The obsession with gold continues: Tether, the stablecoin giant, is once again expanding its gold exposure. In a move that signals a major pivot toward hard assets, Tether has struck a definitive deal to invest $150 million into Gold.com. The agreement buys Tether approximately 12% of the precious metals giant and a seat on its board. But this isn’t just an isolated bet; it’s a strategic deployment of capital fueled by a fortress balance sheet that just reported over $10 billion in annual profits. For Te ...

The company's purchase of Scotts Miracle-Gro's Hawthorne business could be a game-changer.Vireo Growth (VREOF 10.07%), a cannabis grower and retailer with 166 dispensaries across 10 states, made a big change on Jan. 28 when it agreed to purchase the Hawthorne Gardening subsidiary from Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG +0.68%) for an undisclosed amount of shares of Vireo. The deal is expected to close in the first or second quarter of 2026. Hawthorne sells nutrients, lighting, and other materials for indoor and hydrop ...

DENVER, Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation still rules, but ownership of the entire supply-chain pipeline is becoming the next biggest strategic advantage in today’s markets. From raw inputs to final delivery, companies that control their supply chains are increasingly the ones dictating price, pace, and profit. SpaceX’s acquisition of xAI is the latest and, perhaps boldest, proof of that thesis. When SpaceX announced it had formally acquired xAI, Elon Musk framed it not as a merger, but as a turn ...

Joining us now is Walter Isacson, an advisory partner at Pella Weineberg, professor at Tulain and a CNBC contributor. He's also the author of Elon Musk, the authorized biography of the Tesla and SpaceX founder. Walter, it's really great to have you here.And what's your reaction to the deal. >> It's amazing how Elon loves to blur the distinctions between these different companies. People move back and forth between them.And now it's good he's eliminating some of the distinctions especially the distinction be ...

MONROE, Mich., Feb. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- La-Z-Boy Incorporated (NYSE: LZB), a global leader in the retail and manufacture of residential furniture, will report its Fiscal 2026 Third Quarter results for the period ended January 24, 2026 after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and will hold its quarterly investor conference call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time the following day, Wednesday, February 18, 2026. The conference call will be webcast live with corre ...

Core Insights - NerdWallet, Inc. (NRDS) is actively transforming its growth strategy by decreasing reliance on organic Google search and developing a more diversified and higher-value revenue model [1][5] Group 1: Business Strategy - A significant aspect of this transition is the expansion of performance marketing, which is attracting high-intent users and providing clearer return on investment [2] - NerdWallet is leveraging AI-driven referral channels, becoming the most cited source among peers in large language model (LLM) responses, which shows higher conversion rates compared to traditional organic search [3] - The company is enhancing its monetization profile through vertical integration in financial services, with acquisitions like Next Door Lending, resulting in approximately 2 times revenues per lead compared to traditional models [4] Group 2: Financial Performance - Over the past six months, NerdWallet's stock has increased by 15.3%, outperforming peers and the industry, which has seen a decline of 20.3% [6] - NerdWallet trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 13.02X, lower than the industry average of 21.04X, and compared to LendingClub and FUTU Holdings at 10.38X and 14.89X, respectively [10] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NerdWallet's earnings for 2025 and 2026 indicates year-over-year increases of 720% and 49.6%, respectively [11]

Core Insights - IonQ has established itself in the quantum computing sector by developing one of the most accurate systems, achieving 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity [1] - The company is pursuing vertical integration to enhance scalability and control over the quantum ecosystem through strategic acquisitions [2] Company Strategy - IonQ has made significant acquisitions, including Oxford Ionics for reducing quantum computer size, LightSynq for photonic interconnect technology, Capella for satellite-based distribution, and Vector Atomic for quantum sensing technology [4] - The latest acquisition of SkyWater Technology allows IonQ to manufacture its own chips, making it the only vertically integrated quantum computing company [5] Industry Context - Most semiconductor companies operate on a fabless model, relying on third-party foundries, but vertical integration is advantageous in the emerging quantum computing field [6] - With SkyWater's fabs located in the U.S. and its trusted status with the government, IonQ is positioned to secure government contracts in quantum computing, which is a promising revenue source [8]

Group 1 - Bitdeer's vertical integration thesis is being validated after a period of market skepticism [1] - The analyst has a decade of experience in the crypto space, focusing on Bitcoin miners, digital asset treasuries, and crypto ETFs [1] - The analyst has initiated coverage on companies like SealSQ and Rezolve AI, which have shown significant returns since the initial coverage [1] Group 2 - The analysis emphasizes a focus on fundamentals, capital allocation, momentum, market structure, and management execution [1] - The analyst values constructive feedback and thoughtful disagreements to enhance the quality of analysis [1]

Welcome back to Market on Close. I'm Sam Bis alongside Marley Cadence. So let's get more reaction to these earnings from Apple with our next guest Dave Nicholson, chief research officer at Futurum.So records have been broken Dave, but you said this quarter is all about services execution. Did they execute with that inline number. >> Uh I think they executed well enough.Uh good to see both of you. Yeah. So I I would say that um executing well enough is uh is all that matters and frankly we need to look forwa ...

My next guest says this is a burning the ships moment for the company making a profound working a profound shift away from electric vehicles. George Gina Canacord Genuity managing director joining us now. George um I love that imagery was very Game of Thrones view um that you know he's kind of burning the ships moving ahead into the brave new future.You know Musk himself has said for a long time we are not a car company. That's not why you should own us. That's not what we are.Does this make the moment that ...