video that a perfect bracket is “the holy grail of sports math.”

“Warren Buffett offered $1B for a perfect college basketball bracket in 2014. Kalshi is bringing it back. No deposit requirement. Just fill a bracket. Your odds of winning are 1 in 120 billion. Very low. But not zero. Good luck,” Kalshi co-founder Tarek Mansour tweeted.

Mansour’s tweet may have been conservative on the odds.

The Odds Of A Perfect March Madness Bracket

The odds to correctly predict the outcome of all 63 games during the tournament are 1 in 9.2 quintillion based on a 50-50 coin flip and all possible outcomes (that’s 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 in numerical form).

Late DePaul University professor Jeff Bergen projected the odds could be 1 in 128 billion for those who know about basketball and follow seed trends.

Bergen estimated it could take 2,300 years for every person on the planet, completing a bracket every minute, to cover all 9.2 quintillion outcomes.

The DePaul professor said that you would have a better chance of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions …

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Energy markets are in a period of high uncertainty amid disruptions to oil and gas flows through the Persian Gulf. New research from ING evaluated pathways for duration and severity of the current supply shock.

The bank’s commodities team warns that the complex risk around the Strait of Hormuz — a critical chokepoint for global energy trade — means markets must now prepare for a longer period of constrained supply and elevated prices.

“There are few signs of de-escalation or a resumption in energy flows from the Persian Gulf,” said Warren Patterson, Head of Commodities Strategy at ING. “The market is having to reprice the duration of ongoing supply disruptions.”

And, if the conflict drags on and attacks keep choking Hormuz shipments, oil prices could surpass 2008 highs and spike to new record levels, according to the Dutch bank.

Inefficient Spare Capacity

The disruption is already significant. Around 8 million barrels per day of crude production have been shut in so far, while up to 15 million barrels per day of oil flows remain affected even after accounting for pipeline routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

ING argues that the scale of the disruption makes …

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Elon Musk has suggested that traditional retirement saving may not matter much in the future. 

In a recent interview, the Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX CEO described a world transformed by artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, where productivity is so high that a kind of “universal high income” makes work largely optional and financial stress a relic of the past.

That vision sits next to a very different picture from the present, though. 

A 2025 Bankrate survey found that 58% of American workers feel behind on their retirement savings, and 37% say they are significantly behind. The gap between a promised future of abundance and a current reality where many workers already feel late to the game is one reason more people are looking for a grounded retirement plan built around their income and savings today rather than around any single prediction.

Musk’s case is built on expected technological change. He has argued that by around 2030, AI could exceed the combined intelligence of humanity, that humanoid robots could eventually outnumber people and that most tasks short of “shaping atoms” could be automated. In that scenario, he says, productivity gains could support “universal high income,” making the need to work—and to save for a period without work—far less central to most people’s lives.

In that world, putting money aside for a future without a paycheck starts to look unnecessary. If technology ends up covering basic needs and more, the traditional idea of building a nest egg for retirement becomes less relevant, he argues. Even in his telling, though, there is uncertainty about how people will find purpose if work becomes optional.

Bankrate’s numbers bring the discussion back to where workers are right now. The same survey that found 58% feel behind on retirement also showed that concerns rise with age and fall with income. Among …

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Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) CEO Marc Benioff said last week that warnings about AI-driven mass layoffs were overblown. The numbers say otherwise.

Block Inc (NYSE:XYZ) cut 4,000 jobs in February, roughly 40% of staff, with CEO Jack Dorsey explicitly blaming AI.

Atlassian Corporation (NASDAQ:TEAM) followed with 1,600 layoffs last week to “self-fund” its AI pivot.

Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) is now reportedly planning to cut over 15,000 workers, or 20% of its workforce, to offset AI infrastructure spending that could hit $135 billion this year. A Meta spokesperson called the report “speculative.”

Wall Street rewarded all three. Meta rose 3% Monday. Atlassian popped 2% afterhours. Block surged …

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Elon Musk won a pretrial ruling Friday that bars OpenAI from questioning him about his alleged ketamine use during the upcoming jury trial over whether the AI company defrauded him by abandoning its nonprofit roots.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said the drug questions would be irrelevant unless OpenAI provides more concrete evidence about ketamine’s effects.

She did allow limited questioning about Musk’s attendance at Burning Man, where OpenAI’s attorneys say significant communications between the two sides took place.

Trial Starts April 28

The trial is expected to last about four weeks. The jury will decide whether OpenAI co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman lied about maintaining a nonprofit structure when Musk donated $38 million in seed funding.

Musk is seeking up to $134 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft Corp

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Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video to X on Sunday picking up a coffee order to debunk an Iranian conspiracy theory claiming he had been killed in a strike.

The rumor, pushed by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, included claims that a previous video of the Israeli prime minister was AI-generated because it allegedly showed him with six fingers.

Meanwhile on Polymarket, a single account called “dududududu22” is sitting on $151,000 in positions betting Netanyahu will be “out” before the end of this month.

His position, nearly 3.8 million shares bought at 4.7 cents, is currently underwater by about $26,000.

If he’s correct his position would be worth $3.8 million.

In a troll of the Iranian rumors, Netanyahu’s coffee shop video featured a linguistic Easter egg. When ordering his drink, …

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nLIGHT Inc. (NASDAQ:LASR) shares surged on Monday. The stock hit a new 52-week high of approximately $69.54.

The catalyst was a 60 Minutes segment aired Sunday night that highlighted laser weapons as a low-cost solution to Iran’s cheap drone threat.

Investor Flags nLIGHT As Key Supplier To Featured Laser System

Individual investor Marc Lehman posted on X Monday, highlighting a connection between nLIGHT and AeroVironment, noting that nLIGHT supplies technology for the AeroVironment Locust system featured in the recent 60 Minutes segment. The post drew over 21,000 impressions.

AeroVironment Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) manufactures the Locust laser system. The segment featured AeroVironment CEO Wahid Nawabi explaining the technology’s appeal.

“It changes the economics on how we …

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Pepe (CRYPTO: PEPE) surged 17% Monday, leading memecoin gainers and outpacing Dogecoin’s (CRYPTO: DOGE) 4% rally as trading volume exploded 520% to $1.73 billion.

The Derivatives Setup

Open interest on PEPE futures climbed 11.56% to $228.54 million while 24-hour trading volume exploded 520.51% to $1.73 billion, signaling fresh money entering rather than just short covering. 

Liquidation data showed $98,000 in short liquidations over four hours versus $327,000 in longs, suggesting the rally caught a significant portion of the short side offside while skeptics remained.

PEPE had been more aggressively sold than Dogecoin, setting up a cleaner derivatives squeeze when the macro tailwind arrived. The volume wave dwarfed PEPE’s 30-day average of 1.23 trillion tokens.

The Technical Picture

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The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is reportedly planning to sell approximately $1.5 billion worth of its Asia-focused private equity holdings. 

The assets for sale include stakes in funds managed by Hillhouse Investment, Bain Capital and PAG, sources told Bloomberg. 

CPPIB allocated around $1 billion to Asia-focused strategies managed by these firms between 2014 and 2016, according to information on its website.

The process is understood to be ongoing and plans are subject to change.

The planned sale is part of an effort to reduce the pension fund’s exposure to private equity investments in Asia.

In January, CPP’s global head of private equity …

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Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) has used its GTC conference to unveil some of the major architecture shifts of the AI era, and this year Jensen Huang has teased “chips the world has never seen before.”

Looking at the Kalshi prediction market provides insight into what specific words Huang will use during the two-hour keynote.

What The Market Expects

“Blackwell” and “Data Center” are both at 98%. Nvidia’s current-gen architecture and its core revenue driver are guaranteed talking points.

“Trillion” at 89%. Huang wrote in a blog post that AI infrastructure spending could eventually reach the trillions. If he repeats that framing onstage, he’s telling the market that Nvidia’s total addressable market is still expanding.

“Cosmos” at 81%, down 9 percentage points.

Cosmos is Nvidia’s world foundation model platform for physical AI, powering everything from autonomous vehicle simulation to robotic manipulation.

A 9-point drop suggests traders are less certain Huang prioritizes it in a keynote that may be dominated by chip announcements.

“Photon / Photonics” at 87% points to one of Nvidia’s biggest …

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Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, is warning drivers that national gasoline prices could reach $3.80–$3.85 per gallon. He says $4 per gallon remains possible but is not imminent. Diesel could climb to $5.05–$5.15 per gallon.

De Haan made the forecast in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

National Average Hits Highest Level Since October 2023

GasBuddy data shows the national average gasoline price has already reached $3.70 per gallon. That is the highest level since Oct. 6, 2023.

The national average has risen 23.2 cents over the past week and 80.0 cents from a month ago. It stands 66.1 cents higher than a year ago, De Haan wrote on Substack.

“Americans today will spend $307 million more on gasoline than a month ago,” De Haan posted on X.

The national average diesel price now stands at $4.951 per gallon, up 34.0 cents in the last week. Diesel is approaching the $5 per gallon mark nationally.

Midwest Price Hikes Push …

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Forty-two percent of Americans now believe they will carry credit card debt for the rest of their lives. 

Gloomy outlook aside, that is a reflection of how hard it is to escape balances when rates hover near 24% and budgets are already tight. For borrowers in that position, more are starting to look at ways to replace high‑rate card debt with a lower‑rate personal loan they can actually pay down instead of carrying it indefinitely.

According to a survey issued by WalletHub, total credit card balances in the U.S. are now over $1.3 trillion, and the average person carries roughly $11,000 in card debt. More than 1 in 5 Americans say they are “very stressed” about that debt, and a majority say it feels less like a temporary setback and more like a long‑term burden. 

Many also feel the system does not give them many good options, especially when minimum payments barely move the needle.

The engine behind that feeling is the annual percentage rate, or APR. A 24% APR is close to the current average credit card rate, which works out to about 2% interest per month. On an $10,990 balance, that’s roughly $220 in interest in the first month alone.

If you only make the minimum payment, which many issuers set around 2% to 3% of the balance, most of that initial payment goes to interest, not principal. Pay $250, and about $220 covers interest while only $30 reduces what you owe. With that pattern, it can take decades to become debt‑free, and any new charges push the finish line further away.

To see how the math plays out, consider …

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Oil broke above $100 a barrel this month for the first time since 2022. The war in Iran has disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, gasoline prices are surging, and the S&P 500 just posted its first three-week losing streak in about a year. As panic sets in, observers wonder whether this is actually recessionary.

Fidelity Investments says not yet — and unlike most Wall Street commentary that deals in vague reassurances, Fidelity put a specific number on it. The number is $135.

In recent market commentary, Fidelity’s director of quantitative market strategy Denise Chisholm and members of the firm’s Asset Allocation Research Team presented the math. 

At approximately $135 to $145 per barrel, American households would spend 5% or more of their income on energy — a threshold that has historically marked the point at which consumers cut back hard enough to drag down the broader economy.

At today’s prices, with Brent around $103 and WTI near $99, there’s a cushion of roughly $32 to $42 per barrel between an oil shock that feels scary and one that actually breaks something.

Why 5% Is The Line

Throughout modern economic history, consumer spending has been resilient to oil …

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Rivian Automotive Inc (NASDAQ:RIVN) shares are trending upward on Monday as investors weigh an analyst upgrade against the public debut of the R2 mid-size SUV.

Analyst Upgrade Sparks Rebound

The recent momentum follows a rating change from TD Cowen. Analyst Itay Michaeli upgraded Rivian to Buy from Hold. He also raised the price forecast to $20 from $17. Michaeli cited a favorable risk-reward profile after a 20% year-to-date decline.

Michaeli’s analysis suggests a massive scale for the new platform. Full-scale U.S. demand for the R2 could reach 212,000 to 335,000 units, the analyst noted. This projection sits significantly above prior market consensus.

The “Tesla Killer” Strategy

CEO RJ Scaringe has labeled the R2 …

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Oil markets have lurched from complacency to panic in a matter of days. Brent crude has surged past $100, climbing roughly 50% since hostilities escalated around the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most critical oil shipping chokepoint.

But one economist believes the market’s reaction may now be overshooting reality.

• State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF stock is showing positive momentum. What’s next for XLE stock?

Robin Brooks, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former chief economist at the Institute of International Finance, argues that although markets initially were slow to price the disruption, sentiment may now be running ahead of fundamentals.

“Markets were slow to price the enormity of what was happening a week ago,” Brooks wrote. But with Brent now up about 50% since the …

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U.S. stocks traded higher midway through trading, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining more than 1% on Monday.

The Dow traded up 0.89% to 46,973.92 while the NASDAQ rose 1.35% to 22,404.50. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 1.07% to 6,703.37.

Check This Out: How To Earn $500 A Month From Goldman Sachs Stock Ahead Of Q4 Earnings

Leading and Lagging Sectors

Financial shares climbed by 1.6% on Monday.

In trading on Monday, energy stocks rose by just 0.2%.

Top Headline

Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR) reported upbeat earnings for the fourth quarter on Monday.

The company posted quarterly earnings of $2.56 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $2.52 per share. The company reported quarterly sales of $5.451 billion compared to the analyst consensus estimate of $5.462 billion.

Dollar Tree said it sees FY2026 adjusted EPS of $6.50-$6.90 versus market estimates of $6.69. The company sees sales of $20.500 billion-$20.700 billion, versus estimates of $20.690 billion.

Equities Trading UP
           

  • Urgent.ly Inc (NASDAQ:ULY) shares shot up 164% to $5.36 after the company announced …

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Emanuel Fabian, the Times of Israel’s military correspondent, says Polymarket bettors sent him death threats after he reported that an Iranian ballistic missile struck an open area near Beit Shemesh on March 10 with no injuries.

