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Investment reinforces Kyndryl's commitment to advancing customer innovation and AI adoption across the United States

, /PRNewswire/ -- Kyndryl (NYSE: KD), a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise technology services, today announced the opening of its first U.S. AI Innovation Lab in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The investment is expected to create up to 300 highly skilled jobs in AI, technology consulting and design engineering over the next four years. The Lab also reinforces Kyndryl's long-term commitment to America's digital future and to advancing innovation, workforce development and customer engagement in the U.S.

"The future of AI will be built through collaboration, and our AI Innovation Lab in Dallas brings customers together with Kyndryl experts to unlock the full value of AI while strengthening America's innovation ecosystem," said Jamie Rutledge, President, Kyndryl U.S. "Powered by the Kyndryl Agentic AI Framework and our deep consulting, engineering and infrastructure expertise, the Lab gives customers a hands-on environment to experiment, innovate and turn ideas into outcomes with greater speed and confidence."

The Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab in Dallas will focus on helping customers modernize their technology environments for AI. Kyndryl's latest modernization research found that 34% of organizations are modernizing to enable AI capabilities, making it a larger driver of modernization than cost reduction (29%). The research also found that AI is increasing demand across cloud, mainframe, network and edge environments, reinforcing that modernization is more than a legacy-retirement exercise – it is the foundation for enabling AI at scale.

The Lab will use a repeatable method that combines the company's Agentic AI Framework with Kyndryl Consult and AI services, infrastructure and engineering expertise, and Kyndryl Vital's design-led transformation practice. Through an immersive, four-phase approach — customer immersion, co-design, build and roadmap — customers will work alongside Kyndryl experts through workshops, rapid prototyping and engineering co-creation to solve business challenges where AI can deliver measurable impact. Together, they will validate ideas, design future workflows and rapidly advance from exploratory use cases to working prototypes in days, creating a clear path from prototype to production and helping customers deploy AI-enabled workflows across a customer's business at scale.

"Kyndryl is a pioneering company that could have chosen any market in the United States, and its decision to establish a major innovation hub in Frisco underscores the strength of our community and the reputation we've earned as one of the best places in the country for growth, innovation, and exceptional talent," said Mayor Mark Hill, City of Frisco. 

Beyond accelerating customers' AI adoption journeys, the Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab in Dallas will serve as a catalyst for workforce development, community engagement and public sector innovation across Texas, including:

Building an AI talent pipeline: Kyndryl is partnering with NPower, Dallas AI, Tech Titans and other local organizations to expand access to AI and emerging technology skills, creating new career pathways while strengthening the region's innovation ecosystem. As an inaugural supporter of NPower's AI training program, Kyndryl is helping equip learners with practical skills in areas such as prompt engineering and automation. Advancing motor vehicle services: The AI Innovation Lab in Dallas will be home to a specialized team focused on Kyndryl's DMV solutions, supporting motor vehicle agencies across the United States. Kyndryl experts will develop reusable code and deployment best practices, apply AI to enhance solution development and testing, and give customers an environment to experience demonstrations of Kyndryl's DMV capabilities. The Lab will also showcase Kyndryl's Cyber Defense Operations Center capability, a next-generation command hub that unifies network and security operations to provide real-time visibility, monitoring and collaborative analysis across complex IT environments. By combining AI-enabled insights, automation and Kyndryl's deep cybersecurity and network expertise, the integrated operating model helps customers accelerate incident response, strengthen resilience and improve overall IT performance.

Kyndryl experts at the AI Innovation Lab in Dallas will also help customers modernize and secure their IT operations and infrastructure to take advantage of the transformative opportunities enabled by Frontier AI models.

The Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab in Dallas joins the company's expanding global lab network – including locations in the United Kingdom and Luxembourg – where Kyndryl experts guide customers through immersive experiences designed to help turn their AI ambitions into reality.

Learn about the Kyndryl AI Innovation Labs.

About Kyndryl
Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) is a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise technology services offering advisory, implementation and managed service capabilities to thousands of customers in more than 60 countries. As the world's largest IT infrastructure services provider, the company designs, builds, manages and modernizes the complex information systems that the world depends on every day. For more information, visit www.kyndryl.com.

Kyndryl Press Contact
[email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements 
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements often contain words such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "objectives," "opportunity," "plan," "position," "predict," "project," "should," "seek," "target," "will," "would" and other similar words or expressions or the negative thereof or other variations thereon. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation statements concerning the Company's plans, objectives, goals, beliefs, business strategies, future events, business condition, results of operations, financial position, business outlook and business trends and other non-historical statements, are forward-looking statements. These statements do not guarantee future performance and speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Actual outcomes or results may differ materially from those suggested by forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and may be further updated from time to time in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Kyndryl

Trane Technologies Introduces Residential Cold Climate Heat Pumps Built for Extreme Winter Performance Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator, today announced the launch of advanced residential cold climate heat pumps across its Trane® and American Standard® Heating & Air Conditioning brands: Trane’s 20 TruComfort™ Cold Climate Heat Pump with WeatherGuard™ and American Standard’s AccuComfort™ Platinum 20 Cold Climate Heat Pump with All Weather®.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261001869249/en/

Trane’s new cold climate heat pump showcases innovation designed to deliver reliable comfort and efficiency in extreme winter conditions.

The launch marks Trane Technologies’ first cold climate heat pumps engineered and manufactured for the residential market, a significant milestone that advances the transition to high-efficiency, all-electric and home comfort. Designed for harsh winter conditions, both systems maintain 100% heating capacity down to 5°F and continue operating in temperatures as low as -20°F, while delivering year-round heating and cooling. These systems are also designed to work in duel-fuel capacity for homes with furnaces.

The new cold climate heat pumps successfully surpassed the performance requirements of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge, a rigorous, industry-wide initiative to accelerate the development of heat pumps capable of reliable performance in some of the coldest regions of the United States. The systems were further validated through nearly 18,000 hours of field testing in homes in Minnesota, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas, with outdoor temperatures reaching as low as -21°F.

“This launch marks an important step in making residential electrification practical for more homeowners,” said Mark Majocha, President, Residential HVAC, Trane Technologies. “For years, extreme cold has been seen as the limit of what heat pumps could achieve. We are redefining that expectation with innovative heat pump systems designed to deliver the efficiency, intelligence and reliable performance homeowners need to confidently move toward all-electric comfort. We are proud to help expand access to more sustainable homes without compromising comfort or peace of mind.”

Engineered for Cold Climate Performance
Both Trane’s TruComfort™ and American Standard’s AccuComfort™ systems feature variable speed operation designed to deliver precise, reliable comfort and increased energy efficiency across a wide operating range, including:

Continuous heating operation from -20°F to 66°FCooling operation across a wide ambient range of 55°F to 115°FVariable speed compressor operation that continually adjusts in increments as fine as 0.1% for precise comfort deliveryAdvanced airflow algorithms delivering supply air temperatures up to 110°FReduced reliance on backup electric heatConnected, Intelligent Home Comfort
Both systems are designed for Link® communicating technology, enabling a fully communicating system that helps optimize performance, enhances homeowner control and integrates seamlessly with Trane and American Standard smart thermostats and indoor air quality solutions. Trane’s TruComfort™ and American Standard’s AccuComfort™ variable-speed technology continuously adjusts compressor speed to match the home's needs, supporting more precise temperature control, quieter operation and improved energy efficiency.

For dealers, integrated connectivity enables advanced remote diagnostics and improved system visibility. Both units are also zoning capable when paired with Link®-enabled indoor equipment.

Availability
Trane’s 20 TruComfort™ and American Standard’s AccuComfort™ Variable Speed Platinum 20 Cold Climate Heat Pumps are available this fall. The systems are backed by a limited warranty covering the compressor for up to 12 years and the outdoor coil and parts for up to 10 years with registration.

For more information, visit www.trane.com or www.americanstandardair.com.

About Trane Technologies
Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator. Through our strategic brands Trane® and Thermo King®, and our portfolio of environmentally responsible products and services, we bring efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes and transportation. For more on Trane Technologies, visit tranetechnologies.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of securities laws, which are statements that are not historical facts, including statements that relate to our residential cold climate heat pump product and service innovations and the anticipated benefits of these innovations. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause such differences can be found in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, as well as our subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and other SEC filings. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect the Company. We assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261001869249/en/

Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.

