Shares are mostly higher in Asia after Wall Street broke its three-day losing streak, trimming its losses for the weekA person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)Shares were mostly higher Monday in Asia after Wall Street broke its three-day losing streak, trimming its losses for last week. China factory data are due out on Tuesday and a quarterly business sentiment survey by the Bank of Japan ...

Summary of Costco Wholesale (COST) Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Costco Wholesale (COST) - **Market Cap**: $418.5 billion - **Enterprise Value**: $407.8 billion - **Industry**: Retail, Specialty Hardlines, Supermarkets, and Discount Stores Key Financial Results - **F4Q EPS**: $5.87, exceeding GS/consensus estimates of $5.85/$5.80 [19][20] - **Total Company Same Store Sales (SSS)**: +6.4%, in line with consensus but below GS estimate of +7.1% [19][20] - **Gross Margin**: 11.1%, above GS/consensus of 11.0%/10.9% [19][20] - **EBIT Margin**: 3.9%, compared to GS/consensus at 4.1%/3.9% [19][20] Membership Growth - **Total Paid Memberships**: 81.0 million, with a 7% year-over-year increase in membership income [13] - **Executive Memberships**: 38.7 million, representing 47.7% of all members, up from 47.2% last quarter [13] - **Incremental Sales from Extended Hours**: Estimated to contribute an additional +1% to U.S. weekly sales [13] Sales Performance - **Traffic Growth**: +3.7% contributing to SSS growth [2] - **Fresh Sales**: Up high single digits, driven by double-digit growth in meat [2] - **Non-Food Sales**: Up high single digits, with notable growth in gold, jewelry, and toys [2] - **Pharmacy, Optical, and Hearing Aids**: Continued strong performance [2] E-commerce Trends - **E-commerce Traffic Growth**: +27%, with significant increases in categories like gold, jewelry, and housewares [14] - **Delivery Improvements**: New delivery experience led to a +13% increase in items delivered [14] - **Personalized Offers**: Launched on the COST homepage, resulting in a +22% increase in traffic to product detail pages [14] Inflation and Cost Management - **Inflation Trends**: Remains in the low single digits (LSD) to mid single digits (MSD) range [14] - **LIFO Charge**: $43 million due to inflation impacts [14] - **Management Strategy**: Focus on changing assortments to mitigate inflation impacts, emphasizing high-ticket categories [14] Future Outlook - **12-Month Price Target**: Increased to $1,218 from $1,133, reflecting confidence in the company's value proposition [24] - **EPS Estimates**: Updated for FY26/27 to $19.68/$21.99, with a new FY28 estimate of $23.94 [22] Risks - **Competitive Landscape**: Risks from grocery, convenience, big-box, and e-commerce competitors [28] - **Macroeconomic Factors**: Potential headwinds from consumer demand and supply chain issues [28] Conclusion - **Investment Rating**: Reiterated Buy rating based on strong performance metrics and growth potential in membership and e-commerce [24]

Most Asian markets rose Monday, tracking gains on Wall Street, following US inflation figures that met expectations and soothed concerns about Donald Trump's latest tariff salvo.However, investors were keeping a wary eye on Washington, where lawmakers have failed to reach a funding compromise to keep the government running, which observers say could affect the release of key data.All three main indexes in New York ended in the green Friday, snapping three straight losses following news that the Federal Rese ...

New Zealand’s central bank has learned lessons from the post-pandemic bout of fast inflation and is now better placed to respond to future shocks, chief economist Paul Conway said https://t.co/wAejIQWBTj ...

Group 1 - Asia-Pacific markets exhibited mixed trading patterns, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising by 0.43% [2] - South Korea's Kospi increased by 1.05%, while the small-cap Kosdaq rose by 0.82% [3] - Japan's Nikkei 225 declined by 0.68%, and the Topix fell by 1.27% after reaching a record high on the previous Friday [3] Group 2 - The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is expected to maintain its cash rate at 3.6% during its upcoming two-day policy meeting [1] - Commonwealth Bank of Australia noted that the August CPI indicates "material upside risks to Q3 inflation," alongside a cyclical upswing in activity data [2] - Despite the inflation risks, there are signs of softer employment and moderating wage growth in Australia [2]

But I keep hearing the sword recently, and that's for stagflation. And that's what we're digging into on today's stocks in translation. First, let's get our terms straight.Staglation here means three warning lights flashing at once. Weak or negative growth, high unemployment, and high inflation. Stagnation plus inflation.And some folks draw a line between capital S, the 1970s kind of stagflation, and the lowercase S when only parts show up. And since the pandemic, we've really only seen the lowercase kind. ...