The Dark Side Of Betting On Conflict

The dispute centers on Polymarket’s “Iran strikes Israel on…?” contract, which has generated $15 million in volume. The contract resolves “Yes” only if an Iranian missile impacts Israeli ground territory. Intercepted missiles do not count.

Fabian reported the missile hit a forested area roughly 500 meters from homes.

That wording would resolve the March 10 contract as “Yes.”

Bettors who wagered “No” on that date wanted him to change his report to say the missile was intercepted, which would flip the outcome in their favor.

What started as messages asking Fabian to clarify his reporting turned into …

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Shares of TeraWulf Inc (NASDAQ:WULF) are surging Monday morning. Investors are reacting to a significant financing update and a broader crypto market rally.

The entered a Delayed-Draw Bridge Credit Agreement on Monday. The deal involves subsidiaries Raylan Finance LLC and Raylan Data LLC. Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. serves as the administrative agent, according to Benzinga Pro.

The agreement provides a 364-day $500 million senior secured bridge facility. TeraWulf intends to use these proceeds to finance the construction and development of the Company’s data center facility in Hawesville, Kentucky.

Bitcoin Price Triggers Sector Rally

The stock …

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I got mixed feedback from subscribers after I sent this brief note last Sunday night.

Some appreciated the stats that reminded them that volatility is always to be expected. Others noted that the recent pullback was far from nerve-racking and that the note was unnecessary.

I often say that I’m a long-term optimist, but a short-term cautious optimist. This is because while I’m bullish about being invested in the stock market, I’m well aware that the economy often goes into recession and stocks often go into extended downturns. This is just part of the deal.

And believe it or not, I consider myself a relatively anxious person. When the VIX jumps and stock prices drop, my first thought is always, “How much lower could prices go, and should I take some risk off?” I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember.

But with experience and education, I’ve come to understand that it’s okay to have emotional reactions — just don’t start trading on them.

The best defense against making a mistake with your investments is education. This means understanding that long-term investing comes with frequent single-digit pullbacks, many 10%+ corrections, and occasional 20%+ bear markets. Furthermore, it means understanding that it’s difficult to trade these moves in a way that’s more profitable than just buying and holding.

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Shares of CoreWeave Inc (NASDAQ:CRWV) rose sharply during Monday’s pre-market session.

The move follows a massive sector catalyst involving Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META).

Meta’s $27 Billion AI Commitment

Investor sentiment turned bullish after Nebius Group NV (NASDAQ:NBIS) announced a long-term agreement with Meta. The deal has a total contract value of up to $27 billion. Nebius will supply dedicated AI compute capacity using the NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) Vera Rubin platform.

This milestone deal created positive spillover for other AI infrastructure providers. Both CoreWeave and IREN (NASDAQ:IREN) …

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Data This Week: ECB, BoE Rates, and a Fresh Read on EU Confidence

Europe starts the week on uneasy footing. Industrial output is slipping, productivity gaps with the US are widening, and energy markets are being jolted by the most severe supply disruption in decades. The Middle East crisis is reshaping global energy flows in real time. With inflation risks rising just as growth weakens, policymakers and investors are being forced to navigate one of the most complex macro backdrops Europe has faced since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weekly Chart: Euro Area Production -1.2%

Industrial production weakened in the euro area and in the EU in January. According to first estimates from Eurostat, industrial production fell 1.2% year‑on‑year in the euro area and 0.6% in the EU. On a month‑on‑month basis, seasonally adjusted industrial production declined 1.5% in the euro area and 1.6% in the EU.

Why This Matters: A simultaneous year‑on‑year and month‑on‑month contraction signals weak underlying demand. It widens the competitiveness gap with the US, as highlighted in the IMF’s weekly chart. It also increases pressure on the ECB to consider rate cuts even as Middle East tensions push inflation risks higher.

IMF’s Take on Europe Scaling

Productivity growth in Europe now lags behind that of the US, a gap that has “widened significantly” in recent years. Behind this shortfall is the “staggering difficulty” that European firms face in scaling up. In the US, the stock market valuation of young firms is $42.9 trillion, compared to $5 trillion in the EU. The average European firm that has been in business for 25 years or more employs about 10 workers. A comparable US company employs 70 people.

Why This Matters: Europe’s productivity gap is about 20% below US levels, underscoring the structural constraints for the region’s competitiveness. IMF research shows that closing this gap will require deeper integration across Europe’s capital, labor, and consumer markets.

Officials will need to enable more risk‑taking investment, allow workers to move more easily toward opportunity, and give companies access to markets where they can scale. Without progress on these fronts, Europe risks entrenching slower growth, weaker innovation, and a widening transatlantic productivity divide.

Geopolitics: Oil Enters New Week of Uncertainty

Global oil markets are bracing for another volatile week. US strikes hit Iran’s export hub at Kharg Island, heightened concerns about supply risks across the Middle East. Oil prices crossed $100 a barrel last week and have surged about 40% since the start of the US and Israeli bombing campaign.

President Donald Trump said the operation targeted military positions on Kharg Island. He warned that further action could extend to energy infrastructure if Iran disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The US is moving about 2,500 Marines to the Middle East. Tehran has warned that attacks on its …

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Chris Wright, the Energy Secretary, stated that there could be a decrease in gas prices by the upcoming summer.

Wright, in an interview with NBC News “Meet the Press” on Sunday, expressed optimism when asked about the possibility of gas prices falling below $3 per gallon by summer. 

“There’s a very good chance that’ll be true,” said Wright.

According to Wright, the U.S. is on the brink of “removing the risk” posed by Iran’s ongoing threat to global energy supplies. He anticipates a post-war scenario where energy is “more abundant, more affordable, and less risky for American soldiers and commerce in the Middle East.”

On the topic of the Strait of Hormuz’s safety for ships, Wright acknowledged the current risks but assured that its reopening is a major post-conflict goal. He emphasized that while war outcomes can’t be guaranteed, the administration is committed to achieving a potential drop in gas prices.

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has been a significant …

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As of March 16, 2026, two stocks in the energy sector could be flashing a real warning to investors who value momentum as a key criteria in their trading decisions.

The RSI is a momentum indicator, which compares a stock’s strength on days when prices go up to its strength on days when prices go down. When compared to a stock’s price action, it can give traders a better sense of how a stock may perform in the short term. An asset is typically considered overbought when the RSI is above 70, according to Benzinga Pro.

Here’s the latest list of major overbought players in this sector.

Sable Offshore Corp (NYSE:SOC)

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Getty Images Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:GETY) will release earnings results for its fourth quarter, after the closing bell on Monday, March 16.

Analysts expect the Seattle, Washington-based company to report quarterly earnings at 2 cents per share, versus 2 cents per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for Getty Images’ quarterly revenue is $246.17 million, versus $247.32 million a year earlier, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

On Feb. 23, Getty Images announced it received clearance from the DOJ for the merger with Shutterstock.

Getty Images shares fell 5.7% to close at $0.7267 on Friday.

Benzinga …

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Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ:SBUX) is witnessing a dramatic surge in technical strength, with its Benzinga Edge momentum score leaping 129% week-on-week from 26.89 to 61.59.

This spike in relative strength comes as the coffee giant finds itself at the center of a high-stakes political battle over food safety and nutritional standards.

Political Shield And ‘Sugar Probe’

The momentum surge coincides with a public defense from Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D-Mass.), who hit back at Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy recently called on Starbucks and Dunkin’ to provide safety data regarding “sugar-laden” drinks, specifically questioning the health impact of iced coffees containing 115 grams of sugar.

Governor Healey responded with a “Come and Take It” inspired message on X, symbolically defending the …

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bioAffinity Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:BIAF) shares are trading lower Monday morning. The move follows a massive surge during Friday’s session. Traders appear to be taking profits after the stock skyrocketed over 120% to end the week.

Friday Rally Driven By CyPath Growth

The clinical stage diagnostics company saw heavy buying interest on Friday as the stock soared on strong growth in its flagship CyPath Lung diagnostic.

The company reported that CyPath Lung revenue rose 87% year-over-year in 2025. Furthermore, the number of tests performed jumped 99%.

Despite the success of CyPath, total 2025 revenue fell to $6.2 million from $9.4 million. …

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U.S. stock futures were higher this morning, with the Dow futures gaining around 100 points on Monday.

Shares of Zepp Health Corp – ADR (NYSE:ZEPP) fell sharply in pre-market trading following fourth-quarter results.

Zepp Health reported quarterly losses of 40 cents per share, versus year-ago losses of $1.40 per share. The company reported $85.165 million in sales, up from $59.542 million in the year-ago period.

Zepp Health shares dipped 11% to $18.50 in pre-market trading.

Here are some other stocks moving lower in pre-market trading.

  • Iperionx Ltd (NASDAQ:IPX) fell 14.1% to $29.98 in pre-market trading after dropping 14% on Friday.
  • Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd …

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During times of turbulence and uncertainty in the markets, many investors turn to dividend-yielding stocks. These are often companies that have high free cash flows and reward shareholders with a high dividend payout.

Benzinga readers can review the latest analyst takes on their favorite stocks by visiting Analyst Stock Ratings page. Traders can sort through Benzinga’s extensive database of analyst ratings, including by analyst accuracy.

Below are the ratings of the most accurate analysts for three high-yielding stocks in the financial sector.

Mfa Financial Inc (NYSE:MFA)

  • Dividend Yield: 14.66%
  • RBC Capital analyst Kenneth Lee maintained a Sector Perform rating and raised the price target from $10 to $11 on March 5, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 63%.
  • Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Bose George maintained a Market Perform rating and increased the price target from $10 to $11 on Feb. 20, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 69%
  • Recent News: On Feb. 18, MFA Financial posted in-line …

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Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades and initiations, please see our analyst ratings page.

  • B of A Securities analyst Arnaud Lehmann initiated coverage on Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SUNB) with an Underperform rating and announced a price target of $62. Sunbelt Rentals shares closed at $72.76 on Friday. See how other analysts view this stock.
  • HC Wainwright & Co. analyst Amit Dayal initiated coverage on Solid Power, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLDP) with a Buy rating and announced a price target of …

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Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) will release earnings for its fourth quarter before the opening bell on Tuesday, March 17.

Analysts expect the company to report quarterly earnings of $2.05 per share. That’s up from $1.96 per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for Academy Sports and Outdoors’ quarterly revenue is $1.75 billion (it reported $1.68 billion last year), according to Benzinga Pro.

With the recent buzz around Academy Sports and Outdoors, some investors may be eyeing potential gains from the company’s dividends, too. As of now, Academy Sports and Outdoors has an annual dividend yield of 1.06%. That’s a quarterly dividend amount of 15 cents per share (60 cents a year).  

So, how can investors exploit its dividend yield to pocket a regular $500 monthly?

To earn $500 per month or $6,000 annually from dividends …

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Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades and initiations, please see our analyst ratings page.

  • Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst George Bose upgraded PennyMac Financial Services Inc (NYSE:PFSI) from Market Perform to Outperform and maintained the price target of $115. PennyMac Financial shares closed at $84.14 on Friday. See how other analysts view this stock.
  • Mizuho analyst Steven Valiquette upgraded LifeMD Inc (NASDAQ:LFMD) from Neutral to Outperform and raised the price target from $6 to $8. LifeMD shares …

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BitMine Immersion Technologies, Inc. (AMEX:BMNR) shares are trading higher during Monday’s premarket session.

Nasdaq futures have gained 0.79%. S&P 500 futures are also up 0.65%.

Crypto Momentum and Market Catalyst

The primary catalyst appears to be a recovery in digital assets. Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) has climbed 6.93% over the last 24 hours to $2,266.92. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is also trading higher, up 2.40% at $73,537.95.

Technology is currently leading early strength, with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLK) …

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On CNBC’s “Halftime Report Final Trades,” Jim Lebenthal, partner at Cerity Partners, picked Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C).

The bank is planning an initial public offering (IPO) of its Mexican retail banking unit, Banco Nacional de México (Banamex), sometime in 2026. Citigroup has already agreed to sell a 49% stake to investors, including Fernando Chico Pardo, ahead of a full IPO on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV).

Meanwhile, Citibank, N.A. — the consumer banking division of Citigroup — announced plans to close all UAE branches except one due to the threat from Iran.

Bryn Talkington, managing partner of Requisite Capital Management, named Goldman Sachs Nasdaq-100 Premium …

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Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) and GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) are reportedly set to announce their partnership with TrumpRx.gov. This collaboration is set to offer substantial discounts on prescription drugs.

This move will augment the total number of discounted prescription medications available on the platform to 54, from five different pharmaceutical companies, according to a report by FOX Business on Friday.

Amgen will offer an 80% discount on Amjevita, a medication used for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and ulcerative colitis. The drug, originally priced at $1,484, will be available for $299 on TrumpRx.gov. Additionally, Amgen plans to list Aimovig and Repatha for discounts of 62%.

Meanwhile, GSK will offer a 55% discount on Incruse, a medication for COPD, pricing it at $159. The company also plans to list Arnuity, Relenza, and Anoro at discounts ranging from 10% to 51%.

Amgen and GSK did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.

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Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) completed its acquisition of Faculty Monday. Faculty is a top United Kingdom-based artificial intelligence company. The deal boosts Accenture’s technical expertise in AI.

Over 400 AI professionals now join Accenture. This team includes data scientists and AI engineers. Companies did not disclose the financial terms. Accenture first announced the transaction on Jan. 6.

The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. As of November 30, 2025, Accenture had cash and equivalents worth $9.649 billion.