Click for the complete disclosure

Acuity (AYI - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $5.77 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.53 per share. This compares to earnings of $5.2 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +4.34%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this lighting maker would post earnings of $5.2 per share when it actually produced earnings of $5.31, delivering a surprise of +2.12%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.

Acuity, which belongs to the Zacks Technology Services industry, posted revenues of $1.24 billion for the quarter ended August 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.6%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.21 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Acuity shares have lost about 14% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 11.8%.

What's Next for Acuity?While Acuity has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Acuity was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $5.09 on $1.18 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $21.41 on $4.86 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Technology Services is currently in the bottom 27% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

One other stock from the same industry, Coursera (COUR - Free Report) , is yet to report results for the quarter ended September 2026.

This online learning platform is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.19 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +90%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

Coursera's revenues are expected to be $368.93 million, up 90% from the year-ago quarter.

 | Source: Apollo Global Management, Inc.

Builds on July 1 Launch for Investment-Grade Fixed Income Replacement Product Suite, Complements Data Standardization and Secondary Trading Initiatives

NEW YORK, Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced that it has begun providing Daily Pricing information to additional investors across its $850 billion credit business, marking another step in the firm’s broader efforts to build a more transparent private credit market. Apollo launched Daily Pricing for investors in its investment-grade Fixed Income Replacement product suite on July 1, 2026, and has now extended the initiative across various direct lending, asset-backed finance, multi-credit and opportunistic credit vehicles. Asset-level pricing for applicable funds is expected to be made available to investors beginning on October 30, 2026.

The initiative reflects the continued evolution of private credit toward the pricing, data and market making infrastructure familiar in other established credit markets. More frequent pricing, standardized asset-level information and secondary trading are complementary parts of that development, designed to help investors evaluate and manage private credit alongside their public market investments.

John Zito, Co-President of Apollo Asset Management, said, “As public and private markets continue to converge, investors increasingly expect a more consistent experience across their portfolios. That requires more timely pricing information, standardized data and the infrastructure to support more efficient market making. Daily pricing is another step in that evolution. Together with our broader efforts, it is designed to give investors greater visibility into their holdings and support their ability to participate in private markets with confidence. We believe greater transparency supports a better experience for all market participants and the broader financial system.”

The expansion complements Apollo’s other initiatives to strengthen private market infrastructure. In March 2026, Apollo partnered with Intercontinental Exchange to launch ICE Private Credit Intelligence, which has introduced unique asset identifiers, ICE IDs. The ICE IDs will be leveraged to offer standardized reference data sets, as well as analytics and independent pricing on private assets over time. To date, over 5,000 ICE IDs have been created. Apollo’s dedicated secondary trading desk, launched in 2024, has also facilitated over $30 billion of trading volume to date with a growing number of partners, demonstrating how price discovery can support the continued evolution of private markets.

Together, these initiatives are intended to support greater transparency, broader participation and modern product structures as private credit becomes a more established component of investor portfolios.

Daily Pricing is available to investors through Apollo’s investor portal. Where information relates to a registered fund, it is published through the channels applicable to that vehicle.

Daily Pricing refers to an estimated fair value for a fund, portfolio, asset, security or other investment position, calculated as of a specified date. Daily Pricing is not a market-clearing price and is based on Apollo’s internal pricing methodology and benchmarked to relevant public market data. Daily Pricing is provided solely for informational and transparency purposes and is not intended to constitute a definitive valuation or to serve as a basis for any investment decision, subscription, redemption, transaction or other action.

About Apollo

Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of June 30, 2026, Apollo had approximately $1.05 trillion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

Contacts

Noah Gunn
Global Head of Investor Relations
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0540
[email protected]

Joanna Rose
Global Head of Corporate Communications
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0491
[email protected]

MarketBeat Week in Review – 11/4 - 11/8Altimmune NASDAQ: ALT executives outlined the company’s strategy to build a liver-disease franchise around pemvidutide, a dual glucagon/GLP-1 agonist being developed for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, alcohol use disorder, or AUD, and alcohol-related liver disease, or ALD.

Speaking at a Stifel session, Chief Executive Officer Jerome Durso said pemvidutide’s potential across several liver-related conditions was a primary reason he joined the company. He described the drug’s balanced dual mechanism, clinical tolerability and ability to keep patients on therapy as central elements of its development strategy.

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How Altimmune Could Grab a Big Chunk of the GLP-1 Market“What we continue to see evidence of as the data emerges is a differentiated opportunity across MASH,” Durso said, adding that Phase 2 AUD data released in July created an additional opportunity for the company’s liver-focused portfolio.

MASH Program and PERFORMA Trial Altimmune is advancing pemvidutide in the Phase 3 PERFORMA trial in patients with F2 and F3 MASH. Chief Medical Officer Christophe Arbet-Engels said the trial includes placebo, 1.8-milligram and 2.4-milligram treatment arms. The company’s statistical powering is based on results observed with the 1.8-milligram dose in Phase 2, while the 2.4-milligram arm is intended to assess potential additional benefit.

This Small Cap Wealth Management Stock Could Provide Big ReturnsArbet-Engels said Phase 2 findings showed improvements in noninvasive tests and biological markers consistent with an anti-fibrotic effect, including continued improvement between 24 and 48 weeks. He noted that the company did not see an early fibrosis outcome at 24 weeks, which he said had been anticipated.

The Phase 3 trial will use a three-pathologist biopsy-reading process, supported by AIM-MASH Assist, an artificial intelligence-assisted tool intended to reduce variability in pathology assessments. Altimmune said it has trained pathologists and tested the approach ahead of the trial.

Key features of PERFORMA include a 52-week assessment period and simplified monthly titration. The company expects the longer study duration to better assess fibrosis improvement and said the titration approach could further reduce early gastrointestinal events and support treatment adherence.

Arbet-Engels characterized success as a positive trial demonstrating MASH resolution and fibrosis improvement, while also assessing effect size, patient subgroups, weight loss, discontinuations and adherence. The company will additionally evaluate the quality of weight loss, including measures related to lean mass preservation, using MRI-PDFF, blood biomarkers and functional testing.

Positioning Against Other Incretin-Based Therapies Altimmune executives emphasized what they view as pemvidutide’s differentiated molecular design. Arbet-Engels said pemvidutide has a 1:1 glucagon-to-GLP-1 ratio and strong affinity for both receptors. In contrast, he described survodutide as having a 7:1 glucagon-to-GLP-1 ratio and retatrutide as having substantially different receptor affinities.

The company also highlighted tolerability as a potential commercial and clinical differentiator. Arbet-Engels said pemvidutide’s EuPort domain is designed to slow delivery of the drug, reducing peak concentration and delaying the time to peak concentration. He said this profile supported favorable tolerability in Altimmune’s MASH trials.

Chief Commercial Officer Linda Richardson said the company believes pemvidutide could be relevant for patients who cannot tolerate GLP-1 therapy over time, who do not achieve desired efficacy with available options, or who may be at risk of sarcopenia. She also said the company sees potential opportunities both as a first-line treatment and as an add-on option in areas where other therapies may have limitations.

AUD and ALD Development Plans Durso said Altimmune’s Phase 2 RECLAIM results in AUD were encouraging, citing consistency across drinking-related endpoints, including two endpoints he said are approvable by the FDA. He also pointed to weight loss, safety and tolerability findings, as well as results from PEth testing, which is used to assess alcohol consumption.

Arbet-Engels added that exploratory FIB-4 findings provided indications of potential liver-related benefits, which the company plans to assess more rigorously in later-stage development.

Altimmune plans to hold an end-of-Phase-2 meeting with regulatory agencies to align on a Phase 3 AUD program. Durso said the company sees an opportunity to study a broad moderate-to-severe AUD population, including patients with active liver disease.

Arbet-Engels said AUD and ALD populations appear to overlap substantially, including through patterns of heavy drinking and obesity. While the company collected more extensive liver measurements in its ALD trial than in the Phase 2 AUD study, it expects future AUD studies to more comprehensively evaluate potential liver benefits.

Funding and Enrollment Chief Financial Officer Greg Weaver said Altimmune had $519 million as of June 30 and that the balance sheet was sufficient to fund the MASH trial through completion. For a potential Phase 3 AUD program, he said the company is focused on non-dilutive funding options, which could include strategic partnerships, clinical-trial financing or royalty-based structures.

The company also reported early enthusiasm from investigators for the PERFORMA study. Arbet-Engels said Altimmune moved from financing to dosing its first patient in about 90 days and cited the study’s weight-loss component, AI-assisted pathology process and ability for investigators to recycle screened patients between biopsy and noninvasive-test cohorts as attractive design elements.