But I keep hearing the sword recently, and that's for stagflation. And that's what we're digging into on today's stocks in translation. First, let's get our terms straight.Staglation here means three warning lights flashing at once. Weak or negative growth, high unemployment, and high inflation. Stagnation plus inflation.And some folks draw a line between capital S, the 1970s kind of stagflation, and the lowercase S when only parts show up. And since the pandemic, we've really only seen the lowercase kind. ...

Valuation Metrics - Shiller's CAPE is currently at 40x, the highest level since the dot-com bubble, indicating a potentially expensive market [4] - Trailing P/E stands at about 28x, significantly above historical averages, calculated using earnings from the past 12 months [5] - Forward P/E is approximately 22x, also above historical averages, based on expected earnings over the next 12 months [6] - All valuation metrics suggest that the stock market is expensive, implying weak returns in the future [7] Historical Context - In mid-2014, Shiller's CAPE was about 26x, above its long-term average of 17x, suggesting the market was expensive [8] - The realized CAPE at that time was about 17x, indicating the market was not expensive due to healthy earnings growth in subsequent years [9] Macroeconomic Developments - Inflation is rising, with the core PCE price index up 2.9% year-over-year, above the Federal Reserve's 2% target [13] - Consumer spending increased by 0.3% month-over-month in August, reaching a record annual rate of $21.11 trillion [14] - Business investment activity improved, with core capex orders rising 0.6% to $76.7 billion in August [15] - Initial unemployment claims fell to 218,000, indicating a historically strong labor market [16] Housing Market Insights - Sales of previously owned homes decreased by 0.2% in August, while new home sales surged 20.5% to an annualized rate of 800,000 units [19][20] - The median existing-home sales price rose 2.0% year-over-year, marking the 26th consecutive month of price increases [20] Economic Outlook - The long-term outlook for the stock market remains favorable, supported by expectations for years of earnings growth [23] - Demand for goods and services remains positive, bolstered by healthy consumer and business balance sheets [24] - Economic growth is normalizing, with major tailwinds like excess job openings fading [25] - There is a disconnect between hard economic data and soft sentiment-oriented data, with tangible activity continuing to grow [26] Market Dynamics - The U.S. stock market may outperform the economy in the near term due to positive operating leverage from companies adjusting cost structures [27] - Risks such as political uncertainty, geopolitical turmoil, and energy price volatility remain present [28]

Australia’s central bank is set to keep interest rates unchanged this week, with traders and economists highlighting that a tight job market and renewed inflation pressures may limit the scope for further easing https://t.co/wrIYBrD8e6 ...

Group 1: Annuities Popularity - Annuities are increasingly favored by financial advisors, with 50% allocating more client investments into them [1] - Consumer interest in annuities is also high, with 64% willing to invest in them compared to 36% for the stock market [2] Group 2: Market Volatility Impact - Recent market volatility, particularly due to tariff wars, has led to significant declines in the S&P 500, dropping over 10% in a week [3] - Growth-oriented stocks, especially in artificial intelligence, faced severe losses during this period [3] Group 3: Stability and Cash Flow - Annuities provide steady valuations and cash flow during market volatility, making them attractive for retirees who need stability [5][4] - Indexed annuities do not lose value in a market crash, offering a safety net for investors [5] Group 4: Inflation Considerations - Inflation prompts risk-averse investors to seek low-risk assets like annuities, which can outperform inflation due to elevated rates [6] - Annuities offer lifetime payments that remain stable even if interest rates are cut, protecting purchasing power against inflation [7] Group 5: Long-term Appeal - Persistent inflation increases the attractiveness of annuities for retirees, as they provide a reliable income stream [8] - While bonds are also considered, they have maturity limits and may not offer as favorable rates in the future [8]