New Chief Technology Officer

Marc Warner is the CEO and co-founder of Faculty. He now becomes the Chief Technology Officer of Accenture. He also joins the Global Management Committee. Accenture Chair and CEO Julie Sweet praised the strategic …

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Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) launched a high-stakes fiscal challenge against the White House, vowing to block a massive $50 billion funding request for the ongoing war in Iran.

A ‘Hard No’ On War Funding

As the Donald Trump administration seeks to replenish military stocks depleted by “Operation Epic Fury,” Warren is demanding that the capital be redirected to shore up the nation’s healthcare system.

The standoff follows a classified briefing where administration officials estimated the first six days of the war cost over $11.3 billion, according to Reuters. With reports suggesting a formal $50 billion request is imminent, Warren took to X to signal an immediate blockade.

“The Trump administration wants $50 billion to fund the illegal war in Iran. I’m a hard NO,” Warren stated. The Massachusetts Senator argued that the sheer scale of the request highlights a massive disparity in national priorities, particularly as the conflict enters its third week.

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The global aluminum market is facing a convergence of geopolitical issues and persistent energy constraints. The result is the rally to multi-year highs that prompted analysts and investors to revise their price targets.

The latest disruption was not unexpected. Bahrain’s Alba has initiated a partial shutdown of its operations amid ongoing shipping disruptions. According to Reuters, the company said it has begun a “controlled and safe shutdown” of about 19% of its total smelting capacity.

Alba, which operates the world’s largest single-site aluminum smelter with an annual capacity of 1.62 million metric tons, said the move was designed to safeguard operations while the shipping bottleneck persists.

“This targeted, line-specific action is designed to optimize the utilization of Alba’s existing raw materials inventory and prioritize operational stability across Reduction Lines 4, 5, and 6,” the company said.

Since the shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has stopped, the smelter is unable to either import key inputs or export the material.

Alba added that the downtime would be used to conduct asset care and maintenance across the affected lines. Housekeeping, cleaning, and preparation work will ensure a safe restart once conditions stabilize.

Multi-Year Highs

These disruptions have helped push aluminum prices sharply higher. On the London Metal Exchange, aluminum surged over $3,540 per metric ton last week. It is …

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In the midst of nearly a $110 billion sale to Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ:PSKY), Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) triumphed at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night, bagging 11 Oscars.

The studio’s winning streak was led by ‘One Battle After Another‘, a film by Paul Thomas Anderson, which won six awards, including best picture, best director, and best supporting actor. ‘Sinners‘, another Warner Bros. production set in the Jim Crow-era South, won four Oscars, including best actor for Michael B. Jordan.

During his acceptance speech, Jordan thanked the studio for its commitment to original filmmaking. “I want to thank Warner Bros for betting on original ideas and artistry,” he stated.

However, the celebrations were somewhat overshadowed by the impending sale of the studio. “It will be impossible to ignore that we will be celebrating the achievements of ​filmmaking with one less …

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The most oversold stocks in the consumer discretionary sector presents an opportunity to buy into undervalued companies.

The RSI is a momentum indicator, which compares a stock’s strength on days when prices go up to its strength on days when prices go down. When compared to a stock’s price action, it can give traders a better sense of how a stock may perform in the short term. An asset is typically considered oversold when the RSI is below 30, according to Benzinga Pro.

Here’s the latest list of major oversold players in this sector, having an RSI near or below 30.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co (NASDAQ:GT)

  • On Feb. 9, Goodyear Tire & Rubber reported mixed fourth-quarter financial results. “We delivered another strong quarter, driven by execution of our Goodyear Forward plan,” said Mark Stewart, chief executive officer and president. “Our fourth quarter results mark the highest segment operating income and margin the company has achieved in more than seven years. While we continue to face challenging industry conditions in the first …

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Semtech Corporation (NASDAQ:SMTC) will release earnings results for its fourth quarter, after the closing bell on Monday, March 16.

Analysts expect the Camarillo, California-based company to report quarterly earnings at 43 cents per share, up from 40 cents per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for Semtech’s quarterly revenue is $273.2 million, versus $251 million a year earlier, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

On March 10, Semtech announced a partnership with Digital Barriers to launch Semtech Video Compression, a fully integrated device-to-cloud cellular video solution designed for surveillance and analytics applications.

Semtech shares rose 1.7% to close at $84.85 on Friday.

Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.

Let’s have …

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President Donald Trump indicated a likelihood of postponing his upcoming trip to China until the Xi Jinping-led nation and other allies counteract Iranian disruptions in the Gulf. 

In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump expressed his hope for China’s assistance in resolving the situation, highlighting the nation’s significant stake in the issue.

“China gets 90 per cent of its oil from the Straits,” said the president.

Trump cautioned that waiting until the summit would be too late and expressed his wish to see action within the next two weeks.

“We may delay,” said Trump, without specifying the potential delay duration.

US-China Talks Continue

As Trump mulls rescheduling his Beijing visit, senior officials from the world’s top two economies, led by Treasury Secretary ​Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, held stable Sunday …

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Shares of Urgent.ly Inc (NASDAQ:ULY) rose sharply in pre-market trading after the company announced it entered into an agreement to be acquired by Agero for $5.50 in cash per share. Also, the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results.

Urgently reported quarterly losses of $1.97 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of losses of $3.06 per share. The company reported quarterly sales of $33.292 million which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $31.800 million.

Urgent.ly shares jumped 159.1% to $5.26 in the pre-market trading session.

Here are some other stocks moving in pre-market trading.

Gainers

  • Click Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:CLIK) surged 41.2% to $4.40 in pre-market trading after falling 13% on Friday.
  • Tianci International Inc (NASDAQ:CIIT) gained 39.3% to $0.42 in pre-market trading after the company announced its financial results for the fiscal quarter ended Jan. 31, 2026.
  • Lumexa Imaging Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:LMRI) gained 29.8% to $15.80 in pre-market trading after falling 4% on Friday.
  • Edible Garden AG Inc (NASDAQ:EDBL) gained 19.8% to $2.90 in pre-market trading after gaining 4% on Friday.
  • Peraso Inc (NASDAQ:PRSO) gained 18.1% to $1.76 in pre-market trading. Peraso will …

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Hong Kong-listed shares of BYD Co. Ltd. (OTC:BYDDF) (OTC:BYDDY) surged following a reported overseas sales boost in South America.

The automaker’s shares listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange surged 8.3%, the most in more than a year, after reports emerged that the automaker’s facility in Brazil received an order of 100,000 units from Mexico and Argentina, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing local Chinese media news.

Hong Kong-listed shares of BYD’s fellow Chinese automakers, like Nio Inc. (NYSE:NIO) and Xiaomi Corp (OTC:XIACY) (OTC:XIACF), also recorded a 5% surge, the report said.

BYD’s Overseas Sales, Formula 1 Team

The …

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President Donald Trump is reportedly considering the capture of Iran’s primary oil depot on Kharg Island.

The seizure would necessitate the presence of U.S. military forces on the ground. This development comes amid the continuing blockade in the Persian Gulf, which is hindering Gulf oil and preventing Trump from ending the war, even if he desired to do so, Axios reported late Sunday.

The island, a strategically important terminal situated 15 miles from Iran’s coast, handles nearly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports.

Trump is reportedly “drawn” to the concept of seizing Kharg Island outright, as it would lead to “an economic knockout of the regime,” a source told the publication. However, such a move could trigger Iranian counterattacks on oil facilities and pipelines across Gulf countries, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

On Saturday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a prominent critic of Iran, lauded Trump’s “decision to take the war to Kharg Island” and forecasted that Iran’s economy would be “annihilated” if it lost control of the oil hub.

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Jim Cramer urged investors to resist the urge to liquidate portfolios as Brent Crude surged to $104, warning that missing the eventual “awesome snapback” would be a costlier error than enduring current volatility.

The ‘Mad Money’ Manifesto

“Selling now is a huge mistake,” Cramer declared on Mad Money, acknowledging that while the market is “terrifying,” the current oversold conditions often precede massive rebounds.

With Brent Crude hitting $104.53 and WTI at $97.69, at the last check, Cramer dismissed “naysayers” predicting $200 oil as an existential threat.

“You’ll be kicking yourself if you sell everything and then you have to watch this market rebound without you,” he warned, noting that the S&P oscillator is at a rare -7.5 reading.

Historical Precedent And Strategy

Supporting Cramer’s thesis, historical data provides a silver lining. The Kobeissi Letter reveals that in six out of seven instances since 1986, the S&P 500 has been higher one year after a 20% oil surge, with an average forward return of 24%.

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Oil prices remained elevated on Monday as President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran’s crude export facilities on Kharg Island and the war heads toward its third week, with the Strait of Hormuz still closed.

The Kalshi prediction market crowd has one blunt question on the table: Does WTI close above $100?

The bet resolves against the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) front-month WTI settlement price — the official end-of-day price published each afternoon by the Intercontinental Exchange, the benchmark the entire oil market uses. Above $99.99 at settlement, YES wins. Below it, NO wins.

At 3.40 AM ET, WTI futures were trading at $100.37 a barrel, up 1.68%, after earlier climbing as high as $102.40 a barrel to their highest level since July 2022.

The Kalshi crowd is leaning YES — but not convincingly. The YES contract on a close above $99.99 is trading at ¢66, implying a 59% probability that WTI settles above $100. The crowd is also pricing a 56% …

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Malaysia has declared the trade deal with the U.S. invalid after the Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump‘s tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) illegal in February.

Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Malaysia’s Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister, told reporters that the U.S.-Malaysia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) has been rendered ineffective. “It is not on hold. It is no longer there, it’s null and void,” said Johari, the New Straits Times reported on Sunday.

Johari told reporters that if tariffs were being justified based on a trade surplus, the authorities should clearly specify the industry involved and not impose blanket tariffs.

Regarding the new review launched by the U.S. under Section 301 last week, the Trade Minister said key Malaysian export sectors that could be affected include electrical and electronics, oil and gas, plantation commodities such as …

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Canada’s leader of the Official Opposition, Pierre Poilievre, who is also the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, has touted a U.S.-focused auto industry strategy amid the country’s China tariff agreement.

A Dollar For Dollar Rule

On Sunday, Bloomberg reported that the leader proposed exemptions for automakers from federal sales tax for vehicles made in Canada, as well as a rule that would enable companies to import vehicles of an equal dollar value from the U.S. or Mexico into the country for every vehicle produced in Canada.

The Canadian leader also said that it was a “dangerous illusion” to think that overseas EVs could replace auto sales to the U.S., the report said. U.S.-made vehicles accounted for over 40% of Canada’s auto sales.

The Conservative Party has also touted an end to subsidies for hybrid vehicles and EVs, as well as a ban on vehicles using Chinese or Russian software.

It’s worth noting that Canada revised its tailpipe emissions strategy recently and revived the subsidies on EVs, offering CA$5,000 on EVs made in Canada and CA$2,500 on Plug-In Hybrids. Both vehicle categories …

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Amidst a backdrop of Middle East volatility and energy market swings, Emerald Advisors portfolio manager Don Nesbitt is urging investors to look past short-term “AI horror stories” and see the current dip in Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) as a premier entry point.

The AI ‘Buying Opportunity’

While the broader market has been distracted by oil price fluctuations and geopolitical “exogenous shocks,” Nesbitt argues that the recent pressure on software stocks is a sentiment-driven mispricing.

Addressing the recent pullback in big-tech names, Nesbitt was clear on his stance regarding the software giant MSFT: “I think it’s an opportunity here to buy.”

He notes that the stock has been “trounced” recently due to heightened anxiety over AI’s potential to disrupt traditional business models. However, Nesbitt views this fear as misplaced for companies with established ecosystems.

“Microsoft is going to benefit from this,” he stated, dismissing the narrative that the company is at risk.

Data And Scale As A Moat

According to Nesbitt, …

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The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed an increase in the overall fear level, while the index remained in the “Extreme Fear” zone on Friday.

U.S. stocks settled lower on Friday, with the Nasdaq Composite falling more than 200 points during the session as investors weighed a stark downward revision to fourth-quarter economic growth against a sticky inflation reading before the oil shock of the war in Iran.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis revised fourth-quarter 2025 GDP growth to 0.7% annualized, down 0.7 percentage points from its advance estimate.

The January Core Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) price index — the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge — showed 3.1% annual increase, up from the previous 3%. The data marks a further departure from the Fed’s 2% target.

Washington temporarily eased sanctions on Russian crude to expand global supply, but Iran-U.S. tensions continued to threaten Persian Gulf energy flows and kept crude prices elevated.

The S&P 500 recorded a …

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With U.S. stock futures trading higher this morning on Monday, some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are as follows:

  • Wall Street expects Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR) to report quarterly earnings at $2.52 per share on revenue of $5.46 billion before the opening bell, according to data from Benzinga Pro. Dollar Tree shares gained 0.5% to $108.00 in after-hours trading.
  • Analysts are expecting Science Applications International Corp. (NASDAQ:SAIC) to post quarterly earnings at $1.93 per share on revenue of $1.76 …

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The S&P 500 closed Friday’s session in a precarious position after hitting its lowest close of 2026 earlier in the last week. However, heading into the Monday open, a wave of late-weekend optimism has shifted the narrative.

The Polygon-based (CRYPTO: POL) Polymarket crowd has turned decisively bullish for the March 16 open. The market currently reflects a 75% chance of an “Up” open, a 26% change in confidence over the last 24 hours. Early trading volume for this specific bet has reached $17,799.

Why That Number Matters

Geopolitical maneuvers are once again the primary driver of market sentiment. On Sunday evening, President Donald Trump increased pressure on global allies, warning NATO of a “very bad” future if they do not provide military assets—including …

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CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTMX) will release its fourth-quarter earnings before the opening bell on Monday, March 16.