About Altimmune (NASDAQ:ALT)Altimmune, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for obesity and liver diseases. The company's lead product candidate is pemvidutide, a dual GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist being studied for chronic weight management and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a form of liver disease associated with metabolic disorders.

Altimmune's research programs are designed to address diseases with significant unmet medical needs, including obesity-related complications and conditions involving liver inflammation and fibrosis.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

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Nebius has surged 181% this year on a tidal wave of AI demand, a blockbuster Meta deal, and a $37 billion backlog, but a closer look at its financing structure reveals how much has to go right before today's shareholders…

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Nebius Group (NASDAQ:NBIS | NBIS Price Prediction) trades at $235.88. The stock has gained 181.8% year to date, making customer concentration, capex needs and share dilution critical to watch.

Nebius runs a full-stack AI cloud renting GPU compute, storage and inference services. The AI cloud produced $574.9M of $582.3M in second-quarter revenue. Shares rose from $88.62 in February to $208.50 in August, driven by a $27B five-year deal with Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and a $2B equity investment from NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA).

A $37.5 Billion Backlog Gives Bulls Years of Visibility Nebius holds $37.49B in remaining performance obligations covering several years. Second-quarter revenue grew 454%, and GAAP EPS of -$0.68 beat the -$0.8633 estimate. Adjusted EBITDA for the AI cloud reached $285.7M, up from $9.5M a year earlier.

Management said it “could sell today our entire 2027 capacity”, and its first capacity auction cleared 15% above prior highs. With a forward P/E of 46 and a PEG ratio of 0.511, bulls argue the stock remains cheap relative to growth.

Three Customers and $20.8 Billion in Convertibles Define the Exposure Three customers made up 24%, 21%, and 14% of second-quarter revenue, a combined 59%. Capex of $5.66B in the quarter far exceeded $2.25B of operating cash flow, and full-year capex guidance runs $20 to $25 billion.

The convertible notes carry a value of $8.5B on the books but a fair value of $20.8B, which points to heavy dilution if they convert. The company also sold 12.7M shares through its at-the-market program, and interest expense jumped to $119.1M from $4.8M. First-quarter revenue missed expectations by 32.74%, and the operating loss grew to $175.9M.

Prepayments Buy Time While the Buildout Proves Itself Management expects more than $9 billion in customer prepayments this year, with recent deals covering 50 to 60% of associated capex. New contracts with Reflection, Cohere and others reduce reliance on the largest buyers, part of the same picks-and-shovels AI expansion we mapped in a free report on seven companies powering AI data centers. Newly connected power takes months to produce revenue, so execution is moving ahead of reported results.

Analysts See 20% Upside as the Stock Trails Its Peak At $235.88, Nebius sits below the consensus target of $283.58, meaning 20.2% upside. Targets are estimates, and coverage is thin:

Strong Buy: 1 Buy: 4 Hold: 2 Year to date, the stock is up 181.8%, while the S&P 500 is up 11.84%. Over the past month, Nebius gained 14.33% as the index fell 0.58%. Even so, shares trade 21.3% below their 52-week high of $299.86, at roughly 48 times trailing sales.

What Nebius Must Prove Before Capacity Turns Into Revenue At $235.88, Nebius faces a financing test.

Spending guidance of up to $25 billion means more debt, convertibles or share sales before 2027 capacity comes online. Each new raise sets the cost today’s shareholders pay for future growth.

A stronger case needs third-quarter revenue showing that capacity deployed late in Q2 is contributing as promised, and the next financing leaning on asset-backed debt rather than new shares. A worse case would follow a delay at a major customer or another large revenue miss.

The stock is well off its high. Dilution risk remains until the company proves it can turn power into revenue. Watch quarterly prepayments, share count and how fast connected megawatts convert to revenue.

Nebius has the demand, but at $235.88 the share price already assumes financing will go smoothly, so execution remains the key test.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Hyperscalers are signing multi-decade nuclear contracts as grid capacity tightens, and three stocks give investors very different exposure to that trade, with one belonging in the speculative bucket only.

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AI is turning nuclear baseload into the most contested resource on the grid, and hyperscalers are lining up multi-decade contracts to lock it down.

The pressure is quantifiable: PJM’s capacity auction cleared at $329.17/MW-day for 2026/27 and $325/MW-day for 2028/29, with combined 2026 hyperscaler CapEx guidance topping $710 billion.

Three U.S.-listed names give investors distinct angles on that trade, but they are not equivalent risks. One is a cash-generating merchant operator. One is a profitable, dividend-paying contractor. One is a pre-revenue developer that belongs in the speculative bucket only.

Constellation Energy: Largest US Nuclear Fleet Signing the Hyperscaler Deals Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG | CEG Price Prediction) is the anchor position in this segment. It operates the largest U.S. nuclear fleet and, following the January 2026 close of the Calpine acquisition, is now the largest private power producer in the world. This is a cash-generating merchant IPP with an established earnings base.

The Q2 2026 earnings report tells the story. Constellation reported adjusted operating earnings of $2.55 per share and raised full-year guidance to $11.50 to $12.50 per share. More importantly, the company signed approximately 920 megawatts of long-term nuclear contracts during the quarter, with an average duration of 18 and a half years and investment-grade counterparties. Roughly 30% of clean baseload output is now under long-term contract. The Crane Clean Energy Center restart is targeting 2027, with the NRC fuel license already approved. Nuclear operations delivered a 93% capacity factor in the quarter.

The bull case: Existing nuclear is being repriced as a premium product, PJM capacity prices are lifting the entire revenue stack, and the Nuclear Production Tax Credit provides a floor. Shares are down nearly 31% year to date, which has taken some of the froth out of a name that ran hard in 2024 and 2025.

The risk: Regulation. PJM’s proposed Reliability Backstop Procurement and Interim Resource Adequacy Service frameworks remain unresolved, and the Illinois ZEC program ends in May 2027. Calpine integration also introduces near-term execution complexity.

BWX Technologies: The Only Big Nuclear Manufacturer Left Standing BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT) is the picks-and-shovels play. It supplies naval nuclear propulsion to the US Navy and manufactures commercial nuclear components, field services, and fuel handling equipment. This is a profitable, dividend-paying contractor with multi-year backlog visibility, and it sits in a different risk bucket than a merchant generator or a developer.

Q2 2026 revenue was $902 million, up 18% year over year, with adjusted EPS of $1.07 marking the fifth consecutive EPS beat. Commercial operations revenue grew 72%, including 33% organic growth. Backlog ended the quarter at $8.4 billion, up 40% year over year, with a trailing 12-month book-to-bill of 1.7 times. Management raised full-year revenue guidance to approximately $3.8 billion and free cash flow guidance to $345 million to $360 million. The Precision Components Group acquisition closed July 1, 2026, adding US commercial nuclear manufacturing capacity.

CEO Rex Geveden framed the setup bluntly, saying the “industry is in the early stages of a multi-decade super cycle of growth” and that BWXT was “kind of the last man standing in commercial” nuclear manufacturing. He also flagged “a credible opportunity to secure at least one new build nuclear equipment order before the year end” across AP1000, X300, and additional SMR opportunities at Darlington.

The bull case: Any reactor built in North America over the next decade, large or small, plausibly runs through BWXT’s fabrication footprint. Shares are down nearly 24% year to date, offering a more reasonable entry than earlier in the year.

The risk: Federal budget uncertainty. Naval propulsion revenue depends on shipbuilding funding cadence, and commercial customer capex timing on SMRs is inherently lumpy.

Oklo: A Speculative, Pre-Revenue SMR Position That Belongs in a Small Allocation Only Oklo (NYSE:OKLO) is a fundamentally different animal from the first two names and must be treated that way. It is a pre-revenue small modular reactor developer with a development-stage, cash-burning profile. It carries meaningfully higher risk than Constellation or BWXT, and it is only size-appropriate as a small speculative allocation.

The company’s Aurora powerhouse design has been expanded to 75 MW, with first commercial power targeted late 2027 to early 2028. Oklo’s customer pipeline includes a 12 GW master power agreement with Switch targeting delivery by 2044, plus a letter of intent with Equinix for up to 500 MW with a $25 million prepayment. Investors must be clear-eyed that these are largely non-binding LOIs and master agreements, not signed take-or-pay PPAs. Groves reached first criticality in early August 2026, and the company ended the quarter with $3 billion in cash and marketable securities. Management raised 2026 cash-use guidance to $120 million to $150 million for operations and $400 million to $500 million for property, plant, and equipment.

