Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Visa reported $40 billion in net revenue for fiscal year 2025, an increase of 11% from the previous year [48] - GAAP earnings per share was $10.20, up 5%, while non-GAAP earnings per share was $11.47, up 14% [48] - The company returned $22.8 billion to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends [48] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total volume grew 7% on a constant dollar basis to $16.7 trillion, with total transactions increasing by 8% to 329 billion [48] - Payments volume rose 8% on a constant dollar basis to $14.2 trillion, with payments transactions reaching 313 billion [48] - Cross-border volume grew 13% year-over-year on a constant dollar basis, excluding intra-Europe [49] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Visa operates with nearly 14,500 financial institutions and many influential technology and consumer companies [49] - The addressable consumer spend is estimated at over $40 trillion, with Visa pursuing more than $20 trillion in annual opportunities [50] - In commercial and money movement solutions, Visa sees a $200 trillion annual volume opportunity, with $145 trillion in B2B [50] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Visa is focused on three growth levers: consumer payments, commercial and money movement solutions, and value-added services [49] - The company aims to tokenize 100% of e-commerce transactions, achieving over 50% tokenization in 2025 [51] - Visa's strategy includes expanding its portfolio of commercial payment solutions and enhancing its capabilities in accounts receivable and payable [55] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The management highlighted the dynamic year in payments driven by technology convergence, including AI and tokenization [47] - Visa is positioned to lead in the transformation of payments, emphasizing the importance of innovation and partnerships [66] - The company remains committed to maximizing shareholder value through disciplined capital allocation and investment in growth opportunities [73] Other Important Information - Visa's Value-Added Services generated nearly $11 billion in revenue, growing at a compound annual growth rate of over 20% since 2021 [57] - The company processed 12.6 billion transactions through Visa Direct, up 27% year-over-year [56] Q&A Session Summary Question: How might stablecoins and CBDCs impact Visa's role in the payment ecosystem? - Visa views stablecoins and CBDCs as significant opportunities, particularly in under-penetrated markets where there is strong demand for U.S. dollars [68] - The company is actively engaging with central banks and has launched a Stablecoin Advisory Practice to guide strategy and implementation [71] Question: Can you describe Visa's capital allocation strategy, including share buybacks? - Visa's capital allocation strategy prioritizes investing in the business, returning 20% to 25% of earnings per share to shareholders through dividends, and returning excess capital through buybacks [73] - In 2025, Visa repurchased $18.2 billion in stock and has a remaining buyback authorization of $24.9 billion [74]

Key Points Holiday sales were strong this year, driven by higher e-commerce. AWS sales have been accelerating. Amazon stock is priced attractively right now. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) didn't deliver for investors last year, trailing the S&P 500's 18% gain with a mediocre 5% rise. But that happens sometimes, and investors should always keep the long-term picture in mind. In fact, since Amazon stock has sagged, it could be a great opportunity to buy shares. Here ar ...

Core Insights - Early 2026 is characterized as a stock-picker's market, with investors favoring countries experiencing peak inflation, improved policy clarity, or strengthening growth drivers Group 1: Market Performance - The MSCI World Index has increased by 2.4% year-to-date, following a nearly 19% rise in 2025 [1] - The iShares MSCI ACWI ex US ETF is up 5.2% year-to-date, while the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust has only gained 1.6% [1] - Emerging markets have shown significant strength, with the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF rising over 6.5% year-to-date [1] Group 2: Country-Specific ETF Performance - iShares MSCI Norway ETF is at $31.20, close to its 52-week high of $32.76 [2] - Global X MSCI Norway ETF is at $32.42, near its 52-week high of $32.59 [2] - iShares MSCI Turkey ETF is at $39.54, just below its 52-week high of $39.95 [2] - iShares MSCI South Korea ETF is at $121.57, close to its 52-week high of $121.85 [2] - iShares MSCI Japan ETF is at $85.53, near its 52-week high of $85.99 [2] Group 3: Market Drivers - The Norwegian stock market benefits from stable monetary policies, with Norges Bank maintaining a policy rate of 4% [3] - Turkey's stock market shows positive momentum as inflation decelerates to 30.89% in December 2025, the lowest since November 2021, boosting market confidence [4] - South Korea's market rally is driven by a strong semiconductor sector, with the KOSPI surpassing 5,000 points due to increased AI chip sales and strong export figures [5] - Japanese stocks are rising due to political and macroeconomic factors, including a snap election and plans for bold fiscal policies [6] - The Bank of Japan has upgraded its growth forecast to 0.9% for the fiscal year ending March 2026, up from 0.7%, and increased its fiscal 2026 growth forecast to 1% [7]