Analysts expect the South San Francisco, California-based company to report loss of 9 cents per share, versus a year-ago profit of 23 cents per share . The consensus estimate for CytomX Therapeutics’ quarterly revenue is $7.33 million (it reported $38.09 million last year), according to Benzinga Pro.

On Nov. 6, CytomX Therapeutics reported worse-than-expected third-quarter financial results.

Shares of CytomX Therapeutics fell 3.9% to close at $4.68 on Friday.

Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.

Let’s have a look at how Benzinga’s most-accurate analysts have rated the company in the …

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has slammed the Democratic lawmakers, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), calling for an end to the partial government shutdown over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

End The ‘Schumer DHS Shutdown,’ Sean Duffy Says

In a post on the social media platform X on Sunday, Duffy criticized the Democrats, touting a letter by Airlines for America, which is a coalition of major airline operators in the U.S. “AIRLINE CEOs: ENOUGH OF THE SCHUMER DHS SHUTDOWN,” Duffy said in his post.

He hailed the CEOs in the letter for “standing up for @TSA workers,” as the Transportation Security Administration employees missed their paychecks. The letter, addressed to Congress, called for an end to the shutdown and for the employees to get paid.

“Americans — who live in your districts and home states — are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown,” the letter said, adding that travel related to the Spring Break, as well as the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, could be impacted due to the shutdowns.

“U.S. airlines expect 171 million passengers this spring season, a new record,” the letter said, but lamented the “extraordinarily long” lines at checkpoints across …

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California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has slammed the President Donald Trump administration as gasoline prices across the U.S. continue to surge.

‘Thanks To President Trump,’ Says Gavin Newsom

In a post on the social media platform X on Sunday, Newsom’s official press office handle slammed Trump for the price surge. “THANKS TO PRESIDENT TRUMP, PRICES ARE COMING DOWN!” the post said, quoting a post that said the price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. hit $3.70.

$1.5 Billion In Excess

In an X post on Saturday, Newsom slammed the Trump administration over the price rise, as well as the “disastrous” war with Iran. “No amount of spin from Trump and his lackeys” could hide that “Americans …

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Nvidia Corp.’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) next-generation Rubin AI GPU platform could reportedly face production delays due to supply constraints in next-generation memory.

HBM4 Supply Constraints Could Slow Nvidia’s Rubin Rollout

Nvidia’s Blackwell successor, the Rubin GPU platform, is seeing downward revisions to wafer starts due to next-generation HBM4 memory supply coming in below expectations, Taiwan’s Commercial Times reported, citing supply chain sources.

Suppliers are reportedly redesigning certain base-die components used in the memory stacks, a technical adjustment that could delay shipments by roughly one quarter.

As a result, Nvidia is said to be scaling back initial Rubin wafer production while increasing output of its current Blackwell GPUs instead of releasing manufacturing capacity.

Nvidia did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.

Cloud Giants Accelerate Custom AI Chip Development

At the same time, cloud service providers are intensifying efforts to develop their own AI chips to reduce reliance on Nvidia.

Alphabet Inc.’s …

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Anthony Scaramucci, founder of global investment firm SkyBridge Capital, explained how he manages his time across family, business and personal hobbies using the “rock-and-sand” metaphor.

Rock First, Then Sand

In the monthly Q&A episode on March 10, Scaramucci was asked about his approach to work‑life balance and how he organizes his calendar to support it.

Scaramucci likened time to a jar, which needs to be filled with rocks and sand. Rocks, he said, represent the most important things in life, including family, children, and coworkers, which should go in the jar first.

Then the sand goes in. That could be things like exercise. That could be things like reading books, going on vacation, whatever it might be,” …

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Amid escalating tensions in the global oil market due to the ongoing Iran war, recent estimates from JPMorgan show that the strategic oil reserve release will only make a small dent in the crude oil supply shock.

Strategic Reserves Not Enough

The ongoing oil crisis cannot be alleviated by strategic reserves alone, according to JPMorgan estimates shared by The Kobeissi Letter.

A coordinated release from the G7’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) would yield approximately 1.2 million barrels of oil daily. Historically, emergency releases have reached up to 1.4 million barrels per day.

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These ten large-cap stocks were the worst performers last week. These stocks took a beating, with sharp selloffs in names from healthcare and beauty to media and aviation rattling investors across the board.

Are they a part of your portfolio?

Fair Isaac Corporation (NYSE:FICO) decreased 21.59% this week after the company announced a proposed offering of $1.0 billion in senior notes.

Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) fell 20.85% this week. The health insurer reaffirmed its 2026 earnings guidance above $1.98 per share and adjusted earnings of above $3 per share. Mizuho maintains Neutral rating on Centene, lowering the price forecast to $41.

Paramount Skydance Corporation

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These ten large-cap stocks were top performers last week.

Artificial intelligence momentum, EV optimism and data-center demand powered a sharp rally across several large-cap technology and energy stocks last week.

Are they a part of your portfolio?

Nebius Group (NASDAQ:NBIS) increased 29.59% this week after the company announced a partnership with NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) to deploy hyperscale cloud for AI needs. The partnership includes a $2 billion investment from NVIDIA.

Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) jumped 27.60% this week.

NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO) gained 21.12% this week after the Chinese electric vehicle maker released its latest quarterly results. HSBC upgraded the stock from Hold to Buy and raised its price target …

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As we gear up for the new week, let’s take a look at some of the top stories from the week. These include Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook‘s decision to join the company, Apple’s early success in Formula 1, a significant change in Apple’s App Store fees in China, Elon Musk‘s tribute to Apple, and the ongoing debate about market concentration.

Tim Cook’s Crucial Question Before Joining Apple: ‘I Was Warned…’

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, revealed the pivotal question that led him to leave a secure job at IBM (NYSE:IBM) for a struggling Apple. Despite the skepticism surrounding Apple’s future, Cook was swayed by Steve Jobs’ vision and his own conviction. 

Read the full article here.

Apple’s Early Formula …

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As the week wraps up, let’s take a look at some of the most significant stories that unfolded in the world of finance and commodities.

Energy CEO Warns Of Next Oil Supply Shock

Robert Price, CEO of March GL and incoming CEO of Greenland Energy Co., has raised concerns about the potential for a future oil supply shock. This comes in the wake of recent tanker attacks and vessel rerouting near the Strait of Hormuz, which have highlighted the vulnerability of global energy flows. United States Oil Fund (NYSE:USO) stock is currently showing positive momentum.

Read the full article here.

Morgan Stanley, BlackRock Limit Withdrawals

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has joined the ranks of Wall Street giants imposing restrictions on redemptions. The company limited withdrawals from its North Haven Private Income Fund (PIF) after investors sought to withdraw nearly …

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On Saturday, Anthony Scaramucci, the founder of SkyBridge Capital, took to X to amplify a surprising revelation shared by Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital (NASDAQ:GLXY), who had lunch with the CEO of Bank of New York (NYSE:BK).

AI Agents As Employees

According to Novogratz, the CEO of the Bank of New York, discussed the possibility of AI agents performing a range of roles within the organization, not merely as tools but as full-fledged employees.

“He told me they’re already looking at AI agents as employees. Not tools. Not software. Employees,” referring to Novogratz, Scaramucci wrote on X.

“Stop asking how AI can make each person more productive. Start looking at every open job and asking: Can …

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Rising U.S.-Iran tensions have intensified after the Trump administration targeted Iran’s Kharg Island terminal, which handles nearly 90% of the nation’s oil exports. Iran has threatened to mine the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but crucial passage for global energy shipments.

On Saturday, the U.S. president declined Iran’s offer to negotiate a ceasefire and also hinted at the possibility of more strikes on Iran, signaling a potential escalation of tensions.

Global Warning

‘Shark Tank’ Star Kevin O’Leary warned the market of the broader impact of this in a post late Saturday.

“Oil is the only commodity used in every single sector of every economy. Even our adversaries need it,” he said.

O’Leary also criticized alternative energy efforts, saying billions spent on wind and solar have not proven reliable under real-world pressures. “It didn’t work,” …

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Dr. Casey Means, the nominee for the U.S. surgeon general, has reversed her stance on measles vaccination, urging Americans to get vaccinated.

Dr. Means, in her written remarks to the Senate health committee, expressed her support for the measles vaccine, reported MS NOW. This statement comes after her refusal to recommend the vaccine during a public hearing last month.

Means Aligns With Dr. Oz

“I stand with Dr. Oz’s message to Americans to take the measles vaccine,” Means wrote, referring to Dr. Mehmet Oz, the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Last month, Dr. Oz urged Americans to “take the vaccine, please,” emphasizing that measles is a serious disease and that all eligible individuals should be protected.

Means, a Stanford-trained physician turned wellness entrepreneur, has been nominated to be the “Nation’s Doctor,” a role …

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President Donald Trump‘s administration is pursuing new tariffs after a Supreme Court decision removed a major expected revenue source. Officials now aim to recover trillions in projected federal income that vanished after the ruling struck down several import duties.

The policy shift follows a court decision invalidating tariffs the administration previously relied upon for government revenue.

Officials now hope new trade measures can restore that funding stream, AP News reports.

New Trade Investigations Begin

Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, announced fresh investigations targeting multiple foreign economies.

The inquiry will examine whether government subsidies have created excess industrial capacity that harms …

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The World Anti-Doping Agency rejected a recent media report suggesting possible bans on U.S. officials. The agency said the story misrepresented internal discussions about funding rules and government contributions.

The report, written by The Associated Press, claimed that WADA considered rule changes that could bar President Donald Trump and U.S. officials from attending the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The story also referenced potential implications for future tournaments, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

WADA Response

The global anti-doping watchdog said the AP article contained misleading claims about its internal discussions. The agency stated it already clarified key facts to AP before the article appeared.

According to WADA, it specifically told AP that any potential rules would not affect the upcoming FIFA World Cup …

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BuzzFeed Inc. (NASDAQ:BZFD) shares slipped slightly on Friday after the digital media company recently released its fourth-quarter earnings update.

On March 12, the company disclosed (in its latest earnings release) that financial resources may not cover obligations for the coming twelve months without additional capital actions.

Liquidity Concerns

BuzzFeed warned investors that its current cash outlook raises “substantial doubt” about its ability to remain operational.

During the year ended December 31, 2025, BuzzFeed incurred a net loss of $57.3 million and used net cash flows from operations of $18.7 million. Additionally, as of 2025-end, the company had unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $8.5 million and an accumulated deficit of $679.6 million.

“While we’ve significantly reduced operating costs and real estate obligations, we’re still facing legacy commitments that are burdening the business. We’re exploring strategic options to complete the work we started years ago and position the company to operate profitably on a sustainable …

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The annual developer conference of NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), known as NVIDIA GTC  (GPU Technology Conference), is set to commence on Monday.

The conference, which will be held between March 16-19, has become a significant event for AI industry enthusiasts and will take place at the SAP Center, the home ground of the San Jose Sharks.

The event is expected to draw a whopping 30,000 attendees from 190 countries. The conference will span across ten venues in downtown and will also be streamed free on nvidia.com for virtual attendees.

This year’s GTC will cover a wide range of topics, including physical AI, AI factories, agentic AI, and inference. NVIDIA’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang‘s keynote is expected to touch upon the full stack: chips, software, models, and applications.

With over 700 sessions planned, the conference promises to provide comprehensive details on the latest developments in the AI industry.

Here’s What To Expect

Pregame Show: The pregame show will feature the CEOs of Perplexity AI, LangChain, Mistral AI, Skild AI, and OpenEvidence three hours before Jensen Huang takes the stage.

Open Vs Closed Models: Harrison Chase and leaders from Andreessen Horowitz, Allen Institute for AI, Cursor, and Thinking Machines Lab, discuss with Huang how open models compare with frontier closed models and what it means for developers building on …

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Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) heads into Sunday’s Academy Awards with a record 16 nominations for “Sinners,” the most of any film in Oscar history.

But on Polymarket, where traders have wagered over $33 million on the Best Picture outcome alone, Ryan Coogler’s vampire epic sits at just 21%.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another”, which earned 13 nominations, commands 76% odds on both Polymarket and Kalshi after sweeping the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, BAFTA, DGA, PGA, and WGA.

“No film in history that has won at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes, BAFTA, ACE Eddies, DGA, PGA and WGA has ever lost best picture,” Variety noted in its final Oscar predictions.

While historical precedent points heavily to “One Battle After Another,” the 76% market price suggests traders believe the massive fan enthusiasm behind “Sinners” still leaves room for a historic upset.

When Benzinga last covered the Oscar prediction markets at nomination …

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Biomea Fusion (NASDAQ:BMEA) shares closed up on Friday as the company is presenting positive data from its Phase II COVALENT-111 study on icovamenib for type 2 diabetes.

The Phase II  COVALENT-111 study results highlighted that icovamenib maintained a favorable safety profile throughout the 52-week observation period, with no serious treatment-related adverse events.

Additionally, the study showed statistically significant reductions in HbA1c levels among certain patient subgroups, suggesting icovamenib’s potential to transform diabetes treatment.

“We are encouraged by the durability of icovamenib’s effect observed nine months post-dosing at Week 52,” said Mick Hitchcock, Ph.D., Interim CEO and Board Member of Biomea Fusion. “We believe that we now have in hand initial evidence of durable efficacy, additional favorable safety data, a clear understanding of an effective dose, and most importantly, the target patient populations.”

The presentation at the 19th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes included data indicating that severe insulin-deficient patients experienced an HbA1c reduction of 1.2% at Week 52, with the most effective dosing regimen achieving a mean reduction of 1.5%.