The bull case: Optionality. an integrated platform across power, fuel, and isotopes, direct hyperscaler alignment, and a supportive regulatory backdrop under the ADVANCE Act. Shares reflect the volatility of the profile, down more than 51% year to date and down more than 66% over the past year.

The risk: Oklo has no operating commercial project, no signed take-or-pay revenue, ongoing NRC execution risk, and will likely need additional financing to build plants. First commercial power is a 2027 to 2028 event at the earliest. If the timeline slips or licensing stalls, the equity has a long way to fall.

Positioning the 3 Constellation offers core exposure to nuclear baseload getting repriced by hyperscaler demand, backed by real cash flows and signed long-dated contracts. BWXT is the manufacturing choke point that benefits regardless of which reactor design wins. Oklo represents a small, speculative call option on advanced nuclear, sized accordingly and never confused with the other two.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

On Unchained, Biden called the accusations against him “a speed bump” next to the Trump family’s dealings, including World Liberty Financial, and said the TRUMP memecoin took money from Trump’s own supporters.

Hunter Biden: Trump's World Liberty part of a 'Mount Everest of corruption'

Posted October 1, 2026 at 7:39 am ET.

Asked about World Liberty Financial, Hunter Biden said the Trump family’s business dealings make the accusations against him look like “a speed bump as compared to the Mount Everest of corruption that they are engaged in.”

Host Laura Shin asked Biden on the show, in an episode that streamed Wednesday, about his August post on X, which said, “The Trump family’s business, World Liberty Financial, is corruption at a scale we’ve never seen.” Shin noted that the post compared World Liberty’s borrowing against its own token to how FTX operated before it collapsed.

Biden answered by pointing beyond World Liberty to the rest of the family. He urged listeners to look at “each family member individually” and at “what they have done that has been reported in the public,” and to compare it with the accusations made against him. “I literally did no business other than sell paintings while my dad was President of the United States,” he said.

Earlier in the interview, Biden said every move Trump has made in crypto has been “for the benefit of himself and not for the community, not for cryptocurrency as a whole, not for the policy.”

Get Unchained’s crypto news in your inbox with the free Unchained Daily newsletter.

World Liberty’s Business Trump’s 2025 financial disclosure shows about $592 million from World Liberty token sales and equity, part of roughly $1.4 billion in crypto income. An entity backed by the UAE’s national security adviser agreed to pay $500 million for 49% of World Liberty, The Wall Street Journal reported, according to Fortune. The company’s trust arm won preliminary conditional approval for a national trust charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in August. In April, World Liberty borrowed about $75 million against its own token on Dolomite. World Liberty said at the time that it was “nowhere near liquidation” and would “simply supply more collateral” if needed.

Justin Sun’s Lawsuit Tron founder Justin Sun, who says he invested $45 million in WLFI tokens, is suing World Liberty, alleging it secretly froze his tokens. At the parties’ joint request, a federal judge paused the case on Tuesday until Oct. 22 over a jurisdiction question. World Liberty has called Sun’s claims meritless, and it has filed its own defamation suit against him in Florida state court.

The TRUMP Memecoin Explaining why he launched his own memecoin, LAPTOP, Biden said Trump presented himself as “the crypto king” but has done more damage than good to the crypto community. Biden called it “the cardinal sin of what he did” that the money came from Trump’s most devoted followers. Trump “literally took the money out of their pockets” and put it into his own, Biden said. “I can’t believe that a sitting president of the United States, let alone anyone, would do that.”

TRUMP launched on Jan. 17, 2025, three days before the President’s inauguration. CIC Digital, a Trump Organization affiliate, and Fight Fight Fight LLC together own 80% of its supply, unlocking over three years, according to the token’s website. About 1 million wallets have net losses totaling $4.5 billion on the token, NBC News reported in July. Trump reported $635 million in 2025 royalties from a licensing agreement with Celebration Coins, which NBC News described as a group specializing in meme coins bearing his name. TRUMP traded near $2.18 on Wednesday, 97% below its January 2025 peak.

Related Listen: The Chopping Block: CLARITY Dies on the Senate Floor, Hunter Biden’s LAPTOP Rug, and the AI Pause Pact

AI-assisted content: This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by a member of the Unchained editorial team before publication.

Acquisition would provide NANO Nuclear with strategically valuable NRC-licensed fuel cycle assets and optionality to pursue domestic nuclear fuel cycle activities, independently or in collaboration with strategic partners

Upon completion of the transaction and transfer of the NRC license, NANO Nuclear would own one of ten NRC-licensed fuel cycle facilities in the United States

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - October 1, 2026) - NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) ("NANO Nuclear" or the "Company"), an advanced nuclear energy and technology company developing microreactors, nuclear fuel cycle capabilities and nuclear transportation solutions, today announced that NANO Nuclear and its wholly owned subsidiary, HALEU Energy Fuel Inc., have entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with Radnostix, Inc. (formerly International Isotopes Inc.) and its subsidiary International Isotopes Fluorine Products, Inc. to acquire strategic U.S. nuclear fuel processing assets, including a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") license and related intellectual property and technical materials associated with a previously planned depleted uranium hexafluoride ("DUF6") deconversion and fluorine extraction facility in Lea County, New Mexico.

The proposed acquisition would provide NANO Nuclear with existing NRC-licensed fuel cycle assets and a substantial body of associated licensing and technical work. Upon completion of the transaction and transfer of the NRC license, NANO Nuclear would own one of ten NRC-licensed fuel cycle facilities in the United States. The acquisition is also subject to the satisfaction of future closing conditions.

Figure 1 - NANO Nuclear Energy Advances Vertical Integration Strategy by Signing Definitive Agreement to Acquire Strategic NRC-Licensed U.S. Nuclear Fuel Processing Assets - IIFP General Site Location, Proposed Facility Boundary, and Plant Throughput for the DUF₆ Deconversion Process.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11703/316891_ce00829e142b3b35_003full.jpg

By acquiring an existing NRC-licensed fuel cycle asset, NANO Nuclear is strategically positioned with the flexibility to pursue a depleted uranium hexafluoride ("DUF6) deconversion facility or additional fuel cycle processes through amendments to the existing NRC license, which NANO Nuclear believes could provide a significantly more efficient regulatory pathway than developing and licensing a comparable facility on a new site. The licensing, regulatory, engineering and technical foundation derived from the acquired assets could also inform and potentially streamline the development and licensing of similar fuel cycle capabilities at other locations. Together, these assets would provide NANO Nuclear with increased optionality to pursue domestic fuel cycle opportunities, either independently or in collaboration with other nuclear fuel processing companies.

If completed, the proposed acquisition would represent another important milestone in NANO Nuclear's long-term strategy to establish a vertically integrated advanced nuclear energy and fuel platform, extending its potential capabilities, whether internally or through strategic collaborations, across uranium conversion, enrichment, deconversion and transportation through reactor deployment.

Figure 2 - NANO Nuclear Energy Advances Vertical Integration Strategy by Signing Definitive Agreement to Acquire Strategic NRC-Licensed U.S. Nuclear Fuel Processing Assets

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11703/316891_ce00829e142b3b35_004full.jpg

Establishing a Strategic U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Platform

The NRC license was originally issued to construct and operate a DUF6 deconversion and fluorine extraction facility in Lea County, New Mexico. The proposed acquisition also includes related patented technology, engineering and safety analyses, regulatory and permitting materials, equipment and historical project development records. The facility contemplated under the existing license was not previously constructed.

While the site is licensed by the NRC under 10 CFR Part 40, "Domestic Licensing of Source Material," the licensing basis was required by the NRC to meet applicable requirements of Subpart H of 10 CFR Part 70, "Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material," in connection with a rulemaking framework previously contemplated by the NRC. NANO Nuclear expects the acquisition of an existing licensed fuel cycle facility developed to these requirements to facilitate a more streamlined regulatory pathway for adding certain additional fuel cycle processes requiring authorization under 10 CFR Part 70 through future license amendments if desired, subject in each case to applicable NRC review and approval.

Following closing and transfer of the NRC license, NANO Nuclear plans to continue its evaluation of several options in determining the optimal commercial and development pathway for the acquired assets, including potential deconversion and other fuel cycle activities, as well as opportunities to collaborate with potential strategic partners. No final investment decision has been made, and any future development remains subject to applicable technical, commercial, financing and regulatory considerations.

