Core Insights - The trend of "growth-without-hiring" is becoming increasingly evident as companies leverage AI to enhance profitability while reducing workforce size [2][3][4] - Despite layoffs, the economy is showing resilience, with a reported 3.8% annualized growth in the third quarter [4] - Companies like Accenture are restructuring to focus on AI, resulting in significant layoffs but also increased profits [5] Group 1: Economic Indicators - The September ADP payroll report indicated a reduction of 32,000 jobs, with previous figures revised to show a loss of 3,000 jobs in August [3] - The Atlanta Fed's GDPNow indicator suggests a robust economic growth rate of 3.8% for the third quarter [4] Group 2: Company Performance - Accenture laid off over 11,000 employees in the last three months, yet reported a 7% revenue increase in its fiscal 2025 fourth quarter [5] - For fiscal 2026, Accenture anticipates a revenue boost of 2% to 5% and a 5% to 8% increase in adjusted EPS [5] Group 3: Investment Opportunities - The article highlights closed-end funds (CEFs) as a means to capitalize on the "growth-without-hiring" trend, offering average dividends around 8% [6] - The NASDAQ 100 Dynamic Overwrite Fund (QQQX) provides an 8.1% dividend by selling call options on its portfolio [9] - The Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund (KYN) focuses on pipeline operators benefiting from AI's energy demands, offering a 7.5% dividend [15] - The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust (GDV) targets finance stocks integrating AI, yielding 6.2% and outperforming the S&P 500 [17]

Core Insights - OpenText Corporation has appointed George Schindler to its board of directors, bringing extensive experience from his previous role as President and CEO of CGI Inc. [1][2] - Schindler's leadership at CGI from 2016 to 2024 focused on developing a profitable growth strategy, enhancing CGI's position in the global IT consulting market [1][2] - The appointment is expected to provide valuable insights as OpenText enhances its focus on Information Management for AI [2] Company Background - OpenText is recognized as a leading Cloud and AI company, offering a comprehensive suite of Business AI, Business Clouds, and Business Technology to organizations globally [3] - The company aims to help organizations grow, innovate, and operate efficiently and securely through effective Information Management [3]

RT Matt Forney (@realmattforney)BREAKING: a whistleblower has provided extensive information on how Indian IT consulting firms Infosys and Wipro engage in discrimination against non-Indians and facilitate Indian visa fraud:"ok so the general flow i've witnessed is this: higher end contractor (H1B typically) is hired through Infosys. immediately starts asking for resources. the easiest ask is QA resources. those will be cheap and they get them from some farm in India. but regardless of the job function, the ...

Core Insights - The European Central Bank (ECB) has selected Portuguese startup Feedzai to assist in fraud prevention for its upcoming digital euro currency, with a contract valued at up to 237.3 million euros ($278.69 million) [1][3] - The project aims to enhance the euro zone's financial autonomy from the United States, particularly in response to the dominance of Visa and Mastercard and the rise of stablecoins [4] Company Overview - Feedzai specializes in artificial intelligence and processes approximately $8 trillion in payments annually for clients, including Novobanco and Wio Bank [5] - The company recently secured $75 million in funding from various investors, including Lince Capital and Iberis Capital [5] Project Details - The four-year agreement with the ECB includes an option to extend for up to 15 years, with an estimated value of 79.1 million euros and a maximum cap of 237.3 million euros [3] - Feedzai, along with its subcontractor PwC, will develop an AI model to assess the fraud risk of digital euro payments based on customer behavior and transaction history [2] Legislative Context - The ECB is currently awaiting legislative approval for the digital euro, which it anticipates receiving by mid-next year, aiming for a launch in 2029 [4]

Core Insights - The interview highlights the importance of upskilling the workforce to prepare for entry-level roles in the AI age, emphasizing the need for educational institutions to incorporate AI into their curricula [1][2] - IBM Consulting's Neil Dhar discusses the transition from experimentation with AI to practical applications that can transform businesses, indicating a significant shift in how companies are approaching AI [2] - The emergence of the Chief Learning Officer (CLO) role is identified as critical for organizations to manage AI interactions effectively, underscoring the necessity of continuous learning at all levels [2] Education and Workforce Preparation - Creighton University is actively encouraging instructors to integrate AI into their teaching methods, allowing students to familiarize themselves with AI tools before entering the workforce [2] - The interview provides a roadmap for educational strategies and workforce demands driven by AI, highlighting the importance of a growth mindset and embracing AI [2] Role of Technology Leaders - Tech leaders, such as IBM, have a responsibility to ensure their employees understand how to leverage AI for business improvement, marking a shift in corporate training and development [2] - The CLO role is expected to become increasingly important over the next five to ten years as AI technology evolves rapidly, necessitating a focus on learning and adaptation [2]