This positive data is expected to bolster investor confidence as the company prepares for upcoming Phase II studies …

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Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors’ favorite stocks over the last week — here’s a look at some of our top stories.

Markets faced another volatile week as the escalating Iran conflict continued to ripple through global energy and financial markets. Disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz — a vital shipping route for roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply — intensified fears of a prolonged energy shock, pushing crude prices sharply higher and raising concerns about global inflation and growth. The supply disruption has already rattled equities and commodities markets, highlighting the growing economic impact of the conflict.

The oil surge created clear winners and losers across equity markets. U.S. refiners and fertilizer producers emerged as some of the biggest beneficiaries as supply disruptions lifted margins and commodity prices, while fuel-sensitive industries struggled. Airlines, travel operators and other transportation-related stocks came under pressure as higher energy costs threatened profitability and demand, underscoring how rapidly the geopolitical shock has reshaped sector leadership on Wall Street.

At the same time, the energy-driven inflation shock is beginning to spill into housing markets. U.S. mortgage rates climbed to about 6.11%, their highest level in several weeks, as geopolitical tensions unsettled bond markets and pushed Treasury yields higher. The rise in borrowing costs complicates the spring homebuying season, reinforcing concerns that the oil shock could ripple beyond commodities and equities into broader economic activity.

Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week’s most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

“Kodak Stock Soars After Q4 Earnings,” by Adam Eckert, reports that shares of Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE:KODK) surged in after-hours trading following the company’s fourth-quarter results, which showed revenue rising 9% year-over-year to $290 million, driven by a …

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Retail investors talked up five hot stocks this week (March 9 to March 13) on X and Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, driven by retail hype, earnings, AI buzz, and corporate news flow.

Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL), Hims & Hers Health Inc. (NYSE:HIMS), Blue Owl Capital Inc. (NYSE:OWL), Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR), Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), spanning software, online retail, pharma, private credit, cryptocurrency, and automotive, reflected diverse investor interests.

Oracle

  • ORCL’s fiscal third-quarter earnings delivered strong beats with total revenue of $17.2 billion up 22% YoY, cloud revenue surging 44% to $8.9 billion, non-GAAP EPS of $1.79, up 21%, and remaining performance obligations exploding 325% to $553 billion, driven by massive AI infrastructure demand. The company raised its fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to $90 billion, easing concerns over heavy AI capex and debt.
  • Some retail investors were questioning other traders about buying ORCL after its post-earnings jump.
A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
Source: Reddit
  • The stock had a 52-week range of $118.86 to $345.72, trading around $159 to $162 per share, as of the publication of this article. It rose 5.48% over the year and fell 45.53% over the last six months.
  • ORCL had a weaker price trend in the short, medium, and long term, with a poor value ranking, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.

Hims & Hers

  • HIMS news stories from March 9 to March 13, 2026, were dominated by the company’s blockbuster partnership announcement with Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO), which sent the stock soaring. Under the deal, Hims & Hers will offer Novo Nordisk’s branded GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy on its telehealth platform starting later in March, while ceasing promotion of compounded versions—resolving a prior patent infringement lawsuit from Novo and eliminating a …

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Sleep Number Corporation (NASDAQ:SNBR) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday.

Sleep Number reported quarterly losses of 46 cents per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of losses of 50 cents per share. The company’s sales came in at $347.385 million versus estimates of $328.668 million.

Linda Findley, President and CEO, commented, “Sleep Number exceeded 2025 guidance provided on our last earnings call. We are still in full turnaround mode and made significant progress against our new product and marketing strategies while continuing to reduce costs. For the full year 2025, pro-forma adjusted EBITDA margin was approximately 9% …

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Vivid Seats Inc. (NASDAQ:SEAT) posted a loss for the fourth quarter on Thursday.

The company posted a quarterly net loss of $428.7 million, versus a year-ago net loss of $424.2 million. Its revenues fell 37% year-over-year to $126.8 million from $199.8 million.

“The trends we are seeing in the first quarter confirm that our strategy and execution are delivering measurable results,” said Lawrence Fey, Chief Executive Officer of Vivid Seats. “We are enhancing our foundational strengths that include our leading technology, unique data assets, relentless focus on efficiency, and differentiated customer value proposition. We are particularly encouraged by the positive impact and momentum we are seeing from the impact of our enhanced App …

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Vivid Seats Inc. (NASDAQ:SEAT) posted a loss for the fourth quarter on Thursday.

The company posted a quarterly net loss of $428.7 million, versus a year-ago net loss of $424.2 million. Its revenues fell 37% year-over-year to $126.8 million from $199.8 million.

“The trends we are seeing in the first quarter confirm that our strategy and execution are delivering measurable results,” said Lawrence Fey, Chief Executive Officer of Vivid Seats. “We are enhancing our foundational strengths that include our leading technology, unique data assets, relentless focus on efficiency, and differentiated customer value proposition. We are particularly encouraged by the positive impact and momentum we are seeing from the impact of our enhanced App …

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Gambling.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:GAMB) reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter on Thursday.

The company posted quarterly earnings of 30 cents per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of 24 cents per share. The company reported quarterly sales of $46.236 million which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $46.057 million.

Gambling.com said it sees FY2026 sales of $170.00 million to $180.00 million, versus market estimates of $185.309 million.

Charles Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Gambling.com Group, said, “We generated record fourth quarter revenue and Adjusted EBITDA with revenue rising 31% year-over-year to $46.2 million and Adjusted EBITDA increasing 5% to $15.5 million. Our operating results continue to benefit from significant growth in our sports data services business, which grew 29% quarter-on-quarter and represented 26% of total …

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Gambling.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:GAMB) reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter on Thursday.

The company posted quarterly earnings of 30 cents per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of 24 cents per share. The company reported quarterly sales of $46.236 million which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $46.057 million.

Gambling.com said it sees FY2026 sales of $170.00 million to $180.00 million, versus market estimates of $185.309 million.

Charles Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Gambling.com Group, said, “We generated record fourth quarter revenue and Adjusted EBITDA with revenue rising 31% year-over-year to $46.2 million and Adjusted EBITDA increasing 5% to $15.5 million. Our operating results continue to benefit from significant growth in our sports data services business, which grew 29% quarter-on-quarter and represented 26% of total …

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Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:OLLI) on Thursday reported in-line earnings for the fourth quarter.

The company reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.39, in line with the Street view. Quarterly sales of $779.256 million (+16.8% year over year) missed the analyst consensus estimate of $783.271 million.

“In the fourth quarter, we delivered better than expected sales and earnings, driven by solid comp growth, healthy margins, and disciplined expense control,” said Eric van der Valk, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet expects fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings of $4.40 to $4.50 per share, compared with a $4.48 estimate. The company expects fiscal 2026 sales of $2.985 billion to $3.013 billion, compared with …

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Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:OLLI) on Thursday reported in-line earnings for the fourth quarter.

The company reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.39, in line with the Street view. Quarterly sales of $779.256 million (+16.8% year over year) missed the analyst consensus estimate of $783.271 million.

“In the fourth quarter, we delivered better than expected sales and earnings, driven by solid comp growth, healthy margins, and disciplined expense control,” said Eric van der Valk, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet expects fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings of $4.40 to $4.50 per share, compared with a $4.48 estimate. The company expects fiscal 2026 sales of $2.985 billion to $3.013 billion, compared with …

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Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE:DKS) on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results and issued FY26 sales guidance above estimates.

The company reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $3.45, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $2.87. Quarterly sales of $6.226 billion (+59.9% year-over-year) outpaced the Street view of $6.069 billion.

Dick’s sees 2026 adjusted EPS of $13.50-$14.50 versus $14.67 estimate. The company expects 2026 sales of $22.10 billion to $22.40 billion versus an estimate of $21.98 billion.

Dick’s expects full-year 2026 comparable sales growth of 2% to 4% for the DICK’S business. It sees full-year 2026 pro forma comparable sales growth of 1% to 3% for the Foot Locker business.

“2025 was another strong year for the DICK’S Business, with growth in comps and EPS exceeding our expectations. We’ve now owned the Foot Locker Business for about six months and our excitement and our conviction in the long‑term opportunity continue to grow. We’re very encouraged by what we’re …

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Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE:DKS) on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results and issued FY26 sales guidance above estimates.

The company reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $3.45, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $2.87. Quarterly sales of $6.226 billion (+59.9% year-over-year) outpaced the Street view of $6.069 billion.

Dick’s sees 2026 adjusted EPS of $13.50-$14.50 versus $14.67 estimate. The company expects 2026 sales of $22.10 billion to $22.40 billion versus an estimate of $21.98 billion.

Dick’s expects full-year 2026 comparable sales growth of 2% to 4% for the DICK’S business. It sees full-year 2026 pro forma comparable sales growth of 1% to 3% for the Foot Locker business.

“2025 was another strong year for the DICK’S Business, with growth in comps and EPS exceeding our expectations. We’ve now owned the Foot Locker Business for about six months and our excitement and our conviction in the long‑term opportunity continue to grow. We’re very encouraged by what we’re …

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Trump’s AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks warned that the U.S. strategy in Iran could lead to “catastrophic” outcomes.

Sacks Calls for Off-Ramp

Speaking on an episode of the All-In Podcast released Friday, Sacks said that continued military escalation against Iran could have disastrous regional consequences and called for a negotiated off-ramp.

The venture capitalist pointed out that the U.S. has significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities, including its army, navy, and air force. Sacks suggested that this would be an opportune time to declare victory and withdraw.

“We’ve degraded Iranian capabilities massively,” Sacks said. “This is a good time to declare victory and get out — and that is clearly what the markets would like to see.”

However, Sacks also cautioned that some factions, particularly within the Republican Party, are advocating for further escalation. The former PayPal

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Trump’s AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks warned that the U.S. strategy in Iran could lead to “catastrophic” outcomes.

Sacks Calls for Off-Ramp

Speaking on an episode of the All-In Podcast released Friday, Sacks said that continued military escalation against Iran could have disastrous regional consequences and called for a negotiated off-ramp.

The venture capitalist pointed out that the U.S. has significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities, including its army, navy, and air force. Sacks suggested that this would be an opportune time to declare victory and withdraw.

“We’ve degraded Iranian capabilities massively,” Sacks said. “This is a good time to declare victory and get out — and that is clearly what the markets would like to see.”

However, Sacks also cautioned that some factions, particularly within the Republican Party, are advocating for further escalation. The former PayPal

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The U.S. Department of Commerce reportedly retracted a proposed rule on AI chip exports on Friday, marking a shift in the nation’s strategy to regulate the global AI chip market.

The rule’s draft was circulated among other agencies for feedback in late February. No explanation was given for the withdrawal.

A Reuters report stated that the proposed regulation called “AI Action Plan Implementation” was uploaded to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website on February 26 for review, but was later removed. The rule had proposed evaluating whether foreign nations investing in U.S. data centers or offering security assurances should be a requirement for exporting 200,000 or more chips.

The ⁠Commerce Department did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.

This move is the latest in a series of reversals by the Trump …

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The U.S. Department of Commerce reportedly retracted a proposed rule on AI chip exports on Friday, marking a shift in the nation’s strategy to regulate the global AI chip market.

The rule’s draft was circulated among other agencies for feedback in late February. No explanation was given for the withdrawal.

A Reuters report stated that the proposed regulation called “AI Action Plan Implementation” was uploaded to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website on February 26 for review, but was later removed. The rule had proposed evaluating whether foreign nations investing in U.S. data centers or offering security assurances should be a requirement for exporting 200,000 or more chips.

The ⁠Commerce Department did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.

This move is the latest in a series of reversals by the Trump …

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President Donald Trump announced on Friday that U.S. Central Command carried out a major bombing raid on Iran’s main crude oil export terminal, Kharg Island, and “totally obliterated every MILITARY target” on what he deemed the nation’s “crown jewel.”

The facility, located about 16 miles off the coast of Iran and about 300 miles from the Strait of Hormuz, handles about 90% of the country’s oil shipments.

US Strikes Iran’s Crown Jewel

In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the U.S. possesses the most powerful and sophisticated weapons in the world, but he chose not to destroy the oil infrastructure on the island.

However, he warned that any interference with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly 20% of global oil supply, would prompt a reconsideration of this …

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President Donald Trump announced on Friday that U.S. Central Command carried out a major bombing raid on Iran’s main crude oil export terminal, Kharg Island, and “totally obliterated every MILITARY target” on what he deemed the nation’s “crown jewel.”

The facility, located about 16 miles off the coast of Iran and about 300 miles from the Strait of Hormuz, handles about 90% of the country’s oil shipments.

US Strikes Iran’s Crown Jewel

In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the U.S. possesses the most powerful and sophisticated weapons in the world, but he chose not to destroy the oil infrastructure on the island.

However, he warned that any interference with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly 20% of global oil supply, would prompt a reconsideration of this …

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Quick Summary

  • Stan Druckenmiller says nobody really knows whether AI will destroy jobs, reshape them or trigger a very different inflation outcome than markets expect.
  • To prepare for a more uncertain future, free matching tools can connect you with financial advisors who can help test your savings, investing and retirement plan.

A lot of people are treating artificial intelligence (AI) like it will slash jobs, crush wages and push prices down. 

Stan Druckenmiller wants you to slow down before you buy that script.

“I don’t think any of us know how this movie is going to play out,” the billionaire investor said in a recent conversation with Morgan Stanley’s Iliana Bouzali, pushing back on the idea that AI will definitely be deflationary and trigger “massive job losses.”

His main objection is that people are drawing hard conclusions from something that’s still unfolding. “Anybody who believes that with conviction suffers from arrogance and not an open mind,” he said.