"This proposed acquisition is fundamentally about securing a strategically valuable position within the U.S. nuclear fuel cycle," said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear Energy. "An existing NRC-licensed fuel cycle facility, supported by years of regulatory and technical development, provides us with a foundation we believe is extremely difficult to recreate from the ground up. It gives us multiple potential pathways to expand our domestic fuel cycle capabilities while preserving the flexibility to determine the development strategy that creates the greatest long-term value."

"Our objective is to build the capabilities necessary to support a more complete and resilient domestic nuclear energy industry," said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy. "This transaction would establish another critical pillar of our vertically integrated nuclear fuel strategy, providing us with an important platform from which to pursue future fuel cycle opportunities, both independently and alongside strategic industry collaborators. I am very pleased with our continued business and commercial approach to creating long-term shareholder value in the nuclear energy sector."

Transaction Terms and Next Steps

Under the asset purchase agreement, the consideration being paid for the assets at closing is $9.5 million in cash and $4.0 million in NANO common stock, payable and issuable at closing in accordance with the agreement. Closing remains subject to NRC consent to the license transfer, other required approvals and consents (including from New Mexico officials), satisfactory site arrangements and other closing conditions. The parties currently expect closing in approximately 90 to 120 days, although the timing will depend on those approvals and conditions.

About NANO Nuclear Energy, Inc.

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) is a North American advanced technology-driven nuclear energy company seeking to become a commercially focused, diversified, and vertically integrated company across five business lines: (i) cutting edge portable and other microreactor technologies, (ii) nuclear fuel supply chain, (iii) nuclear fuel transportation, (iv) nuclear applications for space and (v) nuclear industry consulting services.

Led by a world-class nuclear engineering team, NANO Nuclear's reactor products in development include the proprietary KRONOS MMR™ Energy System, a stationary high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that is in construction permit pre-application engagement U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in collaboration with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the ZEUS™ system, a portable solid core battery reactor, and the space focused, portable LOKI MMR™ system, each representing advanced developments in clean energy solutions that are portable, on-demand capable, advanced nuclear microreactors.

Advanced Fuel Transportation Inc. (AFT), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, bolstered by the May 2026 acquisition of Secured Transportation Services (STS), is led by former executives from the largest transportation company in the world and provides nuclear engineering and materials transport services in the U.S. and globally. Through NANO Nuclear, AFT is the exclusive licensee of a patented high-capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket developed by three major U.S. national nuclear laboratories and funded by the Department of Energy.

HALEU Energy Fuel Inc. (HEF), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is focusing on the future development of a domestic source for a High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel fabrication pipeline for NANO Nuclear's own microreactors as well as the broader advanced nuclear reactor industry.

NANO Nuclear Space Inc. (NNS), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is exploring the potential commercial applications of NANO Nuclear's developing micronuclear reactor technology in space. NNS is focusing on applications such as the LOKI MMR™ system and other power systems for extraterrestrial projects and human sustaining environments, and potentially propulsion technology for long haul space missions. NNS' initial focus will be on cis-lunar applications, referring to uses in the space region extending from Earth to the area surrounding the Moon's surface.

For more corporate information please visit: https://NanoNuclearEnergy.com/

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release and statements of NANO Nuclear's management and collaborators in connection with this news release contain or may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "explore," "plans", "aim," "goal," "believes", "potential", "future," "will", "should", "could", "would" or "may" or derivations of these words and other words of similar meaning about the future, although forward-looking statements could be denoted by other terms as well. In this press release, forward-looking statements include those relating to (i) the future anticipated closing of the asset purchase agreement with Radnostix described herein, which remains subject to significant conditions to closing, including NRC approval, and other conditions precedent and (ii) the anticipated potential benefits to NANO Nuclear of the assets to be acquired and its vertical integration strategy and other business plans. These and other forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management's current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For NANO Nuclear, particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to, risks associated with conditions to closing the asset purchase agreement, which may not be satisfied, including for reasons beyond NANO Nuclear's control, as well as the following: (i) risks related to our U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE"), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC"), Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ("CNSC") or related state or other U.S. or non-U.S nuclear licensing submissions, (ii) risks related the development of new or advanced technology and the acquisition of complementary technology or businesses, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, regulatory delays, integration issues and the development of competitive technology, (iii) risks related to our ability to obtain key vendor, technology and customer contracts and the significant funding necessary to execute on our business plan, (iv) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to technologically develop and commercially deploy a competitive advanced nuclear reactor or other technology in the timelines we anticipate, if ever, (v) risks related to the impact of U.S. and non-U.S. government regulation, policies and licensing requirements, including by the U.S. Department of Energy, and the NRC, including those associated with the recently enacted ADVANCE Act and the May 23, 2025 Executive Orders seeking to streamline nuclear regulation, and (vi) similar risks and uncertainties associated with the operating a developing business a highly regulated, competitive and rapidly evolving industry, including that our plans may change and we may use our cash on hand faster or in different ways than anticipated as our business requires. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement, and NANO Nuclear therefore encourages investors to review other factors that may affect future results in its filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov and at https://ir.nanonuclearenergy.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/316891

Source: NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.

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1.10.2026 14:25, ACN

Poradenská společnost Accenture oznámila své výsledky hospodaření za čtvrtý kvartál fiskálního roku 2026, který skončil 31. srpna 2026. Výnosy společnosti vzrostly meziročně o 6,3 % na 18,68 mld. USD a umístily se nad predikcí Wall Street i nad horní hranicí výhledu společnosti. Nové objednávky dosáhly 22,2 mld. USD a překonaly odhady analytiků ve výši 20,04 mld. USD. Analytici pozitivně hodnotí poskytnutý výhled pro celý fiskální rok 2027.

Výsledky společnosti Accenture (ACN) za 4Q FY 2026   4Q FY 2026 Konsensus 4Q 2026 4Q FY 2025 Výnosy (mld. USD) 18,68 18,04 17,60 Čistý zisk (mld. USD) 1,99 -- 1,41 Zisk na akcii (EPS, USD/akcie) 3,29 -- 2.25 Výsledky za 4Q Na úrovni výnosů společnost vykázala meziroční růst o 6,3 % na 18,68 mld. USD, čímž předčila tržní konsenzus 18,04 mld. USD. V konstantních měnách výnosy meziročně vzrostly o 7 %.

Nové objednávky meziročně vzrostly o 4,2 % na 22,2 mld. USD, čímž překonaly analytické odhady ve výši 20,04 mld. USD. Poměr nových objednávek k výnosům činil 1,2. Nové konzultační objednávky vzrostly meziročně o 6 % na 9,40 mld. USD při očekávání 9,18 mld. USD. Nové objednávky v oblasti řízených služeb zaznamenaly meziroční růst o 2,7 % na 12,77 mld. USD při očekávání 10,86 mld. USD.

Výnosy Accenture ve 4Q dle divize
(mld. USD) Divize Výnosy Konsensus Meziroční změna Komunikace, média, technologie 3,26 3,13 +10 % Finanční služby 3,47 3,38 +5 % Zdravotnické a veřejné služby 3,86 3,68 +8 % Produkty 5,56 5,48 +3 % Zdroje 2,52 2,34  +6 % Hrubá marže společnosti meziročně vzrostla o 0,1 p. b. na 32,0 %, zatímco trh očekával 31,8 %.

Provozní marže se meziročně zvýšila o 370 bazických bodů na 15,3 %. Oproti očištěné provozní marži ve 4Q FY 2025 ve výši 15,1 % jde o zlepšení o 20 bazických bodů.

Provozní hotovostní toky meziročně poklesly o 21 % na 3,10 mld. USD, trh však očekával pouze 2,6 mld. USD. Volné hotovostní toky činily 2,85 mld. USD, což představuje meziroční pokles o 25 %.

Výhled V prvním kvartále fiskálního roku 2027 společnost očekává:

Výnosy v rozmezí 18,95 až 19,60 mld. USD, což implikuje meziroční růst o 2 až 6 % v konstantních měnách. Dopad měnových kurzů na výsledky by měl být přibližně -1 %. V celém fiskálním roce 2027 Accenture projektuje:

Růst výnosů v rozmezí 3 až 6 % v konstantních měnách. Zisk na akcii v rozmezí 14,39 až 14,81 USD. Provozní marže by se měla pohybovat mezi 15,9 a 16,1 %. Provozní hotovostní toky v rozmezí 11,9 až 12,7 mld. USD. Volné hotovostní toky mezi 11,0 a 11,8 mld. USD. Akcionářům chce společnost ve fiskálním roce 2027 vrátit nejméně 9,5 mld. USD. Návrat kapitálu akcionářům Akcionářům společnost za fiskální rok vrátila 11,5 mld. USD, z toho 7,5 mld. USD formou zpětných odkupů akcií a 4,0 mld. USD na dividendách. Společnost zároveň deklarovala kvartální dividendu ve výši 1,71 USD na akcii, což představuje zvýšení o 5 %.

