Key Takeaways Developments in Santa jobs this year mirror trends in the overall workforce, with job listings down and pay rising for workers with in-demand characteristics, in this case, real beards.Real-bearded Santas make $9 an hour more than their fake-whiskered counterparts, one analysis found.Job listings for Santa have plummeted 35% since 2024 due to dying malls and a shift to online sales. Having a real beard is worth an extra $9 an hour for people who work as Santas, an analysis of job postings f ...

Core Viewpoint - Palantir Technologies has experienced significant stock price increases, but its high valuation raises concerns about future sustainability in the market [1][4][9] Group 1: Stock Performance - Palantir's stock has risen approximately 150% in 2023, outperforming the S&P 500, which increased by 16% [1] - Since the launch of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, Palantir's share price has surged by 2,400%, while the S&P 500 gained 67% during the same period [2] Group 2: Valuation Concerns - Palantir's current market capitalization is around $450 billion, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio exceeding 400, indicating a speculative investment [4][10] - The stock has maintained a P/E ratio over 400 for most of the year, and projections for 2024 suggest it will remain high at over 200 [7][8] Group 3: Market Dynamics - The disconnect between the economy and stock market performance is evident, with rising layoffs and struggling retailers indicating economic challenges [9] - Historical context shows that during market turmoil in 2022, Palantir's stock fell by 65%, significantly more than the S&P 500's 19% decline, suggesting greater vulnerability due to its high valuation [12] Group 4: Future Projections - By the end of 2026, it is anticipated that Palantir's stock could fall below $100, with a possibility of dropping below $50, depending on market conditions [13] - The potential appointment of a new Federal Reserve chair focused on rate cuts could further impact investor confidence and inflation, affecting high-priced stocks like Palantir [11][12]

Core Insights - Equifax secured 27 patents in the second half of 2025, totaling 62 patents for the year, with a focus on artificial intelligence to enhance financial opportunities for consumers [1] - The company has nearly 700 issued or pending patents across 15 countries, emphasizing responsible AI and innovative customer-facing solutions [1] - Equifax's investment of approximately $3 billion in security and technology supports the development of the Equifax Cloud and custom data fabric, driving AI innovation and maximizing EFX.AI capabilities [2] Patent Innovations - The patent for Production-Ready Attributes Creation and Management enhances attribute management on Equifax Ignite® and InterConnect® platforms, facilitating quicker transitions from analytics to production [2] - A patent consolidating data sources for risk assessment validation accelerates decision-making by combining user-provided data and financial institution data through a single interface [2] - The Updating Attribute Data Structures patent improves automated prediction models by creating "trended attributes" from historical data, capturing behavioral patterns over time [2] - A machine-learning patent enhances risk assessment by integrating traditional and alternative data, providing a more comprehensive risk evaluation [2] - The Secure Online Access Control patent aims to prevent online fraud through a central security system that manages and protects digital resources [2] - Device-Agnostic Access Control Techniques create a unique "behavioral fingerprint" for users, improving security and user experience across devices [2] Company Overview - Equifax is a global data, analytics, and technology company that plays a crucial role in the global economy by assisting financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies in making critical decisions [3] - The company's blend of data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights that empower decision-making and progress [3] - Headquartered in Atlanta, Equifax operates or has investments in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region [3]

Group 1 - Brown Advisory Mid-Cap Growth Strategy underperformed its benchmark, the Russell Midcap® Growth Index, which increased approximately 3% in the third quarter of 2025 [1] - The investor letter highlighted Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK), which experienced a one-month return of -1.10% and a 52-week loss of 22.98%, closing at $219.17 per share with a market capitalization of $30.607 billion on December 17, 2025 [2] - Concerns regarding Verisk Analytics, Inc. were raised due to slowing growth and a significant acquisition, although the company views the slowdown as temporary and the acquisition as a strategic fit for long-term growth [3] Group 2 - Verisk Analytics, Inc. was held by 55 hedge fund portfolios at the end of the third quarter, an increase from 49 in the previous quarter, but it is not among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds [4] - The company is considered to have potential as an investment, but certain AI stocks are viewed as offering greater upside potential and less downside risk [4]