Why he thinks the jobs story is more complicated

Druckenmiller, who is famously known for achieving roughly 30% annual returns every year for 30 years, said that every big wave of technology has been greeted with predictions of mass unemployment, “all the way back to the horse and buggy.” 

It hasn’t worked out that way, though. Jobs have changed, but they haven’t disappeared. That’s why it is always good to stay prepared by speaking …

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In 2026, markets are navigating two powerful, seemingly different sources of uncertainty. Escalating conflict in the Middle East and growing stress in the private credit industry.

At first glance, the risks appear separate—one tied to commodities and global politics, the other to financial market plumbing. Yet beneath the surface, the two may interact in ways that amplify volatility worldwide.

Economist Mohamed El-Erian believes the key issue is how multiple shocks can compound rather than offset one another.

“In the real economy and finance, the negative factors do not net out; they compound,” he wrote in The Financial Times, warning that investors should not assume geopolitical or financial stresses will remain isolated events.

Private Credit Volatility

The private credit sector has expanded rapidly over the past decade, filling lending gaps left by banks after 2008. But its structure, illiquid loans funded by investor capital that expects periodic redemptions, has raised questions about resilience during periods of market stress.

Recent redemption pressure across the sector brought this vulnerability into focus. When withdrawals accelerate, managers may restrict redemptions to avoid forced asset sales, a mechanism that protects portfolios but can unsettle investors.

El-Erian has described the resulting contagion dynamic as familiar from past financial cycles.

“If you can’t sell what you want, you sell what you can,” he wrote, noting that investors facing liquidity constraints may offload unrelated assets simply to raise cash.

Such a dynamic can spread volatility beyond the private credit market itself, tightening financial conditions more broadly.

Oil Shock Returns

At the same time, geopolitical tensions involving Iran have reignited volatility in oil markets. Energy prices have surged as traders price in risks to Middle …

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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) held near $70,000 as Digital Assets Council financial professionals adviser Rick Edelman said investors should be “ecstatic” at current prices, arguing if you loved Bitcoin at $126,000, you have to love it more at $70,000.

The 10-40% Allocation Thesis

Edelman recommends investors allocate 10-40% of portfolios to crypto despite Bitcoin trading more than 30% below its $126,000 record high from mid-October. 

He argues adoption is growing and Bitcoin’s returns are likely to dramatically outperform any other asset class over the next 5-10 years.

“We talk about 5 or 10% returns for other assets. Bitcoin is going to be 5x or 10x over the next 5 to 10 years,” Edelman said. “So …

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Pi Network (CRYPTO: PI) surged 30% during Asia trading hours Friday after Kraken announced it will list the cryptocurrency ahead of Pi Day on March 14.

The Kraken Listing Catalyst

Kraken’s listing announcement triggered the rally as PI became available on a major U.S.-regulated exchange. 

The token is already listed on OKX, Gate, and Bitget, but Kraken’s entry expands access to mainstream retail and institutional traders.

The timing coincides with Pi Day on March 14, a holiday celebrating the mathematical constant where the first three digits are 3.14. The date has become a marketing opportunity for Pi Network, similar to how pizzerias and bakeries offer discounts.

Pi Network is a mobile-first cryptocurrency project that replaces traditional proof-of-work mining with a phone-based trust graph. 

Users tap a mobile app daily to “mine” tokens and form identity-verified security circles that feed into a consensus system derived from the Stellar protocol.

The …

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Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct a reference to private oil producers.

“Drill, baby, drill” has long been the Trump administration‘s political shorthand for unleashing U.S. oil production. But the latest shale data suggests the companies actually answering that call aren’t the oil giants dominating energy ETFs.

Instead, it’s a wave of privately held drillers — firms most investors have never heard of — quietly adding rigs across America’s shale basins.

• Helmerich & Payne stock is surging to new heights today. What’s driving HP stock higher?

Private Shale Operators Take The Lead

According to JPMorgan analyst Arun Jayaram, U.S. horizontal land rig activity rose modestly by three rigs week-over-week to 474 active rigs. The bigger story, however, is who is doing the drilling.

Private exploration and production companies added nine rigs during the week, while publicly traded shale firms cut five rigs. Activity from the oil majors remained largely unchanged.

Private operators now run 202 rigs — about 42% of total U.S. horizontal …

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Private markets investment management firm Hamilton Lane (NASDAQ:HLNE) said it does not believe there is a private credit bubble in its most recent 2026 market overview.

“With the increased capital available, with the increase in market share, with the ongoing press about the pressures on private credit, the casual observer would think that yields and spreads of private credit over broadly syndicated loans were collapsing. That would be a completely incorrect assumption,” Hamilton Lane wrote.

• Hamilton Lane stock is showing upward movement. Why is HLNE stock trading higher?

“Sponsors want private credit and seem willing to pay for what it has to offer. There is no sign of stress with these spreads or returns, relative to broadly syndicated loans,” the report continued.

Hamilton Lane believes banks carry “far riskier” loan pools than private credit, and the latest defaults are a problem with the banks, not with private credit itself.

Private credit has continued to reshape the global …

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Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) is down 16% in March as the company unveiled its R2 SUV at SXSW this week.

CEO RJ Scaringe called it a “make-or-break product.”

The launch model starts at $57,990, nearly $13,000 above the $45,000 entry price the company has been advertising. That cheaper version? Pushed to late 2027.

Rivian’s CSO Wassym Bensaid told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that only Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Rivian have caught on in the U.S. because they had the range, performance and value that customers want.

“We know that there are just two companies in the U.S. who know how to do it: Tesla and us,”

Chinese competitors like BYD, the world’s largest EV maker, kept out of the U.S. by large tariffs.

The …

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Quick Summary

  • Stan Druckenmiller says overanalyzing is “the biggest mistake in our business” because traders who wait for perfect information often miss the move.
  • For traders trying to act earlier without risking another blown-up small account, Apex Trader Funding offers a way to trade in a rules-based enviornment before putting personal money on the line.

Stan Druckenmiller has a warning for traders who spend too long searching for certainty.

“At some point, the analysis becomes counterproductive,” the billionaire investor said in a recent interview with Morgan Stanley’s Iliana Bouzali, calling overanalysis “the biggest mistake in our business.”

“Speed matters now,” said the legendary investor, who averaged roughly 30% annual returns over 30 years without a single down year.

“If you sit around and analyze a company for four months and you’re not willing to operate with 15% or 20% of information, you’ll often miss the big move,” he said. “And then you’re afraid to buy it because it has moved.”

For active traders, that idea underlines the reason why so many struggle to gain traction. The problem is not always being wrong. Often, it is hesitating too long, missing the setup, then chasing after the move is already underway.

Druckenmiller’s comments are relevant in a market today shaped by AI enthusiasm, rapid sentiment shifts and sharp rotations across sectors. …

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When a sharp selloff in AI stocks wiped roughly $1 trillion from tech valuations earlier this year, gold unexpectedly moved lower as well. For some investors, the drop raised a troubling question: if gold is the ultimate safe haven, why did it fall alongside risk assets?

According to Tarek Saab, CEO of Texas Precious Metals, the answer lies in how markets behave during periods of sudden volatility.

“Gold remains uncorrelated to tech assets and to the broader equities markets at large, which is why many continue to increase gold exposure in strategic portfolios,” Saab told Benzinga.

Gold: Short-Term Moves Vs Long-Term Role

During sharp market shocks, investors often sell multiple asset classes simultaneously as they raise cash or …

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Five and 15-minute Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) prediction market contracts are attracting roughly $70 million in daily trading volume across Polymarket and Kalshi as retail traders use AI chatbots to scrape price data and generate odds for ultra-short-term bets.

The AI Trading Strategy

The Financial Times reported on Friday that Max Wojcik, a 29-year-old engineer, feeds weeks of Bitcoin price data into three AI chatbots—Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT. 

He has the chatbots analyze the data together and calculate his probability of winning before he places any five-minute trades.

“Claude is my major brain right now, but I’m still manually placing the trades,” Wojcik said.

The engineer claims to have doubled his money over the past two months using this AI-assisted approach.

Traders flocking to short-term crypto forwards on Kalshi and Polymarket are presented with dashboards showing real-time prices fluctuating around a “price to beat” as a clock counts down toward the end of the contract.

The $70M Daily Volume Surge

Both platforms began offering 15-minute “up-down” bets on Bitcoin, Ethereum

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Prediction market traders are pricing a 62% probability that the Trump administration removes at least one Jones Act domestic shipping requirement by June 30, a move that could hand Gulf Coast refiners like Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) a major logistics advantage.

The Polymarket contract, which opened March 9, resolves to “Yes” if any of the century-old law’s four core restrictions are removed via legislation or executive action before the deadline.

What Happened

The White House confirmed Wednesday it is considering a temporary Jones Act waiver for energy and agricultural shipments.

Bloomberg reported the administration is developing a 30-day exemption covering oil, gasoline, diesel, LNG and fertilizer moving between U.S. ports.

The administration’s scramble to ease domestic fuel pressures comes as Brent crude briefly topped …

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MARA Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:MARA) shares traded higher on Friday. The move tracks a steady recovery in Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) prices.

Bitcoin Recovery Boosts Mining Sector

The apex cryptocurrency climbed to $71,194.33, gaining 1.14% over the last 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap data.

This recovery follows a broader uptick in digital asset sentiment. Markets reacted positively as Bitcoin maintained a 4.92% gain over the past seven days.

Broader cryptocurrency market momentum remains strong. Strategy Inc (NASDAQ:MSTR) also saw gains following massive Bitcoin acquisitions. Executive Chairman Michael Saylor recently noted on X, “You know there’s a delay between the time we buy the Bitcoin and the time Bitcoin goes to the …

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Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG) shares are up on Friday as the company announced a final investment decision and financial close for its CP2 LNG Phase 2 project.

Details

The company secured an $8.6 billion project financing for the second phase of its CP2 LNG project, marking a significant milestone in its growth strategy.

This financing attracted over $19 billion in commitments from leading banks, showcasing strong demand for U.S. LNG investments.

The CP2 project is expected to reach peak production capacity of 29 million metric tons per annum, with nearly all output already contracted under long-term agreements with customers mainly in Europe and Asia.

Technical Analysis

Venture Global’s stock is currently trading 28.2% above its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 59.5% above its 100-day SMA, indicating strong short-term and longer-term momentum. Over the past 12 months, shares have increased by 39.48%, and they are currently positioned closer to their 52-week highs than lows, suggesting a bullish trend.

The RSI …

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In a letter to young creators, Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO, Tim Cook, disclosed the crucial question that steered his choice to join the then-ailing tech giant.

The letter published by the Steve Jobs Archives revealed that Cook, who joined Apple in 1998, was initially hesitant about leaving secure firms like IBM (NASDAQ:IBM) and Compaq, acquired in 2022 by Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HPE), for a company that was struggling.

He remembers, “Many people doubted the company could survive, and I was warned that accepting a job there would come with risks.”

Despite the risks, Cook was influenced by founder Steve Jobs‘ fervor and vision. However, his admiration for Jobs wasn’t the only factor in his decision. Cook needed to be sure the move was right for him.

Cook said the future is unpredictable despite our best efforts to shape it, and advises that instead of focusing on “What will happen?”, people should ask themselves something deeper.

Thus, he posed himself a potent question: “Who will I be when it does (happen)?”

This question guided Cook to choose purpose and passion …

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has granted Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) approval to convert its investment in xAI into a stake in SpaceX, according to a recent filing.

• Tesla shares are consolidating. What’s the outlook for TSLA shares?

The filings also indicated that Musk, who is the CEO of both companies, sold portions of the holdings to several investors, including Valor Equity Partners and DJF Growth. Details including the size of the deals were not disclosed. The size of the deal must be reported if its value is over $133.9 million.

These filings …

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PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL) shares are up on Friday as the company is reportedly reaching a settlement regarding its first distribution rate increase since 2016.

PPL Electric Utilities has submitted a joint petition for a non-unanimous settlement to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), seeking approval for a $275 million increase in annual base distribution revenues. If approved, the new distribution base rates would take effect on July 1, 2026, and would not increase for two years thereafter.

The settlement aims to enhance system reliability and improve customer service while supporting investments for future growth. This marks the company’s first base distribution rate increase since 2016, indicating a significant shift in its revenue strategy.

Technical Analysis

PPL is currently trading 2.6% above its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 7.5% above its 100-day SMA, indicating a strong short-term trend.

Over the past 12 months, shares have increased 13.97%, and they are currently positioned closer to their 52-week highs than lows.

The RSI is at 55.19, which is considered neutral territory, suggesting that the …

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Interview with Sopnendu Mohanty, Group CEO GFTN…

Image Credit: Author

After a decade as Singapore’s Monetary Authority (MAS) Chief Fintech Officer Sopnendu Mohanty is now deploying capital. In an exclusive interview, he reveals the three-tech stack that will define finance and why his new fund partnership is a “model of responsible collaboration.”

Sopnendu Mohanty spent ten years as the chief architect of Singapore’s famously pragmatic, use-case-driven fintech ecosystem. Now, he’s trading regulatory guidance for strategic capital. In an exclusive interview, the former Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Chief Fintech Officer, now Group CEO of the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) detailed his mission to drive “a more equitable financial services” future. And he’s backing that mission with a recently announced $200 million fund.

“The kind of technology we saw over the last 10 years, the kind of technology that is coming in the next 10 years, does require a coordinated global response to get it right at a scale,” Mohanty said, explaining his shift from regulator to global network builder. “We have to ensure that the shift and the growth, whether using AI or tokenization or better encryption using quantum, all this should drive to a more equitable financial services.”