Company Overview - Proactive is a publisher that provides fast, accessible, informative, and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience [2] - The news team operates from key finance and investing hubs, including London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney, and Perth [2] Market Focus - The company specializes in medium and small-cap markets while also covering blue-chip companies, commodities, and broader investment stories [3] - Proactive delivers news and insights across various sectors, including biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto, and emerging digital and EV technologies [3] Technology Adoption - Proactive is recognized for its forward-looking approach and enthusiastic adoption of technology to enhance workflows [4] - The company utilizes automation and software tools, including generative AI, while ensuring that all content is edited and authored by humans [5]

Summary of VersaBank Conference Call Company Overview - **Company Name**: VersaBank - **Ticker Symbols**: VBNK (Nasdaq and TSX) - **Established**: 30 years in operation, recognized as a fully digital bank in North America [2][3] Core Business Highlights - **Growth Rate**: Achieved a compounded average growth rate of 27% over the past three years, reaching nearly CAD 6 billion in assets [4] - **Profitability**: Generated nearly CAD 36 million in ordinary income in 2025, with expectations for increased efficiency and profitability as operations expand in the U.S. [4] - **Business Model**: Operates a cloud-based, branchless business-to-business model, benefiting from significant operating leverage [3] Digital Asset Strategy - **Digital Asset Leadership**: Positioned as a leader in the digital asset space, with a focus on tokenized deposits and stablecoins [5][6] - **Market Trends**: Approximately 70% of generational wealth is expected to transfer to non-bank entities, creating challenges for traditional banks [6] - **Stablecoin Market**: The total value of the stablecoin market has surpassed $300 billion, reflecting a growth of over one-third in the last year [8] Tokenized Deposits - **Definition**: Tokenized deposits are digital representations of actual bank deposits on the blockchain, eligible for deposit insurance and capable of paying interest [7][8] - **Market Opportunity**: Anticipated to provide low-cost funding for financing and lending activities, with billions in potential deposits from cross-border trade between the U.S. and Canada [12] - **Regulatory Environment**: No new legislation is expected to be required for the launch of tokenized deposits, as they are real bank deposits reflected on a blockchain [19][20] Community Bank Engagement - **Licensing Opportunities**: Plans to license deposit token technology to community banks, allowing them to issue their own tokens [22][23] - **Community Bank Support**: Received positive feedback from community banks eager for regulatory clarity to adopt deposit tokens [22] Cybersecurity Business Update - **Divestiture**: Currently in the process of selling the cybersecurity services business, which is unrelated to the digital asset operations [33][34] - **Bids Received**: Expecting to receive bids for the cybersecurity business within the next month [35] Future Outlook - **Growth in U.S. Market**: Anticipates continued strong growth in the U.S. market, with a focus on enhancing product offerings and leveraging AI for receivable purchases [30][32] - **Deposit Insurance Expectation**: Expects that tokenized deposits will be covered by deposit insurance, crucial for maintaining depositor confidence [36][39] Conclusion - **Investment Proposition**: VersaBank presents a low-risk, high-growth digital banking opportunity with significant upside potential in the digital asset space, particularly through tokenized deposits and stablecoin custody [14][15]

Datadog, Inc. (NASDAQ:DDOG) is one of the AI Stocks in Focus on Wall Street. On January 22, Stifel analyst Brad Reback upgraded the stock from Hold to Buy with a price target of $160.00 (from $205.00). The rating upgrade comes ahead Q4 2025 earnings report due on February 10, citing upside surprise potential and attractive long-term valuation. According to the firm’s recent checks, DDOG is poised to post another larger than typical quarterly beat in Q4, an estimated 4% or more, driven by accelerating core ...