Komentář CEO „Překonali jsme náš výhled výnosů pro čtvrtý kvartál a završili další rok širokého růstu napříč celým naším byznysem. Zvýšili jsme očištěný zisk na akcii o 8 %, vrátili akcionářům rekordních 11,5 mld. USD a dosáhli nového maxima 141 klientů, u nichž čtvrtletní objem objednávek přesáhl 100 mil. USD. Tyto výsledky odrážejí trvalou důvěru, kterou v nás klienti vkládají při transformaci podnikání a vytváření hodnoty, vysokou míru inovací, kterou každý den přinášíme, a mimořádné nasazení našich lidí pro úspěch našich klientů,“ uvedla CEO společnosti Julie Sweet.

Pohled analytiků Analytici z RBC Capital Markets uvedli, že Accenture vykázala široké překonání očekávání, přičemž růst byl pozitivní napříč regiony i odvětvovými segmenty. Zpráva podle nich ukazuje solidní dynamiku nových objednávek a zejména nové maximum 141 klientů s kvartálními objednávkami nad 100 mil. USD ve 4Q, což signalizuje stabilní až zlepšující se poptávku.

Podle analytiků Vital Knowledge jde o působivou zprávu i výhled od Accenture, v ostrém kontrastu se zklamáním z posledních výsledků. Společnost překonala očekávání ve všech hlavních ukazatelích, což podtrhuje, že její byznys (alespoň zatím) v éře AI obstojí velmi dobře.

Analytici z Bloomberg Intelligence uvedli, že nový výhled Accenture na fiskální rok 2027, počítající s růstem výnosů o 3 až 6 % při konstantních měnových kurzech, podporuje jejich investiční tezi, že společnost dokáže překonat konsenzus i bez plošného oživení diskrečních výdajů na IT.

Akcie Accenture Akcie Accenture (ACN) v předburzovní fázi obchodování posilují o 17,24 % na 214,99 USD.

Akcie Accenture (ACN) před výsledky na 183,37 USD Ukazatel   Ukazatel   Kapitalizace (mld. USD) 112,2 P/E 13,1 Vývoj za letošní rok (%) -31,7 Očekávané P/E 12,5 52týdenní minimum (USD) 118,2 Prům. cílová cena (USD) 188,0 52týdenní maximum (USD) 291,1 Dividendový výnos (%) 3,6 Zdroj: Accenture, Bloomberg

Michal Bárta, Fio banka, a.s.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 1, 2026) - Elevate Service Group Inc. (TSXV: SERV) (OTCQB: ESVCF) (FSE: Y19) ("Elevate" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an amended and restated credit agreement with a Schedule I Canadian lender, providing up to $25 million of acquisition financing and increasing its revolving operating facility to $7.5 million (the "Credit Facility"). The expanded Credit Facility provides Elevate with additional financial flexibility to execute its acquisition strategy while supporting the working capital requirements of its growing operating platform.

The amended Credit Facility includes: a new $25.0 million undrawn acquisition facility to support qualifying acquisitions in Canada and the United States; a $7.5 million revolving operating facility, increased from $6.0 million, to support working capital requirements; and approximately $14.5 million of existing term debt previously advanced in connection with completed acquisitions.

"The expansion of our credit facility reflects the continued support of our banking partner and provides Elevate with additional flexibility to pursue our growth strategy," said Paul Bissett, Chief Executive Officer of Elevate. "With up to $25 million of acquisition capacity and an expanded operating line, we are well positioned to pursue opportunities within our active acquisition pipeline across Canada and the United States while maintaining a disciplined approach to leverage and capital allocation."

"This facility is a powerful strategic tool that significantly enhances our ability to execute on our acquisition pipeline," said Romeo Di Battista Jr., Executive Chairman of Elevate. "By combining senior bank debt with our public market currency, balance sheet cash and vendor financing, we can structure compelling acquisitions, accelerate our growth and continue building Elevate into a leading North American services platform."

The amended Credit Facility also improves the Company's borrowing terms. The interest rate on the operating facility has been reduced to prime plus 1.00% from prime plus 1.25%, while the interest rate on the acquisition facility is based on prime plus a margin determined by the prevailing leverage ratio. The $25 million acquisition facility may be drawn in multiple tranches to finance qualifying acquisitions in Canada and the United States, subject to the terms and conditions of the credit agreement. Amounts drawn under the facility are amortized over seven years.

The Credit Facility contains customary financial and other covenants, including a maximum Total Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio of 3.50x, subject to a temporary increase to 3.75x following certain material acquisitions, and a minimum Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of 1.10x. The Credit Facility matures on May 10, 2028 and is secured against the assets and subsidiaries of the Company.

Elevate Service Group Inc.

Elevate Service Group is a national facilities management and essential commercial services company focused on building an integrated platform through disciplined acquisitions and organic growth. Through its operating companies, Elevate brings decades of experience serving national, blue-chip customers. The Company is building a scalable platform supported by shared infrastructure, technology and operational best practices. This approach drives efficiencies, expands service offerings, and delivers superior customer outcomes. Elevate trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker "SERV", on the OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker "ESVCF", and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker "Y19".

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates, and projections as of the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events, or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budgets", "schedules", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events, or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information.

In disclosing the forward-looking information contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political, and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking information, or otherwise.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Elevate Service Group Inc.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/316851

Source: Elevate Service Group Inc.

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If you follow the global automotive industry or Tesla (TSLA +0.56%) you likely know that the electric vehicle (EV) maker has a big China problem. To be fair, all automakers in China, domestic or foreign, have a China problem amid the country's economic uncertainty and a brutal EV price war that has squeezed margins across the board. To combat this, Tesla is opting to send vehicles from its Shanghai plant to more profitable destinations in Asia.

That has Tesla's sights on Vietnam, a fast-growing economy with EV sales more than doubling last year. But Tesla will face a local powerhouse with 92% of the domestic market. Of course, Tesla has at least one advantage that could help it not only boost global sales but also improve margins.

Exports to save the day! One only has to glance at Tesla's domestic sales in China and its exports to see the trend: Through the first eight months of 2026, Tesla delivered just over 316,000 vehicles in China, down 12% from the prior year. On the flip side, Tesla's export volume over that same time period rose 115%, topping 331,000 vehicles.

Considering export sales are generally more profitable than domestic sales in China right now, it's a prudent move. Now Tesla has started exporting Chinese production to Vietnam, which became Southeast Asia's largest EV market last year, with 40% EV market share of new car sales in the region. During the second quarter, EV sales in Vietnam surged nearly 90% compared to the prior year.

But standing in the way of Tesla's otherwise sound strategy is VinFast Auto (NASDAQ: VFS), which, again, has captured a remarkable 92% of the Vietnam EV market.

"It would be difficult for Tesla to compete with VinFast in Vietnam because VinFast has advantages that go well beyond product availability," Koketso Tsoai, senior auto analyst at BMI, told CNBC.

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Only veteran auto industry investors will have heard of VinFast, especially given its debacle entering the U.S. market, marked by consistent quality issues, a transition from direct-to-consumer sales to a dealership network, and an ultra-thin product lineup of just two vehicles.

Despite its failure in the U.S. market, it's an entirely different game on VinFast's home turf. Tesla does, however, have a few things in its favor. VinFast can't compete with Tesla on its global brand image or its advanced technology and software, including its controversial full self-driving functionality, all of which appeal more to premium EV buyers in Vietnam hoping to stand out. VinFast vehicles with such a commanding market share have become commoditized, giving Tesla a perfect opportunity to export its premium China-made vehicles.

VinFast's VF9 is one of the only two VinFast vehicles American's might recognize competing domestically. Image source: VinFast.

What it all means Vietnam is a different animal from other Southeast Asian markets Tesla has entered. Consider that Thailand's EV market has a more mature production ecosystem and a range of well-known, affordable Chinese-brand options, while Indonesia's market is primarily focused on battery materials and incentivizes local production.

On the one hand, Tesla won't need to generate EV demand from scratch in Vietnam, with market awareness already high; on the other hand, it will have to prove that its brand, ownership experience, and technology all deserve a premium over the local stalwart. All that said, this is but one move of many that Tesla is making to boost its operations in China amid the critical market's instability and price war. That alone makes this development worth noting for investors.

