Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari said Thursday he thinks the central bank is “pretty close” to neutral on the level of its benchmark policy rate, implying there may be little room left to cut rates. “We've cut interest rates a bunch in the last couple of years,” Kashkari said during a fireside chat at the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce. “My guess is we're pretty close to neutral on where our monetary policy is, but ultimately, we need to see, where does inflation go? Does it come all ...

Core Insights - Wall Street is shifting focus from AI tech giants to infrastructure companies that will benefit from AI capital spending as investor enthusiasm for AI heavyweights wanes [1][2] Group 1: Market Performance - Shares in AI tech giants like Alphabet and Amazon have seen significant declines due to concerns over whether returns from their AI investments will justify their high valuations [2] - Infrastructure-related stocks such as Caterpillar, Lumentum, and Western Digital have experienced double-digit gains this year, contrasting with the S&P 500's return of 0.52% and the Roundhill Magnificent 7 ETF's loss of 7.3% [3] Group 2: New Investment Products - ETF providers like BlackRock, VistaShares, and Impax Asset Management are launching new products focused on AI infrastructure, reflecting a growing interest in niche investment opportunities [4] - VistaShares' Artificial Intelligence Supercycle ETF, launched in December 2024, gained 58.4% in 2025 and is up 16.87% this year, indicating strong performance in the AI infrastructure sector [5] Group 3: Fund Allocations - BlackRock's iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF has increased its investment in AI infrastructure plays to 74% of its $8.8 billion in assets, up from 59% a year ago, highlighting a strategic pivot towards revenue-generating sectors [7] - The BlackRock fund has attracted $7.9 billion in new capital over the past year, driven by healthy returns from holdings like Fabrinet and Monolithic Power Systems, which have contributed to a 3.2% return this year [8]

Car rental company Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR) stock tumbled 21% through 10:40 a.m. ET Thursday after missing badly on its Q4 earnings report last night. Heading into the report, analysts already weren't optimistic, expecting Avis to lose $0.19 per share on sales of $2.7 billion -- but the actual news was much worse. Avis reported a loss per share of $21.25, and on sales of less than $2.7 billion. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known com ...

Australia’s peak accounting and self-managed super fund (SMSF) bodies have lodged a joint submission to the Treasury’s consultation on professional indemnity insurance (PII) in the context of the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort (CSLR). In the submission, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), CPA Australia, the Institute of Public Accountants and the SMSF Association urged Treasury to lift transparency and strengthen data collection on PII claims. In a statement, CA ANZ said robust ...

Costco's (NASDAQ: COST) stock has rallied nearly 180% over the past five years. The world's largest warehouse club retailer repeatedly impressed investors with robust sales and membership growth, high renewal rates, and new store openings. However, Costco's stock still trades below Wall Street's average price target of $1,062 and its top price target of $1,205. Let's see what it might take for Costco's stock to rise more than 20% and top $1,200. Image source: Getty Images. Where to invest $1,000 right now? ...

Kimberly Orlando: Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the earnings release and in the appendix of the presentation. Reconciliations of certain forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to comparable GAAP financial measures are not provided because certain items required for such reconciliations are outside of our control and cannot be reasonably predicted or provided without unreasonable effort. Any reference to EBITDA in our discussions today means adjusted EBIT ...

Richard Jay Mack: Thank you, Anne, and thank you all for joining us this morning for CMTG's fourth quarter earnings call. CMTG made a meaningful amount of progress last year, executing on several critical path items. In 2025, we accomplished the priorities we established at the start of the year, including resolving watch list loans, enhancing liquidity, and further deleveraging the portfolio. One year ago, we established a $2,000,000,000 total resolution target for 2025, and I am pleased to report that we ...

After finishing 2025 up over 15%, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has been off to a rough start in 2026. Through Feb. 16, its stock is down 15% year to date, including a 10% single-day drop on Jan. 28 after its latest earnings report. There are two ways to look at Microsoft's struggles in early 2026. The first one is through a pessimistic lens and wonder if this is a sign of distress. The second is a more positive view, where you now see a Microsoft stock that's trading at a "discount." For most investors, the l ...

Inox Green Energy Services is set to acquire Wind World India's 600MW independent power producer (IPP) capacity and its 4.5GW operations and maintenance (O&M) business. The acquisition follows a successful bid by INOXGFL Group, approved through the National Company Law Tribunal's resolution process. The transaction involves Inox Green, a renewable O&M service provider based in India, and Inox Neo Energies, a subsidiary of INOXGFL Group’s renewable energy platform Inox Clean Energy. Wind World India's I ...

By Suzanne McGee PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Yorkville America Equities LLC, the investment adviser that ‌manages five new Truth Social-branded ETFs focused ‌on U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" thesis, said on Thursday that ​it plans to acquire the Point Bridge America First ETF. The proposed acquisition, which has been approved by Truth Social trustees, is the second such transaction announced by Yorkville ‌in less than ⁠a month to scoop up a fund with an investment thesi ...