Core Viewpoint - Alphabet is experiencing significant growth in its Google Cloud segment, which is becoming a crucial driver of the company's overall growth and profitability, particularly in the context of increasing demand for AI cloud computing solutions [2][3][4]. Financial Performance - Alphabet's total revenue for Q3 rose 16% year over year to $102.3 billion, with Google Cloud revenue increasing 34% to $15.2 billion and operating income surging 85% to $3.6 billion [3]. - The cloud backlog climbed 46% year over year to $155 billion, indicating strong multi-year commitments from customers [3]. Growth Drivers - Google Cloud is establishing itself as a second pillar of growth for Alphabet, complementing its traditional advertising revenue, which is subject to cyclical fluctuations [6]. - The cloud segment is growing faster than Alphabet's overall business, enhancing its influence on the company's growth rate [7]. - Google Cloud's operating margin improved to 23.7% in Q3, up from 17.1% in the previous year, indicating potential for significant long-term earnings growth [8]. Strategic Developments - Alphabet is expanding its cloud capabilities, including a planned acquisition of Wiz, a cloud security platform, expected to close in 2026, which will enhance its cloud security offerings [9][10]. - The integration of AI features across Alphabet's products, such as Google Search and YouTube, is enhancing user experiences and driving demand [10]. Investment Considerations - Alphabet's capital expenditures were $24 billion in Q3, with expectations for full-year 2025 expenditures between $91 billion and $93 billion, indicating a substantial investment commitment [11]. - The company's shares trade at around 30 times earnings, reflecting high expectations for continued growth, particularly in Google Cloud [12]. - Intense competition from Microsoft and Amazon in cloud infrastructure and AI services necessitates ongoing improvements in Alphabet's offerings [13].

Core Insights - Affirm's stock surged by 10.2% on a day marked by a broader upswing in the buy-now/pay-later (BNPL) and fintech sectors, influenced by a weaker-than-expected jobs report that may lead to lower interest rates [1][4][5] Company Performance - Affirm's CFO Rob O'Hare highlighted a five-year partnership extension with Amazon, which is expected to drive new customer acquisition for both companies [2][6] - The company reported a 34% increase in revenue and a GAAP operating margin of 7% in its most recent quarter, indicating strong growth and profitability [9] - Credit trends remained stable, with delinquency rates consistent with previous years, suggesting that the company's credit model is holding up [10] Market Context - The positive market reaction to Affirm's performance was also reflected in other BNPL and fintech stocks, which experienced gains due to favorable market conditions and investor sentiment [5] - The partnership with Amazon was described as a "win-win," with terms remaining mostly unchanged, reinforcing Affirm's leadership in the industry [6][9] - Evercore ISI maintained an outperform rating for Affirm, with a price target of $95, reflecting confidence in the company's future performance [7]

Core Insights - Warren Buffett's prediction regarding silver prices has materialized, with a significant increase in silver prices over the past three years, approximately 150% [4][7] - The imbalance between silver supply and demand continues, with the world consuming 149 million more ounces of silver than produced last year [6][14] Industry Overview - The silver market has experienced a bull run, driven by robust industrial demand and inelastic supply, as mine production has increased by less than 1% in 2024 [4][6] - The ongoing trend of silver demand outpacing supply is expected to persist, marking the fifth consecutive year of this deficit, with over 100 million ounces expected [14] Company Analysis: First Majestic Silver - First Majestic Silver is positioned as a near pure-play silver miner, with 57% of its revenue derived from silver, significantly higher than its peers [11] - The company reported a record quarter with 3.9 million ounces produced, reflecting a 96% year-over-year increase in production [11][12] - First Majestic's all-in sustaining costs for silver range between $14.80 to $15.80 per ounce, ensuring profitability as long as silver prices remain above this threshold [11] - The company's revenue surged by $139 million in Q3, with $73 million attributed to increased silver production and $66 million from rising silver prices, indicating strong operational performance [12] - Despite a high price-to-earnings ratio of 113, the company's significant revenue growth positions it well for future valuation adjustments [13]

Core Viewpoint - Dividend-paying stocks provide three avenues for profit: capital appreciation, cash dividends, and increasing payouts over time, making them attractive investments [2]. Group 1: Overview of Dividend-Focused ETFs - Fidelity offers three notable dividend-focused ETFs that have outperformed the S&P 500 while providing higher dividend yields [1][3]. - The ETFs are designed to reflect the performance of dividend-paying companies, focusing on both growth and income [7]. Group 2: Performance and Key Metrics - Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV) has a recent dividend yield of 3.02% and a 5-year average annual return of 16.34% [6][7]. - Fidelity International High Dividend ETF (FIDI) boasts a higher dividend yield of 4.30% and has performed well due to a weakening dollar [10][11]. - Fidelity Total Bond ETF (FBND) offers a dividend yield of 4.60%, focusing on diversification through bonds [13][14]. - Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) has a lower dividend yield of 1.12% but is included for comparison with the Fidelity offerings [15]. Group 3: Investment Requirements - To generate $100,000 in annual dividends from FDVV, an investment of approximately $3.125 million is needed [9]. - For FIDI, an investment of about $2.3 million is required to achieve the same annual dividend income [12]. - The Total Bond ETF requires around $2.18 million for $100,000 in annual dividends [14]. - The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF necessitates over $8 million for the same dividend income target [15].