Group 1 - The Hong Kong IPO market saw a significant event with six companies, including XunCe (03317.HK), launching their public offerings on the same day [2] - XunCe has introduced nine cornerstone investors and plans to issue 22.5 million shares globally, with an expected net fundraising of approximately HKD 1.04 billion if priced at the midpoint of HKD 51.5 [2][3] - The funds raised will primarily be allocated to research and development (80%) and further penetration into various industries (15%) [2] Group 2 - XunCe is a provider of real-time data infrastructure and analytics solutions, serving a diverse range of industries including financial services (excluding asset management), urban management, manufacturing, and telecommunications [4] - The company has experienced steady revenue growth from 2022 to 2024, but is projected to face a significant decline in the first half of 2025, with a year-on-year revenue drop of approximately 30% to CNY 198 million and an expanded loss of CNY 108 million [4] - Since 2022, XunCe has not achieved profitability, indicating ongoing financial challenges despite a steady increase in gross margin [4]

Core Insights - Equifax secured 27 patents in the second half of 2025, totaling 62 patents for the year, with 20 patents specifically supporting its AI strategy, EFX.AI, aimed at enhancing product innovation and creating new financial opportunities for consumers [1][2] Group 1: Patent Innovations - The latest patents include technologies for production-ready attribute management, consolidating data sources for risk assessment, and machine-learning techniques for risk evaluation, which enhance decision-making and improve customer insights [3][4] - A notable patent focuses on creating "trended attributes" from historical data to improve automated prediction models, addressing limitations of static data [3] - Another patent describes a device-agnostic security system that enhances user experience through a unique behavioral fingerprint for secure access [4] Group 2: Strategic Investments - Equifax has made a multi-year investment of approximately $3 billion in security and technology to support its cloud infrastructure, which is crucial for driving AI innovation and maximizing EFX.AI capabilities [2] - The Equifax Cloud is highlighted as a top-tier global technology and security infrastructure that differentiates the company in the industry [2] Group 3: Global Presence and Commitment - Equifax operates in 24 countries and employs nearly 15,000 people, emphasizing its role in the global economy by aiding various sectors in making informed decisions [5]

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW).And retail traders should know.We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with SNOW, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.So how do we know what these investors just did? Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted ...

Core Insights - Accenture and Palantir Technologies have established the Accenture Palantir Business Group to enhance the deployment of AI and data solutions globally [1] - Palantir has designated Accenture as a preferred global partner for enterprise transformation [1] Group Structure and Team Composition - The new business group will consist of dedicated forward-deployed engineers from Palantir and over 2,000 Accenture professionals skilled in Palantir technologies [2] - These teams will collaborate directly with clients to transition from isolated data systems to integrated, AI-driven decision-making using Palantir's platforms [2] Industry Focus and Applications - The partnership aims to support clients across various industries, including government, energy, oil and gas, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, consumer goods, and financial services [3] - Accenture has noted existing activities in government and energy sectors while planning to develop additional use cases in other industries [3] Operational Focus - A primary focus for the group will be on data center and AI infrastructure operations, deemed critical for economic resilience [4] - Accenture and Palantir will assist clients in utilizing Palantir Foundry and Artificial Intelligence Platform, as well as accessing secure computing resources in complex environments [4] Strategic Expansion - Accenture's CEO, Julie Sweet, emphasized that the expanded partnership will enable clients to accelerate advanced AI across enterprises and achieve faster business outcomes [5] - The combination of Accenture's industry experience and Palantir's platforms is expected to facilitate the development of scalable enterprise AI systems [5] Acquisition and Capabilities Enhancement - Accenture has agreed to acquire a 65% stake in DLB Associates, a US-based AI data center engineering and consulting firm, to enhance its end-to-end data center capabilities [5][6] - DLB Associates specializes in data center site selection, design engineering, and energy optimization services, supporting clients in accelerating speed to market [6][7]