From Policymaker to Capital Deployer

Sopnendu Mohanty’s journey – 17.5 years at Citibank followed by a decade at the MAS gives him a unique lens. He believes GFTN, a not-for-profit spawned from the MAS, is “best equipped to provide top-notch advisory services to private sector and government” because it understands how to operate at scale in a regulated industry. The commercial arm of that vision, GFTN Capital, just took a major leap.

In November 2025, GFTN Capital announced a partnership with Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings and SBI Ven Capital to launch a US$200 million global innovation fund. The fund will target growth-stage fintech companies worldwide, specifically those leveraging AI, digital assets, cybersecurity and tokenization.

This …

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Michael Burry, the investor made famous by the 2008 financial crisis trade, used X on Friday to blast Nasdaq’s proposed rule changes ahead of SpaceX‘s anticipated initial public offering (IPO).

“This is the most SHAMELESS structural manipulation of a major index I’ve ever seen,” Burry wrote.

His target: two specific rule proposals Nasdaq quietly floated in February that critics say were designed around a single company.

SpaceX, the Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk-led commercial spaceflight company, is reportedly targeting a $1.75 trillion valuation for what could be the largest IPO in history.

Reuters reported the company is leaning toward a Nasdaq listing, potentially as early as June. Musk appeared to confirm the $1.75 trillion figure on X on March 2.

The ‘Fast Entry’ Rule: 15 Days, No Waiting

Currently, new public companies typically wait up to 12 months before qualifying for major index inclusion. That seasoning period allows real price discovery and protects passive investors from …

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Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) drew market attention Friday after revealing a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to internal administrative systems.

The disclosure comes as medtech peer Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) battles a major cyber disruption of its own.

What Happened?

The company said the breach resulted from a targeted phishing attack that compromised an employee account connected to certain internal applications.

The surgical robotics manufacturer disclosed that the incident involved limited data from internal business software systems.

The company said it quickly activated response procedures and secured affected systems after detecting the intrusion.

Incident Details

According to the company, the breach involved information accessed through compromised employee credentials.

The exposed data included certain customer contact information, employee records and corporate administrative data.

Intuitive emphasized that the intrusion did not affect its flagship robotic platforms. The company confirmed that its da Vinci surgical system, Ion endoluminal system and digital platforms remain secure and …

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Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades and initiations, please see our analyst ratings page.

  • Baird analyst Davis Sunderland initiated coverage on H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO) with an Outperform rating and announced a price target of $67. H2O America shares closed at $57.36 on Thursday. See how other analysts view this stock.
  • Needham analyst Austin Bohlig initiated coverage on Karman Holdings Inc (NYSE:KRMN) with a Buy rating and announced a price …

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Citron Research reiterated its bullish stance on Credit Acceptance Corp. (NASDAQ:CACC) Friday, maintaining a $714 fair value target.

Writing on X, Citron said critics have the comparison to goeasy completely backwards.

“goeasy just handed us the best proof yet of why CACC is the only non-prime lender worth owning,” Citron posted Friday.

goeasy’s Numbers Tell the Story

Andrew Left’s Citron pointed directly to goeasy’s recent results as the contrast it needed.

The firm cited $330 million in quarterly charge-offs, an emergency restructuring, and a merchant channel collapse at the Canadian lender.

Citron is waiting on an 8-K that it says will disclose the settlement details.

“That’s what non-prime lending looks like without CACC’s dealer-first structure, 30-year collections infrastructure, and pool-level loss pricing built in from day one,” Citron wrote.

What …

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U.S. stocks traded higher this morning, with the Dow Jones gaining more than 300 points on Friday.

Following the market opening Friday, the Dow traded up 0.68% to 46,995.67 while the NASDAQ rose 0.40% to 22,401.88. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.50% to 6,706.16.

Check This Out: How To Earn $500 A Month From Goldman Sachs Stock Ahead Of Q4 Earnings

Leading and Lagging Sectors

Utilities shares rose by 1.3% on Friday.

In trading on Friday, energy stocks fell by 0.4%.

Top Headline

U.S. economic growth slowed sharply toward the end of 2025. Gross domestic product expanded at an annualized rate of 0.7% in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the second estimate released Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The reading was significantly revised down from the initial 1.4% estimate and marked a sharp deceleration from the 4.4% growth pace recorded in the third quarter.

Equities Trading UP
           

  • iSpecimen Inc (NASDAQ:ISPC) shares shot up 82% to $0.41 after the company announced the launch of its new AI-powered Inventory Agent.
  • Shares of bioAffinity Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:BIAF) got a boost, …

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Quick Summary

  • More than half of Americans used at least one risky financial stopgap late last year, with many cutting essentials, missing debt payments or even skipping medical care to stay afloat.
  • For borrowers buried under high-interest balances, you can compare lenders and personalized loan options in minutes without affecting credit scores.

For a growing share of Americans, the numbers don’t line up anymore.

A survey issued by Achieve found that in the last three months of 2025, 51% resorted to at least one “risky financial stopgap” after falling short on what they already owed. Half of those who took action cut spending on basic needs, 34% leaned harder on credit cards and 26% pulled money from emergency or short‑term savings.

In more severe cases, the trade‑offs were stronger. One in five respondents missed at least one debt payment, and another one in five delayed or skipped medical treatment. About 9% said they reduced or skipped prescribed medication doses. For households in that position, even small moves to lower the cost of existing debt or consolidate balances can be the difference between a short‑term setback and a long‑term spiral.

“This is what the K-shaped economy looks like in the real world,” said Achieve Co-CEO Andrew Housser. “There’s an affluent half of the population whose financial lives aren’t disrupted by momentary inconveniences. But for everyone else, financial triage and tradeoffs are a way of life.”

Belt‑tightening down to the last notch

The survey suggests many households have already exhausted easy ways to cut back. More than 9 in 10 said they could only reduce housing costs, bills …

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Shares of Nio Inc (NYSE:NIO) are trading higher in Friday’s premarket session. This follows a fourth-quarter earnings report and a wave of positive Wall Street sentiment.

Analysts Pivot to Bullish Outlook

Nomura upgraded the stock to Buy from Neutral following the results. The firm cited improving operational momentum as a primary driver.

Analysts at Macquarie also raised their price forecast to $6.50. They pointed to improved vehicle margins and lower operating cash flow.

Morgan Stanley remains Overweight with a $7.00 price target. This reflects confidence in Nio’s 40% to 50% delivery growth forecast.

HSBC has upgraded NIO’s stock rating to Buy …

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(Editor’s note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, the lede, the economic data, and the headline were updated in the story.)

U.S. stock futures pared earlier losses to rise on Friday following Thursday’s lower close. Futures of the major benchmark indices were up.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the second estimate for fourth-quarter 2025 GDP was revised down to an annual growth rate of 0.7%, reflecting a sharp deceleration from the 4.4% seen in the third quarter.

Concurrently, January 2026 data shows a resilient consumer despite the slowdown, with personal income rising 0.4% and personal spending (PCE) increasing 0.4%. While the headline PCE price index rose 2.8% year-over-year in January, the core PCE—which excludes volatile food and energy costs—remains more persistent at 3.1%, up from 3.0% in December.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post, warned Iran, saying, “Watch what happens to these deranged sc*mbags today,” after Iran’s Supreme Leader warned on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed, while the IRGC signaled potential retaliation against Israel’s Leviathan and Karish gas fields.

Trump Iran Warning

These threats to regional energy infrastructure coincide with the confirmed crash of a U.S. KC-135 refueling plane in Iraq and reports of explosions in Dubai following a drone interception.

The 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.28%, and the two-year bond was at 3.76%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 99.1% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in March.

Index Performance (+/-)
Dow Jones 0.37%
S&P 500 0.39%
Nasdaq 100 0.36%
Russell 2000 0.51%

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Friday. The SPY was up 0.46% at $669.15, while the QQQ advanced 0.45% to $599.97.

Stocks In Focus

Adobe

  • Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) dropped 9.02% in premarket on Friday despite reporting upbeat financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 after the market closed on Thursday. However, CEO Shantanu …

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As of March 13, 2026, two stocks in the consumer staples sector could be flashing a real warning to investors who value momentum as a key criteria in their trading decisions.

The RSI is a momentum indicator, which compares a stock’s strength on days when prices go up to its strength on days when prices go down. When compared to a stock’s price action, it can give traders a better sense of how a stock may perform in the short term. An asset is typically considered overbought when the RSI is above 70, according to Benzinga Pro.

Here’s the latest list of major overbought players in this sector.

Darling Ingredients Inc (NYSE:DAR)

  • On Feb. 11, Darling Ingredients posted better-than-expected quarterly sales. “Our commitment to operational excellence drove a strong fourth quarter, delivering solid EBITDA growth and sequential gross margin improvement, despite …

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Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) shares are gaining ground in Friday’s premarket session.

The move follows a bullish update from Wells Fargo. Analyst Aaron Rakers maintained an Overweight rating on the stock. He raised the price forecast from $410 to $470, according to Benzinga Pro.

The price forecast hike comes just five days before Micron reports its second-quarter 2026 results. The company will release earnings on Wednesday, after the closing bell. Analysts estimate earnings per share of $8.56 and quarterly revenue of $19.12 billion.

Traders are showing renewed optimism …

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U.S. economic growth slowed sharply toward the end of 2025. Gross domestic product expanded at an annualized rate of 0.7% in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the second estimate released Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The reading was significantly revised down from the initial 1.4% estimate and marked a sharp deceleration from the 4.4% growth pace recorded in the third quarter.

The downward revision from the advance estimate was driven by weaker exports, softer consumer spending, lower government outlays and reduced investment, while imports declined less than previously estimated.

Compared with the third quarter, the slowdown in real GDP growth primarily reflected declines in government spending and exports, alongside a cooling in consumer spending. These factors were partially offset by stronger investment, which accelerated during the quarter.

Core PCE Inflation Rises …

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During times of turbulence and uncertainty in the markets, many investors turn to dividend-yielding stocks. These are often companies that have high free cash flows and reward shareholders with a high dividend payout.

Benzinga readers can review the latest analyst takes on their favorite stocks by visiting Analyst Stock Ratings page. Traders can sort through Benzinga’s extensive database of analyst ratings, including by analyst accuracy.

Below are the ratings of the most accurate analysts for three high-yielding stocks in the energy sector.

Nordic American Tankers Ltd (NYSE:NAT)

  • Dividend Yield: 9.46%
  • Jefferies analyst Omar Nokta maintained a Hold rating with a price target of $3.5 on Nov. 28, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 79%.
  • Evercore ISI Group analyst Jonathan Chappell maintained an In-Line rating and increased the price target from $2.5 to $3 on Oct. 28, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 74%
  • Recent News: On Feb. 26, …

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Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) has reached a new milestone in operational excellence, with its quality ranking surging to the 90.05th percentile.

MSFT Quality Rises Week-On Week

This significant week-on-week climb from 89.96 comes as the tech giant reportedly moves to secure massive AI infrastructure in Abilene, Texas, according to a report by The Information.

Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings‘ quality score places Microsoft in the top tier of companies for financial health and operational efficiency.

Despite the stellar quality score, Microsoft faces negative price trends. The stock is currently trending downward across short, medium, and long-term timeframes.

Furthermore, the momentum score sits at a low 20.40, suggesting that the market has yet to reward MSFT‘s fundamental improvements with price appreciation.

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Bitcoin climbed to $72,000 on Friday, with Bitcoin ETFs seeing $53.9 million in net inflows on Thursday, while Ethereum ETFs reported $72.4 million in net inflows.  


Cryptocurrency		 Ticke Price
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) $72,320.38
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) $2,123.98
Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) $90.15
XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) $1.42
Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) $0.09978
Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) $0.056156

Meme coin market capitalization spiked 10.1% to $34.8 billion over the past 24 hours.

Trader Commentary:

Analysts at Bitfinex noted that since Operation Epic Fury, Bitcoin has gained roughly 6%, while the S&P 500 …

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Science Applications International Corporation (NASDAQ:SAIC) will release earnings for its fourth quarter before the opening bell on Monday, March 16.

Until then, some SAIC investors may be eyeing potential gains from the company’s annual dividend yield of 1.62% ($1.48 a year). That’s a quarterly dividend amount of 37 cents per share. So, how can investors exploit its dividend yield to pocket a regular $500 monthly?

To earn $500 per month or $6,000 annually from dividends alone, you would need an investment of approximately $371,103 or around 4,054 shares. For a more modest $100 per month or $1,200 per year, you would need $74,239 or around 811 shares.

To calculate: Divide the desired annual income ($6,000 or $1,200) by the dividend ($1.48 in this case). So, $6,000 / $1.48 = 4,054 ($500 per month), and $1,200 / $1.48 …

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NEW YORK, March 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Institutional Investor today announced the official launch of the Alpha Edge Buy List™, an exclusive, allocator-curated recognition platform designed solely for private equity firms that exemplify alignment, governance discipline, transparency, and long-term value creation.

Developed in collaboration with senior institutional investors serving on the Alpha Edge Advisory Board, the Buy List establishes a new global benchmark for excellence in private equity — reinforcing the standards that matter most to long-term capital allocators.

Unlike traditional rankings or sponsorship-based awards, inclusion on the Alpha Edge Buy List is not open for application and is not pay-to-play. Firms are nominated by members of the Advisory Board and vetted through a structured research and verification process …

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On CNBC’s “Halftime Report Final Trades,” Joshua Brown, co-founder and CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, said Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is a defensive stock.

CFRA analyst Kenneth Leon, on March 6, upgraded Netflix from Hold to Buy and announced a $115 price target.

Stephanie Link, CIO at Hightower, named Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) as her final trade.

