here. So, let's get to Kevin Green who joins me now. And, uh, we've got a little bit more data out this morning.I saw we got some Chicago PMIs, which picked up. Uh, we got some housing data. Just run us through what you're seeing as far as some of the economic updates this morning, KG.>> Yeah, the Chicago PMI PMIs came in a lot better than the street's expectations, coming in at 43.5%. Street was looking for 39.8%. Now, one thing to note, Chicago PMIs have been in contractionary territory for almost two and ...

Core Insights - Walmart's app and website experienced an outage on December 30, affecting over 6,500 customers, with approximately 75% of users reporting issues with the mobile app and others facing problems on the website [2][3] Group 1: Outage Impact - The outage occurred during a critical time for eCommerce, highlighting the importance of high uptime standards, often referred to as "five nines" or 99.999% uptime, which has become essential for businesses [3][4] - Customers reported difficulties in checking out, indicating a significant disruption in service that could impact sales and customer satisfaction [2] Group 2: Industry Context - The year has seen several notable outages across various sectors, including disruptions to AWS and Cloudflare, which affected numerous online services, emphasizing the growing reliance on stable digital infrastructure [4] - Companies are increasingly evaluated not just on innovation but also on their operational reliability, with uptime becoming a critical metric for success in finance, commerce, and technology [4][5] Group 3: Expert Opinions - Industry experts emphasize the importance of platform resiliency and business continuity planning as key factors in maintaining operational success, with some companies achieving 100% uptime [5][6] - The financial implications of downtime are significant, as even a few minutes of outage can lead to millions of dollars in lost transactions for payment processing businesses [5]

Core Viewpoint - Octopus Energy Group Ltd. is initiating the spin-off of its software unit Kraken Technologies, valuing it at $8.65 billion, with an initial equity sale of approximately $1 billion to a consortium of investors [1][2]. Group 1: Company Developments - The Kraken platform manages over 70 million accounts globally and has been instrumental in Octopus's growth as the largest electricity supplier in the UK [2]. - After the spin-off, Octopus will retain a 13.7% stake in Kraken, while major investors like Origin Energy will hold a direct interest of 22.7% in both Kraken and Octopus [2][4]. - The demerger will allow Kraken to function as an independent technology platform with its own governance, enabling Octopus to concentrate on expanding its consumer, generation, and clean technology sectors [3]. Group 2: Market Context - The deal highlights the increasing demand for advanced software solutions among power utilities to manage renewable energy sources and integrate customer assets such as electric vehicles and heat pumps into the grid [1].

Octopus Energy Group is formally spinning out its Kraken technology arm after completing the first standalone investment round for the business, valuing Kraken at $8.65 billion. The $1 billion equity raise was led by D1 Capital Partners, with participation from Fidelity International, Durable Capital Partners, and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board. The transaction sets Kraken on a path to full independence, with its own governance, leadership, and capital structure, while Octopus Energy will retain a ...

High-rolling investors have positioned themselves bullish on NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE), and it's important for retail traders to take note.\This activity came to our attention today through Benzinga's tracking of publicly available options data. The identities of these investors are uncertain, but such a significant move in NEE often signals that someone has privileged information.Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 9 options trades for NextEra Energy. This is not a typical pattern.The sentiment among ...

National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) is included among the 15 Global Dividend Stocks to Diversify Your Portfolio. Dual Overweight Calls Put National Grid (NGG) Back in Focus Pixabay/Public Domain On December 12, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage of National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) with an Overweight rating and an $85.50 price target. That call followed an earlier move on December 6, when JPMorgan raised its price target on National Grid to 1,250 GBp from 1,225 GBp and kept an Overweight rating on the shares. The ...

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal! AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous. Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink. Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and b ...

Group 1 - Guangdong has become the preferred employment province for Peking University graduates outside of Beijing, with Shenzhen being the top city choice [1][5] - The "Million Talents Gather in South Guangdong" initiative has held over 5,000 recruitment events, attracting more than 1,000 universities and over 1.1 million talents to choose Guangdong [1][6] - The recent recruitment event featured 1,825 key employers offering over 65,000 quality job positions, with participation from over 1700 universities and more than 120,000 students [1][3] Group 2 - The newly established "Chain Master Enterprise Zone" showcased 8 leading companies, including BYD, Gree, and Tencent, along with over 80 supply chain partners, highlighting the demand for talent across the entire industry chain [3] - Major companies like Huawei, Tencent, and BYD participated in the recruitment event, offering positions with salaries ranging from 17,000 to 40,000 yuan per month, making it favorable for fresh graduates [2][3] - The APEC Talent Connection Service Zone attracted 34 foreign enterprises from APEC member economies, providing quality job opportunities for foreign and returning talents [3] Group 3 - The event also included a "Hundred Schools Gather in South Guangdong" section, inviting over 180 universities from outside the province and signing more than 30 cooperation projects between government, schools, and enterprises [5][6] - Peking University has been actively collaborating with Guangdong and Shenzhen, with nearly 1,000 graduates choosing to work in Guangdong annually, and over 70% of them in Shenzhen [5][6] - The initiative aims to enhance the integration of technological and industrial innovation in Guangdong, contributing to the region's competitive advantages [5]

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal! AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous. Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink. Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and b ...

Core Insights - Entergy Corporation (ETR) is focusing on strategic investments in infrastructure and grid hardening to enhance the resilience of its transmission and distribution systems while supporting renewable energy expansion [1] - The company's long-term earnings growth rate is projected at 10.21% over the next three to five years [1] Tailwinds - Favorable government policies aim to expand America's nuclear energy capacity from nearly 100 gigawatts (GW) in 2024 to 400 GW by 2050, which should benefit Entergy as it generates 27% of its power from nuclear energy [2] - Entergy has received an early site permit for a new reactor at its Grand Gulf site in Port Gibson, MS, which strengthens its position in the nuclear energy sector [3] Capital Investment Plan - Entergy has outlined a long-term capital investment plan of $41 billion for 2026-2029, with nearly $16 billion allocated to transmission and distribution networks to improve reliability and resilience [4] - The company plans to invest approximately $16 billion in generation projects to modernize, decarbonize, expand, and diversify its portfolio [4] Renewable Energy Transition - Entergy is transitioning toward renewable energy as a primary energy source, driven by strong demand from residential customers and industries [5] - The company has partnered with NextEra Energy Resources to develop up to 4.5 GW of new solar and storage projects, targeting over 5,000 MW of solar power by the end of 2028 [5] Price Performance - Over the past six months, ETR shares have risen 12.3%, outperforming the industry's growth of 8.4% [8] Industry Comparison - Entergy currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), while competitors like Ameren Corporation (AEE), OGE Energy Corp. (OGE), and PG&E Corporation (PCG) have a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) [11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEE, OGE, and PCG's 2025 EPS indicates year-over-year growth of 8.21%, 4.11%, and 10.29%, respectively [12]