The U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds' nine-day, $3.1 billion net inflow streak came to an end on Wednesday, with a combined $148.7 million in net outflows, according to data compiled by The Block.

BlackRock's usually dominant IBIT product ended its own nine-day, $1.6 billion inflow run, with $9.5 million exiting the fund. Fidelity's FBTC led the day's net outflows with $125.6 million, followed by Bitwise's BITB with $13.6 million. The remaining funds all registered zero flows.

Spot bitcoin ETF flows. Image: The Block. The nine-day streak had marked one of the most positive runs for the bitcoin funds this year, taking cumulative flows back into positive territory for 2026.

"Here's a nice look at the lifetime cumulative flows for the Bitcoin ETFs… getting really close to a new high water mark, which is arguably astonishing given what they've been through over the past 11months," Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas said ahead of the latest daily figures.

However, the funds remain about $5 billion away from their cumulative flow peak on Oct. 10 last year, fellow Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart noted.

Cumulative flows into bitcoin ETFs. Image: Bloomberg. Overall, the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have generated over $57 billion in cumulative net inflows since their debut in January 2024 and $970 million year-to-date, with over $100 billion in assets under management, per The Block's Bitcoin ETF Tracker page.

Last week, the newest Bitcoin ETF from Morgan Stanley, which launched in April this year, topped 10,000 BTC in assets under management for the first time, according to the firm's MSBT fund page.

Spot Bitcoin ETF AUM. Image: The Block. Meanwhile, U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs saw $59.6 million in net outflows on Wednesday, led by $26.6 million exiting Fidelity's FETH fund. That extends their net outflow streak to two days, following a prior seven-day, $850 million inflow streak. Total net inflows for the Ethereum funds, which launched later in July 2024, currently stand at around $14 billion.

Spot Ethereum ETF flows. Image: The Block. Bitcoin whipsaws as soft PCE cools October Fed rate hike bets Bitcoin whipsawed around the $84,000 level on Wednesday, as a softer-than-expected reading of the Federal Reserve's preferred PCE inflation gauge reduced expectations for another interest rate hike in October.

"A 0.2% monthly rise in core PCE prices is welcome news for the Fed," said Brendan Ma, head of investment strategy at the Arbitrum Foundation. "If September CPI points the same way, the pressure for an October hike eases."

Bitcoin closed positive for September, up 6.4%. It is currently trading at around $83,950 on Thursday, per The Block's (BTC) price page.

BTC price chart. Image: The Block.

Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

Ripple has performed its scheduled monthly release of 1 billion XRP from escrow as October begins. Blockchain tracker Whale Alert reported four transactions that saw a total of 1 billion XRP unlocked from escrow.

The transactions are given as 400,000,000 XRP worth $595,636,565 at the time of unlock; 200,000,000 XRP worth $297,818,282; 300,000,000 XRP worth $446,727,424; and 100,000,000 XRP worth $148,909,141.

The release follows Ripple's established practice of unlocking XRP at the beginning of each month from its escrow accounts. While the headline figure is 1 billion XRP, the entire amount does not necessarily enter the circulating market.

Ripple has often returned a large portion (about 700 to 800 million XRP) of unlocked XRP to escrow, with the remainder used for operational purposes, ecosystem initiatives, and other activities.

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According to XRPScan data, the total XRP escrowed is given as 31,845,130,805 XRP (31.9% of supply), while the XRP circulating supply is given as 68,126,080,636 (68.1% of total supply of 100 billion XRP). A total of 14,394,279 XRP has been burned so far (0.014% of supply).

The next 24 hours will be watched to see how much Ripple returns to its escrow to get the exact amount of XRP left. For now, 31.845 billion XRP remains escrowed, down from over 32.4 billion XRP reported months back.

Ripple newsLendingProtocolV1_1 is open for validator voting. It introduces closed-ended vaults and cash-basis accounting for XRPL lending, and it must activate before the Lending Protocol and Single Asset Vault amendments can proceed.

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In a recent milestone, over 10 million x402 payments have now settled on the XRP Ledger, less than 3 months after hitting the 1 million milestone.

According to RippleX head of engineering JA Akinyele, the volume is still dominated by AI agents paying for inference and data, but a broader range of x402 services are beginning to show up across financial data, risk, credit, and other agent APIs. In addition, the latest 7-day run rate is now 500,000 payments per day'

In a major milestone, central securities depository CSD BR is recording securities ownership on a public blockchain for the first time—on the XRP Ledger. CSD BR is partnering with Ripple to bring Brazil's regulated capital markets onchain, starting with BTG Pactual fund shares secured by Ripple Custody.

Uphold has rolled out Vault Inheritance, which is described as a legacy-planning option for customers who keep Bitcoin, XRP, and Hedera in the platform’s assisted self-custody wallet.

The company framed the product as a response to a problem unique to crypto: legal title can pass to an heir, but the cryptographic control needed to move coins often does not.

Vault itself launched in late 2023 as a 2-of-3 multisignature wallet inside the Uphold app.

Two keys belong to the user and one belongs to Uphold.

Two signatures are required to move funds, so the firm cannot unilaterally spend customer assets, while users still get help replacing a lost key and can trade without first leaving the app.

Inheritance is now layered on that structure. A holder invites a beneficiary from the Vault dashboard.

The invitee must be at least 18 and hold an Uphold account.

That person receives no view of balances, history, or addresses while the owner is alive, and the designation can be changed at any time.

After a death, the beneficiary starts a claim in the app and submits official records such as a certified death certificate or probate order.

Uphold’s compliance team reviews the paperwork.

Only after that review does the firm co-sign a transfer of Vault holdings into the beneficiary’s own Uphold wallet.

The company says the beneficiary needs no prior crypto experience.

For XRP, the ledger’s reserve rules still apply, so a small amount of XRP must remain in the account.

Nancy Beaton, Uphold’s president of consumer, said digital assets have become part of how many people build wealth, yet few simple tools exist to pass them on securely, “especially for XRP holders.”

The firm cited widely circulated estimates that millions of bitcoin—valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars—sit in wallets that are effectively unreachable because owners died or lost keys.

Those figures mix several kinds of inaccessibility and should be treated as industry estimates rather than a precise inventory.

Even so, they capture the practical gap the product is meant to close.

Vault currently supports BTC, XRP, HBAR, and a short list of XRPL tokens, with more networks planned.

Availability follows Uphold’s existing footprint, including the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area, most US states, and other supported regions.

The design is a compromise.

Users keep day-to-day control and can still move coins independently if Uphold’s systems fail.

They also accept a paid subscription and place trust in the firm to verify claims and co-sign the final transfer.

That is different from leaving seed phrases in a will or relying on a purely self-managed wallet, where a missing phrase can lock an estate out of the funds forever.

It is also different from a conventional brokerage account, where beneficiary designations are usually free and the custodian already holds the assets.

For holders who want self-custody without treating key management as a family project, Vault Inheritance is a narrower, productized path: name one adult beneficiary, keep the coins private in life, and let a documented claim, plus Uphold’s remaining key, complete the handoff after death.

Despite multiple major sell-offs, the S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.25%) has more than doubled since the start of 2023 and is up 13.1% year-to-date. That's significant outperformance relative to the index's annual total returns of 9% to 10% over long periods.

Investors sometimes associate higher stock prices with stocks being more expensive. Nvidia (NVDA +0.52%), Alphabet (GOOG +1.01%)(GOOGL +0.93%), and Amazon (AMZN +1.00%) show why that isn't always the case, and why the S&P 500 remains a good value.

Image source: Getty Images.

The S&P 500 forward P/E ratio is just 19.4 Valuations expand when stock prices outpace earnings growth. Valuations compress if earnings hold up during steep sell-offs or if earnings are simply growing faster than stock prices -- which can happen during periods of rapid innovation like the one we are in now.

You may be surprised to learn that, despite the major indexes being around all-time highs, many of the largest growth stocks have actually gotten cheaper based on their forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios.

AAPL PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts

As you can see in the chart, Nvidia trades at just 24.4 times forward earnings, Amazon is just 20.1, and Alphabet is 17.2. That's because earnings and forward earnings estimates have been rising faster than their stock prices. Those are three of the five most valuable companies in the world. The other two are Microsoft (MSFT +0.77%) and Apple (AAPL +1.10%). Microsoft's valuation has been more consistent. Whereas Apple has staged an epic rally in recent months and isn't projected to grow as quickly, which is why its forward P/E is so much higher than its mega-cap peers.