As per the recent news, Target announced Wednesday it is lowering prices on more than 3,000 items across apparel, home goods, baby essentials, and select food and beverages as shoppers prepare for the spring season. The price reductions are mostly 5% to 20% lower than the …

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Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades and initiations, please see our analyst ratings page.

  • HSBC analyst Yuqian Ding upgraded Nio Inc – ADR (NYSE:NIO) from Hold to Buy and raised the price target from $4.8 to $6.8. NIO shares closed at $5.55 on Thursday. See how other analysts view this stock.
  • Itau BBA analyst Alejandro Fuchs upgraded BBB Foods Inc (NYSE:TBBB) from Market Perform to Outperform and announced a $42 price target. BBB Foods shares …

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A trader on Reddit’s r/wallstreetbets said they grew a brokerage account from $50,000 to more than $520,000 in less than a year, using margin to buy shares rather than relying on the short-dated options trades more commonly associated with the forum.

The post offered a detailed breakdown of the trades that drove the gains and the strategy behind them.

“My first big trade was buying $SBET at $9 in early 2025, which turned my account into around $200k,” the trader wrote.

That position in Sharplink Inc (NASDAQ:SBET) appears to have provided the capital for a series of later trades across multiple names and sectors.

From that $200,000 base, the trader described taking both long and short positions. Among them was a short on Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI) near the stock’s highs, as well as a long position in Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN). You can make the same types of trades by going long or short futures with Apex Trader Funding. The trader said they bought 5,500 shares of Coinbase at an average price of $145 and sold them at $172, producing a profit of about $148,500 on that trade.

The post also described buying weakness in cybersecurity stocks, including CrowdStrike Holdings (NASDAQ:CRWD) and Cloudflare Inc (NYSE:NET), during a broader market pullback.

By March 10, the trader said the account balance had reached $523,125.66, with a year-to-date gain of more …

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Gold has fallen roughly 3% since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran on Feb. 28, even as Brent crude has surged nearly 40% toward $100 a barrel.

The SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE:GLD) is sitting around $468 while the S&P 500 slides to its lowest since November.

Why Gold Falls First In A War

Giovanni Staunovo, a strategist at UBS Global Wealth Management who was bullish on gold throughout its 64% surge in 2025, told CNBC the drop is textbook.

“Historically, it is not uncommon to see gold falling as first reaction when financial markets show stress signs as gold is a highly liquid asset,” Staunovo said.

When panic hits, investors sell what they can liquidate fast. …

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PHILADELPHIA, March 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — abrdn Global Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE:FCO) announces that the Special Meeting of Shareholders was held and adjourned today, to allow for the solicitation of additional proxies to achieve the requisite quorum. The Fund has set a new adjournment date for its Special Meeting of Shareholders of Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 11:30 am Eastern Time.

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Looking at its returns during past global conflicts, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) crashes when wars start but recovers within 50-60 days.

Data across 20 geopolitical events showing average gains of 31.2% as governments increase money supply to fund conflicts.

The Crash-Then-Rally Pattern

Bitwise research head Andre Dragosch earlier found Bitcoin often experiences short-term price drops when geopolitical risks arise, but within 50 days, price typically recovers and surpasses pre-event levels. 

Across the top 20 major geopolitical risk events since July 2010, Bitcoin performed on average +31.2% after 50 days.

Binance Research and BlackRock arrived at similar conclusions: Bitcoin has historically rebounded by an average of 37% within 60 days following major geopolitical incidents. 

This pattern has repeated with striking regularity as Bitcoin matured.

The Recent Conflicts

During Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, BTC plummeted from approximately $39,000 to $34,322 within hours.

By March 1, BTC had surged back to $44,000 as crypto …

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Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) stock traded relatively flat on Thursday amid reports of workforce changes within its global product team.

• Netflix shares are consolidating. What should traders watch with NFLX?

The reported move reflects internal restructuring as the streaming company adjusts leadership responsibilities and team structures.

Benzinga has requested Netflix for their comments on the story and will update once we get a response.

Workforce Changes

Netflix recently eliminated several dozen positions within its global product team as part of an internal reorganization, Variety reports. The affected group primarily supported marketing design, promotional assets, and creative materials tied to content and product launches.

People familiar with the situation told Variety that the cuts targeted the company’s “creative studio unit”.

That team produces promotional materials such as posters, trailers inside the platform, and visuals used in live experiences.

However, …

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A trader on Reddit’s r/wallstreetbets says they turned roughly $10,000 into more than $53,000 on a Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) options trade in just a few weeks, posting a screenshot that showed a gain of more than 424%.

The trade caught attention because it was tied to the market’s shifting view of Netflix’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery and the possibility that Netflix could still come out ahead financially even if it lost the deal. 

The trader shared a position showing 100 Netflix call contracts with a $90 strike and a March 20, 2026 expiration. According to the screenshot, the contracts were purchased on Feb. 3 for an average cost of $1.01, or about $10,100 total.

By Feb. 27, those same contracts were marked at $5.30, putting the position’s value at roughly $53,000 and implying a profit of about $42,900 in a little over three weeks—the kind of swing that attracts traders who want a place to both trade and earn 8.1% APY on idle cash while they wait for the next setup.

The setup drew praise from other users, with one commenter saying, “I love this trade. Bought on 2/3 with month plus to work out…either it would bounce [because] deal is off or bounce [because] deal going through. They got $2 [billion] in breakup fee so that’s free money.”

That comment needs context. The deal was Netflix’s proposed acquisition of key Warner Bros. Discovery assets, and the breakup-fee thesis was real. 

Reuters reported last month that Paramount Skydance had offered to fund the …

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Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) and Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) both are hovering near critical support levels after 58-60% declines from highs as descending channels trap price and money flow turns deeply negative.

DOGE Tests $0.09 Floor

Dogecoin dropped roughly 60% over five months from $0.23 in October 2025 to current levels. 

A descending channel has guided price lower since October, with every bounce sold and every rally failing at the upper boundary.

The Supertrend indicator at $0.109 flashes red. When all moving averages sit above price and slope down, sellers control every timeframe.

Volume dried up 25.5% to $2.86 billion. Lower volume during a downtrend signals fewer buyers …

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New York City, NY, March 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

I. Introduction

The online gambling landscape has undergone a significant transformation over the past several years, with cryptocurrency-powered slot games emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments in digital gaming. Players are increasingly drawn to the promise of faster transactions, enhanced privacy, and provably fair mechanics that blockchain-based casinos offer over their traditional counterparts.

But with rapid growth comes legitimate concern. The crypto casino space remains largely unregulated in many jurisdictions, and the gap between marketing claims and actual player experience can be wide. For every reputable platform operating transparently, there are dozens of fly-by-night operations designed to exploit uninformed depositors.

This report is designed to cut through the noise. We examine how crypto slots actually work, what determines their legitimacy, how payout mechanisms function under the hood, and what every player should verify before committing funds to any platform. Our goal is to give readers a practical framework for evaluating any crypto slots casino they encounter, whether they are seasoned gamblers or newcomers exploring digital currency gaming for the first time.

II. What Are Crypto Slots?

Crypto slots are online slot machines that accept cryptocurrency deposits and process withdrawals in digital currencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Tether (USDT), and others. From a gameplay perspective, they function identically to traditional online slots: players place a wager, spin the reels, and outcomes are determined by a random number generator (RNG).

The key difference lies in the transaction layer. Traditional online casinos rely on banks, credit card processors, and third-party payment providers to move money in and out. Crypto slots eliminate these intermediaries. Deposits land in your casino account within minutes rather than days, and withdrawals bypass the slow verification queues that plague fiat-based platforms.

Provably Fair Technology

One of the most compelling innovations in the crypto gambling space is provably fair technology. This system uses cryptographic hashing to allow players to independently verify that each spin outcome was genuinely random and was not tampered with by the casino after the bet was placed. In a provably fair system, the casino generates a server seed before the spin, the player provides or is assigned a client seed, and the combination of both seeds determines the outcome. After the spin, the server seed is revealed so the player can verify the result mathematically.

Not all crypto slot platforms implement provably fair systems. Some still rely on traditional third-party RNG audits, which are credible but less transparent than on-chain verification. When evaluating a platform, understanding which verification method they use is an important first step.

Supported Cryptocurrencies

Most crypto slot casinos support Bitcoin and Ethereum as a baseline. More established platforms expand their options to include Litecoin, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), and in some cases, Solana, Tron, and Ripple. The breadth of supported currencies matters because it affects deposit speeds, network fees, and the flexibility players have in managing their bankroll.

III. Do Crypto Slots Actually Work?

This is the question that drives most players to search for independent information before depositing. The short answer is yes, crypto slots function on the same mathematical principles as any regulated online slot machine. But there are important nuances that separate a legitimate crypto slots experience from one designed to take your money.

RNG and Fair Play Verification

Every legitimate slot game, whether crypto or fiat, is powered by a random number generator. The RNG produces thousands of number sequences per second, and the sequence active at the exact moment you press spin determines your outcome. In regulated environments, these RNGs are tested and certified by independent auditing firms such as eCOGRA, iTech Labs, or GLI (Gaming Laboratories International).

Crypto casinos that operate under recognized licenses typically undergo the same auditing process. Those that implement provably fair technology add an additional layer of transparency by allowing players to verify outcomes directly. Platforms that offer neither third-party audits nor provably fair verification should be approached with extreme caution.

RTP Rates: What to Expect


Return to Player (RTP) is the percentage of total wagered money that a slot game pays back to players over time. A slot with a 96% RTP will, on average, return $96 for every $100 wagered over millions of spins. This is a long-term statistical average, not a guarantee for any individual session.

Crypto slots from reputable game providers like Pragmatic Play, BGaming, Hacksaw Gaming, and Endorphina typically offer RTPs between 94% and 97%, which is consistent with the broader online slots industry. Players should be wary of platforms that do not disclose RTP figures or that run proprietary games with no independent audit data.

What Realistic Outcomes Look Like

Slots are inherently a negative-expectation game. The house edge ensures that over time, …

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MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) shares fell Thursday after JPMorgan downgraded the Latin American e-commerce giant, warning that intensifying competition in Brazil and heavier investment spending could keep profit margins under pressure.

The bank cut its rating on MercadoLibre to Neutral from Overweight and lowered its price forecast to $2,100 from $2,650, citing persistent competitive pressure in Brazil—particularly from Sea Limited’s (NYSE:SE) Shopee platform—and management’s willingness to accept lower near-term margins while prioritizing growth investments.

MercadoLibre Plans $3.4B Argentina Investment

Separately, MercadoLibre expects to invest $3.4 billion in Argentina in 2026, a roughly 30% increase from the $2.6 billion planned for 2025, CEO Ariel Szarfsztejn said, Reuters reported.

The investment will support logistics expansion, new distribution centers, technology upgrades, and growth of fintech unit Mercado Pago.

The company also plans to create nearly 2,000 jobs in Argentina, where it currently employs about 16,700 people, Reuters reported.

Technical Analysis

Mercado Libre is trading 11.3% below its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 19.6% below its 100-day SMA, keeping both the short- and intermediate-term trend pointed down. Shares are down 17.79% over the past 12 months and are now positioned closer to …

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Kevin Warsh is about to inherit the most hostile environment for rate cuts since the Fed started easing last September.

Donald Trump‘s Fed Chair nominee takes over from Jerome Powell in May with oil near $95, private credit in open distress and inflation still above target.

Polymarket traders now price a 22% chance of zero rate cuts in 2026, roughly double where that contract sat in January when consensus still expected two or three cuts.

The most likely single outcome is one cut at 30%. The April 28 FOMC decision is priced at 91% hold.

J.P. Morgan Global Research no longer expects the Fed to cut at all this year.

Oil Is The Problem Nobody Can Hedge Away

Iran is laying mines and attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and even a historic 400-million-barrel emergency reserve release from the IEA hasn’t been enough to bring prices down.

Analysts warn oil could breach …

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America’s Car-Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRMT) reported a difficult quarter as weather disruptions, weaker sales volume and transition-related pressures hurt results.

Even so, the company highlighted improving unit economics and greater flexibility after recent changes to its capital structure.

• America’s Car-Mart stock is at significant support. Why did CRMT hit a new low?

Earnings Snapshot

The company reported third-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.53 loss, which missed the Street view of 28 cents loss. Quarterly sales of $286.792 million (down 12% year-over-year) missed the analyst consensus estimate of $331.927 million.

Sales volumes declined 22.1% to 10,275 units, reflecting constraints on origination capacity resulting from the company’s ongoing capital …

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Block Inc. (NYSE:XYZ) shares are retreating during Thursday’s session. The decline follows a broader market sell-off affecting the technology sector.

Macroeconomic Pressures Weigh On Growth

The Nasdaq fell 1.30% while the S&P 500 shed 1.14% on Thursday. Technology stocks are also lower today. Investors are reacting to Wednesday’s Consumer Price Index report. Inflation held steady at 2.4% in February. This matched the economist’s estimates.

However, the data was collected before the war in Iran. That conflict has since pushed fuel prices sharply higher.

The stock is reacting negatively as concerns over inflation and higher rates stemming from the Middle East conflict darken the outlook for consumer lending.

Dorsey’s AI Strategy In Focus

CEO Jack Dorsey recently praised Nvidia Corp.’s

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Few commodities are as volatile as silver. After surging to record highs earlier this year, the metal experienced a sharp pullback that rattled investors and reignited debate about whether the rally had gone too far, too fast.

But according to Tarek Saab, CEO of Texas Precious Metals, the broader bull market in silver may still be intact.

“While we do not publish internal forecast, we remain structurally bullish as long as silver holds above prior resistance at $50,” Saab told Benzinga.

A Historic Breakout Level

For decades, silver struggled to sustainably break above the $50 level — a price that acted as …

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