Financial Performance - Q4 FY25 - Total revenues reached $176 billion, a 45% increase in local currency and 7% in USD[4] - Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) increased by 9% to $303, excluding business optimization impacts[6] - Adjusted operating margin increased by 10 bps to 151%, excluding business optimization impacts[7] Financial Performance - Full Year FY25 - Total revenues reached $697 billion, a 7% increase in both local currency and USD[13] - Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) increased by 8% to $1293, excluding business optimization impacts[13] - Adjusted operating margin increased by 10 bps to 156%, excluding business optimization impacts[14] - Free cash flow was $109 billion[15] Strategic Priorities & Growth Areas - Cloud revenue reached approximately $39 billion with 12% growth[17] - Industry X revenue reached $9 billion with 10% growth[17] - Security revenue reached $10 billion with 16% growth[17] - GenAI bookings almost doubled to $59 billion, and revenues tripled to $27 billion[22, 31] Returning Value to Shareholders - Dividends paid totaled $37 billion, or $592 per share, a 15% increase over the fiscal year 2024 quarterly dividend rate[15] - Share repurchases amounted to $46 billion[21] - The company plans to return at least $93 billion of cash to shareholders in FY26, a 12% or $1 billion increase compared to FY25[25] FY26 Outlook - Revenue growth in local currency is projected to be between 2% and 5%[23] - Adjusted earnings per share are expected to be between $1352 and $1390, a 5% to 8% increase over FY25[23]

Group 1 - Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is considered one of the top AI stocks to buy currently, with a maintained Buy rating but a reduced price target from $335 to $305 by Guggenheim due to high revenue growth projections for fiscal Q1 2026 [1][2] - Guggenheim attributes the price target cut to "peer multiple compression" rather than a change in the long-term outlook for Accenture, which specializes in IT consulting, digital transformation, and management solutions [2] - Accenture's focus on AI, particularly GenAI, is viewed as a significant long-term growth driver for the company [2]

Group 1 - Micron Technology Inc. is scheduled to report its earnings next Tuesday after market close [1] - Accenture plc Class A will release its key reports on Thursday before market open [1] - Costco Wholesale Corporation is set to report its earnings after market close on Thursday [1]

Core Insights - Alithya Group inc. reported a revenue increase of 2.7% to $124.2 million for Q1 fiscal 2026 compared to the same quarter last year [3][4][7] - The company achieved a net earnings of $0.2 million, a significant improvement from a net loss of $2.8 million in the same quarter last year [15][16] - Adjusted Net Earnings rose by 31.8% to $6.5 million, translating to an Adjusted Net Earnings per Share of $0.07 [16][30] - The company signed 20 new clients and acquired eVerge Interests, Inc., enhancing its service offerings [23][24] Financial Highlights - Revenues for Q1 fiscal 2026 were $124.2 million, up from $120.9 million in Q1 fiscal 2025 [3][7] - Gross margin increased by 3.3% to $39.8 million, with a gross margin percentage of 32.1% [11][12] - Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by 3.4% to $30.6 million, representing 24.6% of revenues [14] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by 15.6% to $11.6 million, with an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 9.4% [17][31] Revenue Breakdown - Canadian revenues decreased by 8.5% to $59.6 million, primarily due to reduced government contracts and project maturities [8] - U.S. revenues increased by 17.3% to $59.5 million, driven by organic growth and higher billing rates [9] - International revenues saw a slight increase of 0.7% to $5.1 million [10] Bookings and Backlog - Q1 bookings reached $118.1 million, resulting in a Book-to-Bill Ratio of 0.95 [18][19] - The backlog represented approximately 15 months of trailing twelve-month revenues as of June 30, 2025 [4] Liquidity and Capital Resources - Net cash used in operating activities was $4.2 million, a decrease of $20.9 million from the previous year [20][21] - As of June 30, 2025, the company had $115.7 million in available capital resources [22]

Group 1 - CGI Inc. is a Canadian IT consulting company with a global workforce of 94,000 consultants [1] - The company faces potential growth challenges due to its 13%+ revenue exposure to the U.S. federal sector [1]