US Economy Grows 2% Despite Iran War Oil Shock, But Risks Loom
While rising energy prices did dampen growth somewhat, private investment, consumer spending, and government expenditures remained relatively strong during the period.“On net it’s a solid number. Consumer spending has held up,” said Jason Draho, head of asset allocation for the Americas at UBS. However, he cautioned that this strength “could be fully offset” if higher energy prices persist for the next six months.
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Read MorePlain Talk: 'We haven't gotten better deals' out of Trump's trade war
MINOT — When asked on this episode of Plain Talk about the justification that President Donald Trump’s erratic regime of tariffs is necessary to flex America’s economic might and negotiate better deals, John Bitzan, director of the Challey Institute at North Dakota State University, argued that the strategy has not worked.
“We haven’t gotten better deals out of this,”
ETFs to Watch as Alphabet Rides Cloud Surge, Beats Estimates
Alphabet GOOGL came up with first-quarter 2026 earnings on April 29, after market close. Earnings of $5.11 per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.64 by a staggering 93.56%. The bottom line marked an improvement of 81.85% from earnings of $2.81 per share recorded in the same period last year.
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Read MoreStock market today: Dow jumps 750 points, S&P 500, Nasdaq notch record highs to cap best month for stocks since 2020
Amazon’s AI spending problem may have a demand answer.
The company’s cloud backlog — future business Amazon has already contracted but has not yet turned into revenue — jumped to $364 billion in the first quarter, CEO Andy Jassy said on the company’s earnings call.
And that figure doesn’t include Amazon’s recently announced Anthropic deal for more than $100 billion.
Read MoreThe Average Social Security Benefit In US Territories Might Surprise You
Magnifying glass zoomed in on Puerto Rico on a map, with nearby Caribbean islands slightly blurred – La Terase/Shutterstock If you assume that Social Security checks in U.S. territories are on par with the national average, the official numbers say otherwise: They’re much lower. Based on 2024 Social Security Administration (SSA) data, average monthly benefits came to $1,012 in the Northern Mariana Islands,
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Read MoreThe Burst
1,432 Reasons to Buy This Healthcare Cloud Stock
Veeva Systems (NYSE:VEEV), a software solutions provider for the life sciences industry, has seen some weakness amid the slowdown in cloud market demand as organizations cope with macro woes.
While the company saw its shares slumping by around 32% over the past three years,
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Read MoreThe Ivy
Looking for Stability? This High Dividend Yield ETF May Be Perfect
Vanguard’s High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) is a popular income investment that combines high dividend income potential with Vanguard’s characteristic passive management and low expenses.
With the NASDAQ now actively in a correction and other indices also struggling, now may be a good time to consider defensive, dividend-generating stocks.
Is VYM a good ETF to buy,
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Read MoreThe Spotlight
Spotlight: 99% Lower, Time To Buy This Weed Stock?
Cannabis company SNDL, formerly known as Sundial Growers, has fallen more than 99 percent from its record closing high of $130. Now trading at less than $1.50 per share, the stock has been one of the biggest losers of the last few years. Its massive contraction in value, however, has left many investors wondering whether it has become oversold.
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