Semiconductor giant Intel (INTC) entered this year in a state of disarray. It had no permanent CEO until March, when industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan took over after former CEO Pat Gelsinger was forced out. Intel’s foundry business, a capital-intensive endeavor meant to open up Intel’s manufacturing technology and facilities to third-party customers, wasn’t winning meaningful customers. Tan made it clear that without significant…
Artificial intelligence has enhanced many industries, including health care, and health professionals now have access to a wider range of AI tools and additional data points on each patient. This information can help pinpoint conditions, help prevent diseases from spreading and aid in patient monitoring, as well as help manage prescriptions and tackle administrative tasks. AI will continue to enhance…
It’s easy to think of the major U.S. stock market indexes as permanent and unchanging over the decades. The financial equivalent of Mount Rushmore. But unlike that famous monument chiseled into the South Dakota hills, the corporate icons enshrined in the Dow Jones aren’t exactly set in stone. In fact, there have been 59 changes made over the years by…
Some prominent biotech companies tend to capture the majority of investors’ and analysts’ attention compared to their industry peers. aTyr Pharma (ATYR), a small-cap, clinical-stage biotech, doesn’t belong to that group. However, the drugmaker has performed well this year; its shares are up 40% year to date. What’s more, aTyr Pharma could have even more upside in the (very) near future. Is…
In December 2022, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility in California conducted a controlled nuclear fusion experiment that, for the first time, produced more energy than was delivered by the lasers used to initiate it. That historic breakthrough has triggered a nuclear fusion technology arms race, and it’s understandable why investors are excited about the possibility…
Now that the Labor Day weekend is behind us, it’s time to focus on the one thing that unites most Americans: football season! Just as the favorites don’t always win at football, the stock market isn’t always the best place to invest your money. That doesn’t often happen, but one of those times may be coming this fall depending on…
The large cap indexes all set new records in August, but it wasn’t the usual suspects that led the way. AI juggernauts Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR) barely tread water last month, with Nvidia down slightly, about 1%, and Palantir breaking even. There is an underlying concern among many investors about an AI bubble, similar to the dotcom bubble of the early 2000s. The…
With time, I realized that investing in the market is like riding a Tilt-a-Whirl operated by a distracted carnival worker. Like a Tilt-a-Whirl, the market tends to be up and down, then up again (followed by another drop). Historically, it’s worked out for investors over the long term, but that doesn’t mean it’s not scary. It’s tempting to read a…
When the stock market is doing poorly because of economic uncertainty or worries about geopolitical events, people often buy gold because it has a reputation as a long-term store of value. But before you dive into gold investments, you need to understand the pros and cons of the precious metal in general and the advantages and disadvantages of the different ways…
Markets got a jolt last week after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that a rate cut may be coming soon. Speaking at Jackson Hole, Powell noted that “downside risks to employment are rising,” and hinted that monetary policy will need to adjust. Traders took him at his word—the Dow soared over 800 points on the day, and futures markets…