A trader works as the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpasses the 50,000 mark on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., Feb. 6, 2026.Brendan McDermid | ReutersThere's a disconnect between the stock market and consumer optimism — and some economists say affordability is a primary culprit.Over the last four to five years, the stock market has become divorced from consumer sentiment: Stock valuations have soared while consumer optimism has plunged to near-record lows, economists ...

Core Viewpoint - Freedom Holding Corp. reported significant growth in assets, shareholders' equity, and customer base across its core business segments for the three and nine months ending December 31, 2025 [1]. Financial Performance - Total assets reached $12.38 billion, a 25% increase from $9.91 billion at the end of the previous fiscal year, driven by the expansion of the investment portfolio and increased client balances in brokerage accounts [2]. - Net cash provided by operating activities for the nine-month period was $1.73 billion, primarily due to growth in customer funds in brokerage accounts and a reduction in margin-related balances [2]. - Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash stood at $3.51 billion, up from $1.64 billion at the start of the financial year [3]. - Total revenue for the three months ending December 31, 2025, was $628.6 million, with a nine-month total of $1.69 billion, reflecting diverse revenue sources from brokerage, banking, and insurance segments [4]. - Total shareholders' equity increased to $1.40 billion from $1.21 billion at the end of the prior fiscal year, with net income for the third quarter at $76.2 million and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.25 for the quarter and $2.38 for the nine-month period [8]. Customer Growth and Business Development - The number of banking customers rose from 2.5 million to 4.5 million over nine months, while the brokerage customer base grew by over 20%, supported by expanded digital offerings [5]. - The company has integrated traditional brokerage and banking with everyday consumer services, resulting in over 7 million customers using its platform, with plans for expansion into additional markets [7]. Business Model and Ecosystem - The diversified business model across financial, insurance, and technology segments has proven effective, with ongoing development of a financial and digital ecosystem [6]. - The SuperApp is the most downloaded application in Kazakhstan, indicating strong market presence and user engagement [7].

For the quarter ended December 2025, NetScout Systems (NTCT) reported revenue of $250.68 million, down 0.5% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.00, compared to $0.94 in the year-ago quarter.The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $235.78 million, representing a surprise of +6.32%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +16.96%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.86.While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings ...

“Big Short” investor Michael Burry issued a warning Monday about Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) planning to issue 100-year bonds, drawing parallels to Motorola Solutions Inc.‘s (NYSE:MSI) downfall following a similar move in 1997.Burry Draws Motorola ComparisonWriting on X Monday, Burry stated, “Alphabet looking to issue a 100-year bond. Last time this happened was Motorola in 1997, which was the last year Motorola was considered a big deal.”Alphabet’s Bond Sale DetailsMultiple media outlets hav ...

PresentationHello, and welcome to today's call discussing Ouster's acquisition of StereoLabs. [Operator Instructions] The call today is being recorded, and a replay of the call will be available on the Ouster Investor Relations website an hour after the completion of this call. I'd now like to turn the conference over to Chen Geng, Senior Vice President of Strategic Finance and Treasurer. Please go ahead.Chen GengSenior VP of Strategic Finance & Treasurer Thank you, operator, and hello, everyone. Thank you ...

Valued at a market cap of $19.1 billion,  Fortive Corporation (FTV) develops, manufactures, and markets products, software, and services. The Everett, Washington-based company offers software-enabled workflow solutions and specialized technical products. This tech company has considerably underperformed the broader market over the past 52 weeks. Shares of FTV have declined 24.7% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has soared 14%. However, on a YTD basis, the stock is up 8.9%, outp ...

Listen on the go! A daily podcast of Wall Street Breakfast will be available by 8:00 a.m. on Seeking Alpha, iTunes, Spotify.Getty Images Precious metals and crypto to the labor market and $1T club! Dive into the latest hot themes in the SA Sentiment Survey for February, which explores the investing decisions of the Seeking Alpha community. Click here to take the poll and don't forget to share your thoughts in the WSB comments section. Good morning! Here's the latest in trending:Seahawks prevail: The Super ...

The consensus price target for NYSE:SSD has remained stable at $190 over the past month and quarter, indicating a slight adjustment in analysts' expectations.Simpson Manufacturing's Q3 2025 earnings call highlighted a positive outlook from analysts, with a price target of $120 set by D.A. Davidson.Comparative financial growth in the technology sector, as seen with Silicon Motion, underscores the diverse success rates across industries, including construction and technology.Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (N ...

Economic Overview - The U.S. economy appears strong based on GDP growth, consumer spending, and business investment, but this strength conceals underlying issues [1][2] - The economic growth is supported by a narrow group of factors, including wealthier consumers, booming financial markets, and significant AI-driven investments by tech companies [2][4] Employment and Inflation - Recent employment data shows payrolls increased by 50,000, with an unemployment rate of 4.4% and average hourly earnings at $37.02, indicating a slow hiring pace and uneven strength [6] - Inflation data reveals a year-over-year CPI increase of 2.7% and a core CPI increase of 2.6%, suggesting inflation is nearing normal levels, yet many households still face financial pressure [6] GDP and Consumer Spending - The latest GDP estimate shows a real GDP growth of 4.4% annualized, which reflects an average strength that masks economic polarization [6] - Consumer spending data indicates a 0.5% month-over-month increase in Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) for October and November, aligning with the notion that spending appears solid due to a few affluent cohorts [6] Manufacturing Sector - The ISM Manufacturing PMI for January 2026 is reported at 52.6, indicating expansion, but growth remains uneven across different sectors [7] Economic Paradox - The core thesis presented by economists suggests that while the economy looks fine on the surface, it is growing unevenly, which is not captured by average metrics [8]

Core Insights - The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (MGK) and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) are designed to track large-cap U.S. stock performance, with MGK focusing on the largest growth companies and VOO tracking the full S&P 500 [1] Cost & Size Comparison - VOO has a lower expense ratio of 0.03% compared to MGK's 0.05% - VOO offers a higher dividend yield of 1.11% versus MGK's 0.36% - VOO has a significantly larger asset under management (AUM) of $839 billion compared to MGK's $32 billion [2] Performance & Risk Analysis - Over the past five years, MGK has provided a higher total return, growing $1,000 to $1,846, while VOO grew to $1,782 - MGK has a maximum drawdown of -36.02%, which is deeper than VOO's -24.53% - MGK's beta of 1.17 indicates greater price volatility compared to VOO's beta of 1.00 [3] Portfolio Composition - MGK consists of 60 stocks, with a heavy allocation of 55% in technology and 17% in communication services, with top holdings in Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft - VOO holds 504 stocks, reflecting the sector weights of the S&P 500, with a more diversified portfolio including significant exposure to financial services and consumer cyclical sectors [4][5] Investment Implications - MGK targets mega-cap stocks, defined as those with a market cap of at least $200 billion, while VOO offers broader diversification that may mitigate volatility [6] - VOO's lower tech allocation (around 35%) compared to MGK's (55%) may result in less severe drawdowns during tech downturns [7] - A more concentrated portfolio like MGK's can lead to higher long-term earnings potential, but it also carries the risk of underperformance from individual stocks [8] - Investors willing to accept higher risk for potential higher returns may find MGK appealing, while those seeking stability may prefer VOO [9]