Core Insights - The article discusses the evolution of data systems from traditional OLTP to modern AI-driven analytics platforms, highlighting the importance of understanding this transformation for better architectural decisions. Group 1: OLTP and OLAP Systems - OLTP systems are designed for daily operations, focusing on fast and accurate transaction processing, while OLAP systems are tailored for analysis and reporting, emphasizing the interpretation of historical data [2][5] - The fundamental difference between OLTP and OLAP lies in their optimization goals: OLTP aims for quick writes and specific record reads, whereas OLAP focuses on reading vast amounts of data and performing complex calculations [2][5] Group 2: Rise of OLAP and Data Cubes - In the 1990s, the need for faster data analysis led to the introduction of dedicated OLAP systems and the concept of data cubes, which pre-aggregate data across multiple dimensions for quicker query responses [3][4] - Data cubes allow for rapid retrieval of complex queries that previously took hours, now achievable in seconds [3] Group 3: Data Warehouse Boom - The late 1990s saw the emergence of data warehouses, designed as centralized repositories optimized for analysis, utilizing ETL pipelines to integrate data from various sources [7][8] - Star schema and snowflake schema became dominant models for organizing data within these warehouses, optimizing read performance at the cost of storage efficiency [8][9] Group 4: Big Data and Hadoop Era - The late 2000s introduced the Hadoop ecosystem, which addressed the challenges of handling unstructured and semi-structured data, enabling the storage of massive datasets at lower costs [13][14] - Hadoop's architecture allowed for distributed storage and processing, but it faced limitations in query performance and operational complexity [15] Group 5: Cloud Data Warehousing - The 2010s marked the rise of cloud-native data warehouses like Snowflake and Google BigQuery, which separated compute and storage, allowing for scalable and cost-effective analytics [17][19] - These systems introduced features like on-demand resource allocation and zero management, significantly enhancing performance and accessibility [21][23] Group 6: Open Table Formats and Lakehouse Architecture - Open table formats like Apache Iceberg and Delta Lake brought ACID transactions and schema evolution to data lakes, enabling a hybrid architecture known as Lakehouse that combines the flexibility of data lakes with the performance of data warehouses [27][32] - This architecture allows for seamless integration of various data workloads, supporting both BI and machine learning applications [32] Group 7: AI-Driven Analytics - The current trend is towards AI-native analytics platforms that integrate machine learning and natural language interfaces, simplifying complex data interactions for users [35][38] - These platforms aim to democratize data analysis, allowing non-technical users to perform sophisticated queries and derive insights without needing extensive SQL knowledge [38] Group 8: Future Outlook - The future of data systems is expected to focus on self-optimizing capabilities, real-time intelligence, and natural language interfaces, enhancing user experience and decision-making processes [43][44] - Companies that prioritize openness, intelligence, and user empowerment in their data strategies are likely to succeed in the evolving landscape [45]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the 11 most oversold S&P 500 stocks as of late 2025, highlighting the potential investment opportunities in these stocks as the market approaches record highs [1][3]. Investment Insights - Tom Sosnoff, CEO of LossDog, advises retail investors to focus on buying oversold and cheap stocks instead of chasing hyped companies, indicating a cautious market outlook [1][2]. - David Katz, Chief Investment Officer at Matrix Asset Advisors, supports the idea of investing in oversold businesses and believes the market correction is nearing its end [3]. Stock Analysis Methodology - The analysis identifies stocks with a Relative Strength Index (RSI) below 40 and a share price decline of at least 20% from their 52-week high, using data as of December 9 [7]. - The article ranks 11 stocks based on the largest declines in share price and includes hedge fund holdings data from Q3 2025 to gauge investor interest [7][8]. Individual Stock Highlights - **Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)**: - Share price decline of 32.36% with an RSI of 28.07 and 51 hedge fund holders [10]. - Analysts have lowered price targets, with Argus Research reducing it to $265 from $317, citing macroeconomic headwinds but expecting improvements in EBITDA and revenue in 2026 [11]. - UBS downgraded the stock to Neutral, cutting the price target to $250, while Deutsche Bank also lowered its target to $255 but maintained a Hold rating [12][13]. - **Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK)**: - Share price decline of 33.10% with an RSI of 38.81 and 55 hedge fund holders [15]. - Analysts have a consensus Moderate Buy rating, with a one-year average price target of $251.29, indicating a 17% upside [15]. - The company faced a revenue miss due to fewer severe weather events, leading to a trimmed annual revenue forecast [17][18]. - Verisk announced an expansion of its partnership with KYND to enhance cyber resilience for the insurance market [19].