Core Insights - Alibaba Group did not experience a dramatic comeback in 2025 but shifted its narrative towards long-term growth strategies [1] - The company clarified its priorities by focusing on cloud and artificial intelligence, stabilizing its core e-commerce business, and repositioning itself as a broader technology and AI platform [2] Cloud and AI as Growth Engines - Alibaba Cloud emerged as the primary growth engine, with a reported cloud revenue growth of 34% year over year in the September 2025 quarter, driven by AI demand [4] - AI-related cloud revenue continued to grow at triple-digit rates, confirming the monetization of Alibaba's cloud business [5] - Alibaba now serves as a core infrastructure provider for AI adoption in China, with its cloud platform resembling the roles of Amazon's AWS and Microsoft's Azure [6][7] E-commerce Stabilization - The core e-commerce business showed signs of stabilization, with customer management revenue returning to 10% growth in the half year ended September 30, 2025 [9] - Investors began viewing Alibaba's e-commerce as a mature foundation that supports investment in newer growth areas, rather than a declining asset [10][11] Strategic Repositioning - Alibaba is redefining itself as a technology and AI platform, emphasizing its role in cloud and AI services rather than solely as an e-commerce leader [12][14] - This strategic shift expands Alibaba's growth opportunities, moving beyond the natural limits of a commerce-only model [15] Investor Implications - The developments in 2025 provided coherence in Alibaba's growth narrative, with cloud and AI driving growth while e-commerce offers stability [16] - The company is seen as laying the groundwork for a more durable recovery, marking 2025 as a reset year rather than a comeback year [17]

The company and many of its peers saw dramatic lifts on the back of new Presidential remarks.Investors caught quite the serious buzz from marijuana stocks on Tuesday, thanks largely to President Trump's strongest indication so far that he will get the ball rolling on the drug's rescheduling. One title that wafted well higher in price was Curaleaf Holdings (CURLF +23.18%), which was up by almost 25% when the smoke cleared. Will the Trump card be played?This came in an answer to a reporter's question whether ...

Core Viewpoint - Sezzle has announced a significant increase in its stock buyback program, which has positively impacted its stock price, reflecting investor confidence in the company's financial health and growth potential [1][2]. Group 1: Stock Buyback Initiatives - Sezzle's board of directors has authorized a stock repurchase of up to $100 million, doubling the previous $50 million program announced in March [2]. - The company has progressively increased its buyback initiatives, starting from $5 million, then $15 million, and now $100 million [4]. - Under the current buyback authorizations, Sezzle has repurchased 2.9 million shares at an average price of $24.03 each [4]. Group 2: Financial Position and Market Response - CEO Charlie Youakim stated that the buyback reflects Sezzle's strong financial position and long-term conviction in the business, emphasizing a disciplined approach to capital allocation [4]. - Following the announcement, Sezzle's stock price rose by over 10% in a single trading session, indicating strong market enthusiasm [1][5]. - The current market capitalization of Sezzle is approximately $2.3 billion, with a day's trading range between $67.74 and $74.99 [6]. Group 3: Investment Considerations - While the increasing buyback program is a positive indicator of financial strength, it is noted that fundamental financial metrics should be prioritized when considering investments in Sezzle [6][7].

Core Viewpoint - Affirm Holdings experienced a nearly 12% increase in stock price following positive comments from CFO Rob O'Hare and an analyst price target upgrade [1][4]. Group 1: Company Performance - CFO Rob O'Hare provided a bullish overview of Affirm's performance heading into the holiday season, indicating favorable quarter-to-date trends and stable customer delinquency rates [4]. - Affirm is expected to meet the consensus analyst estimate of 31% year-over-year growth in gross merchandise value (GMV) for the current quarter [8]. Group 2: Analyst Insights - Analyst Adam Frisch from Evercore ISI reiterated an outperform recommendation for Affirm, setting a price target of $95 per share [4]. - Frisch believes that Affirm's stock was unfairly penalized due to inaccurate third-party data indicating a decline in volumes, which O'Hare disputed as having serious tracking errors [7]. Group 3: Market Sentiment - There are concerns among market players that Affirm's core customer base, which consists of relatively less affluent clients, may reduce spending; however, there is a belief that BNPL is becoming a preferred purchasing tool for these individuals, suggesting resilience in Affirm's business [9].

Core Viewpoint - Nvidia is expected to continue outperforming the market, with a potential market cap of $15 trillion in the next five years, which may be a conservative estimate given its current growth trajectory [1][2]. Market Performance - Nvidia has seen a remarkable rise, becoming the world's largest company by market cap, reaching $4.4 trillion after a significant pullback from its $5 trillion milestone [1][4]. - The stock has increased over 1,400% since its low of approximately $290 billion in October 2022, surpassing both Apple and Microsoft in market cap [4]. Growth Projections - The AI chip market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29% through 2030, which could lead Nvidia to a market cap of around $15.7 trillion if it maintains this growth [6]. - Nvidia's revenue for the first nine months of fiscal 2026 was $148 billion, reflecting a 62% growth rate, although this is a decrease from the previous year's 94% growth [6][9]. Valuation and Competition - Nvidia's current P/E ratio of 45 is considered low for a fast-growing company, but it is expected to align more closely with the S&P 500 average of 31 over time, which could slow stock growth [10]. - Nvidia currently holds an estimated 80% market share in the AI chip market, but competition is increasing, particularly from AMD, which is making significant investments to capture market share [11][12]. Future Considerations - While a $15 trillion market cap in five years is seen as realistic, growth rates are likely to slow, and competition from AMD and others could impact Nvidia's market share and growth [13][14]. - Nvidia remains a leader in AI accelerators, and even with a slowdown, it is expected to provide market-beating returns for shareholders [15].

Robotaxis and humanoid robots may grab the spotlight, but Tesla's EV business is still holding up the entire production.It's becoming fashionable to say that Tesla's (TSLA +3.06%) electric vehicle (EV) business is losing importance. Growth has slowed, competition has intensified, and investors increasingly talk about robotaxis and humanoid robots as the company's "real" future.That framing is understandable, but it's also incomplete.Tesla's EV business may no longer be the star of the story, but it remains ...