Core Insights - Bitcoin miners are diversifying into high-performance computing (HPC) and AI, with TeraWulf and Applied Digital showing significant gains of 10% and 9.69% respectively over the past week [1][2] Company Performance - TeraWulf (NASDAQ: WULF) shares opened at $14.65, reflecting a 10.07% increase over the last five trading sessions [1] - Applied Digital (NASDAQ: APLD) began trading at $39.95, marking a 9.69% weekly gain [1] - Core Scientific (NASDAQ: CORZ) outperformed with shares at $19.39, a 4.75% increase over the week [2] - Hut 8 (NASDAQ: HUT) shares opened at $57.35, down 2.93% over the last five days, with plans for a 500-megawatt facility in Illinois [4] - CleanSpark (NASDAQ: CLSK) shares opened at $12.64, down 0.75% week-over-week, with J.P. Morgan maintaining an Overweight rating due to its strategic land acquisitions [5] - Bitdeer (NASDAQ: BTDR) experienced a significant weekly loss of 7.37%, launching its NVIDIA infrastructure in Malaysia [6] - HIVE Digital (NASDAQ: HIVE) announced plans to expand operations in Paraguay by 100 megawatts and launched a new AI cloud platform, with shares down 7.74% week-over-week [6] - Cipher Mining (NASDAQ: CIFR) shares stood at $17.37, down 5.03% for the week [7] - Bitfarms (NASDAQ: BITF) traded at $2.56, down 6.23% [7] - MARA Holdings (NASDAQ: MARA) opened at $10.11, reflecting a 3.81% decline [7] - IREN (NASDAQ: IREN) began the day at $54.91, down 1.86% [7] Market Trends - The broader sector is experiencing mixed momentum, with some companies like TeraWulf and Applied Digital outperforming while others like Riot Platforms and HIVE Digital are facing losses [1][2]

Group 1: ClearBridge Investments and Mid Cap Strategy - ClearBridge Mid Cap Strategy underperformed against the Russell Midcap Index, which returned 0.16% during Q4 2025, due to narrow market leadership and sentiment-driven trading [1] - Weakness in information technology and real estate holdings pressured returns, while gains in select consumer discretionary stocks provided partial support [1] - The portfolio management team expressed cautious optimism for the future, citing improving clarity around policy, interest rates, and business investment as potential positive factors for active stock selection [1] Group 2: Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. - Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE:ARE) is a life-science-focused office REIT with a one-month return of 16.03% and a market capitalization of approximately $9.871 billion as of January 26, 2026 [2] - The company's stock faced pressure due to a slowdown in biopharma research spending and excess laboratory capacity, leading to a decline in leasing demand and rental growth expectations [3] - Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. was not among the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds, with 31 hedge fund portfolios holding the stock at the end of Q3, down from 33 in the previous quarter [4]

Oil demand will stay above 100 million barrels per day (bpd) through 2040, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said on Tuesday, reiterating the need for investment in all forms of energy. Global oil demand will remain above 100 million barrels per day through 2040, with demand for both LNG and electricity surging by 50% or more. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, told the India Energy Week conference ...

Core Viewpoint - Sandisk is positioned strongly in the NAND flash memory market, benefiting from rising demand driven by AI and data-centric applications, with expectations for significant revenue and earnings growth in the upcoming fiscal periods [1][5][18]. Company Overview - Sandisk, based in Milpitas, California, specializes in NAND flash memory storage solutions, including SSDs, memory cards, and embedded storage products, with a market capitalization of approximately $69.4 billion [1]. - The company was spun off from Western Digital in February last year, allowing it to focus on its flash memory business and capitalize on tightening supply conditions in the NAND market [7]. Financial Performance - For fiscal Q1 2026, Sandisk reported revenue of $2.31 billion, a 22.6% year-over-year increase, and adjusted EPS of $1.22, exceeding Wall Street expectations [13]. - The company achieved a gross margin of 29.9% and an operating margin of 10.6%, indicating improved profitability [14]. - Adjusted free cash flow surged to $448 million, with net cash at $91 million, reflecting a strong financial position [15]. Market Dynamics - The global 3D NAND flash memory market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.1% from 2026 to 2032, driven by increasing demand for high-performance memory in AI and cloud computing [5]. - Sandisk's vertically integrated model enhances efficiency and innovation, positioning it favorably for next-generation enterprise SSD growth [8]. Analyst Expectations - Analysts expect Sandisk's revenue for the upcoming quarter to be around $2.68 billion, with EPS projected to grow significantly in fiscal 2026 and 2027 [18]. - Citigroup recently raised its price target for Sandisk from $280 to $490, reflecting confidence in the company's growth prospects [19]. - The consensus rating for Sandisk is "Moderate Buy," with a majority of analysts recommending a "Strong Buy" [20].