The forward P/E of the S&P 500 is just 19.4 -- which is the lowest since April 2025 during the height of the tariff-induced sell-off. Earnings growing faster than stock prices is a signal that there's considerable uncertainty about whether hyperscalers and chip giants will live up to lofty expectations. Doubt may be creeping in, particularly for stocks like Amazon and Alphabet, which are hovering around valuations comparable to the index, even though they are far higher-quality companies than the typical S&P 500 component.

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Nvidia stock is up 21.9%, but its earnings are growing even faster Inexpensive valuations from top growth stocks are a reminder that stock price charts only tell part of the story. And ultimately, what matters more than tickers fluctuating between green and red is how the underlying business is doing and how it is projected to perform. Take Nvidia, for example.

In late August, Nvidia reported blowout second-quarter fiscal 2027 results, with record profits and high margins despite soaring memory chip costs. Nvidia buys memory chips from suppliers to include in its rack-scale solutions for data centers, which are a plug-and-play offering that includes graphics processing units, central processing units, and other chips and networking hardware. Even with half of fiscal 2027 still to go, Nvidia is already guiding for a 70% year-over-year increase in fiscal 2028 revenue as its latest platform, Vera Rubin, began shipments in August with clear visibility for sales well into fiscal 2028.

So despite Nvidia's stock price increasing 21.9% year-to-date, and 38.9% last year, its valuation has compressed because its earnings growth is even faster.

Amazon and Alphabet are also good examples of affordable growth stocks. Amazon has a track record of aggressively reinvesting in its best ideas rather than buying back stock. Whereas Alphabet has been consistently free cash flow (FCF) positive, profitable, and regularly buys back stock. But both companies view artificial intelligence (AI) as such a massive opportunity that they have turned FCF negative, with a lot of that spending going to companies like Nvidia for compute capacity.

However, hyperscaler margins could soar once capital investments in AI data centers begin raking in revenue. And while chip stocks like Nvidia, Broadcom, and Advanced Micro Devices would be impacted if their top customers pulled back on spending, they also stand to benefit from future upgrades of existing infrastructure with next-generation tech, as well as the overall demand for compute growing from non-hyperscalers -- such as AI start-ups. Nvidia views the opportunity outside of its core hyperscaler customer base as massive, which is why it's partnering with a consortium of financial institutions to raise $500 billion for AI infrastructure.

Leading AI stocks at compelling valuations The rapid run-up of many top AI growth stocks in recent years may give investors pause -- especially with major indexes like the S&P 500 near all-time highs. But the earnings growth has been so exceptional that many stocks have actually gotten cheaper.

That said, there are risks with valuing stocks based on forward P/E. It puts pressure on companies like Nvidia to meet high expectations, which Nvidia has so far done. But if there is a slip-up, or one or two key customers pull back on spending, then that could let out hot air from the valuation.

Therefore, investors who believe that AI spending will ultimately yield a solid return on investment are getting an exceptional opportunity to buy these industry leaders at compelling valuations. Whereas investors who are skeptical of the spending spree may prefer that hyperscalers transition back toward capital-light, high FCF companies rather than capital-intensive, negative FCF companies before smashing the buy button.

Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart have begun checking security camera ​listings on their platforms in India after hundreds of unlicensed products were offered for sale despite strict government testing rules imposed six months ‌ago amid concerns about espionage risks.

The two e-commerce companies, which dominate online shopping in India, were reviewing internet-enabled surveillance cameras listed by third-party sellers and brands on their platforms after Reuters discovered the listings, two people familiar with the checks said. Any without government approval would be removed, the people said.

Amazon, in an email, declined to comment, while Flipkart did not respond to Reuters ​queries.

From roads to homes, security cameras have become ubiquitous across India, fuelling an industry worth $4.4 billion, but unapproved sales online are a "serious concern", said Gulshan ​Rai, who was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cybersecurity chief from 2015 to 2019.

"A compromised camera can become both a surveillance risk ⁠and a cybersecurity entry point," he told Reuters.

A Reuters analysis this week found more than 700 of roughly 770 internet security camera listings on Amazon and Flipkart were ​for models that were not on the Bureau of Indian Standards' public database of approved brands or cameras.

Since April, surveillance camera manufacturers have been required to submit hardware ​and software for testing to obtain certification from the standards bureau before they can sell their equipment in the world's most populous country.

The rules, first announced in 2024, reflect growing concern in New Delhi that sensitive footage could be transferred abroad. In April, the Delhi police said they had uncovered a Pakistan-linked spying network that used Chinese-made SIM-enabled CCTVs near military sites in northern India ​to send live footage to handlers in Pakistan.

Since Tuesday, at least a dozen listings have been removed from the e-commerce platforms, including at least two models from Hikvision's ​EZVIZ brand, which Amazon now shows as "currently unavailable".

Hikvision (002415.SZ) and Zhejiang Dahua Technology (002236.SZ) had 30% of the Indian security camera market, Counterpoint Research told Reuters last year. The companies did not respond ‌to Reuters ⁠requests for comment.

The Bureau of Indian Standards did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment about the listings.

'LIVE FOOTAGE FROM ANYWHERE'
Global e-commerce giants have often come under fire in India for having restricted products, including e-cigarettes, gender-test kits and banned wildlife products, listed on their platforms.

Reuters found at least eight unlicensed WiFi camera models from Hikvision and Dahua on Amazon. The US has barred its government agencies from buying some of their equipment over Beijing-related security concerns.

Other listings included Maizic Smarthomes, which describes itself ​as India's best-selling AI security brand. None ​of its 138 "wifi camera" offerings on ⁠Amazon, including some slotted inside bulbs, had an Indian approval, the standards bureau's website showed.

One listing sold by Maizic India on Amazon said its "Fish Eye Bulb WiFi 360 Degree Camera" connected to a WiFi network, "allowing you to stream live footage from anywhere ​in the world through your smartphone or tablet."

Maizic co-founder Santosh Kumar Singh told Reuters it had removed WiFi functionality that ​allowed live feeds from ⁠its cameras and the devices would only be enabled for direct connectivity with a nearby mobile device until it secured government approval.

ESPIONAGE RISK
In July, a confidential email reviewed by Reuters showed, Amazon told one of its sellers it was removing its camera listing for not having the necessary approval marks, following a complaint by Sujatha Thammadi, the standards bureau's head ⁠of registration.

Thammadi ​did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Hundreds of listings remained online as of Thursday.

One Dahua ​Wireless Dome Camera was listed on Amazon for 779 Indian rupees ($8.10) after a 70% discount. Dahua's popular brand Imou, meanwhile, has a dedicated page on Amazon India — with promotional videos, separate indoor and outdoor ​WiFi camera categories and a "Hot Selling" section.

One of the sources said Amazon had decided to remove the brand page.

Key Takeaways DogeOS introduced its public testing network on Wednesday, enabling Ethereum-compatible smart contract functionality for Dogecoin. The platform facilitates decentralized finance activities including swaps, borrowing protocols, stablecoins, betting markets, and gaming applications using test tokens. Dogecoin currently changes hands around $0.0955, representing a roughly 60% decline year-over-year. The OP_CHECKZKP Dogecoin Core enhancement proposal would enable native proof verification by miners, though it remains under development. Technical analyst Trader Tardigrade identifies a bullish pennant formation suggesting upside toward $0.124. Dogecoin maintains its position near $0.0955 while a fresh initiative seeks to expand the cryptocurrency’s functionality beyond simple transactions and speculative trading. DogeOS, a secondary protocol layer constructed atop Dogecoin’s blockchain, activated its public testing environment this Wednesday.

Dogecoin (DOGE) Price The testing network provides infrastructure for developers to create decentralized applications spanning exchange platforms, credit markets, dollar-pegged tokens, forecasting services, and entertainment products. Transaction costs are paid using testnet DOGE. The architecture maintains compatibility with Ethereum’s development ecosystem, enabling programmers to leverage existing frameworks and toolkits.

With approximately $13 billion in total market capitalization, DOGE’s circulating supply predominantly remains dormant in addresses serving storage or speculative purposes.

DogeOS Technical Architecture DogeOS functions as an independent chain that periodically commits state changes to Dogecoin’s base layer. The system employs cryptographic proofs to demonstrate computational integrity without requiring full transaction replay.

1/ DogeOS Testnet is Open to Builders!

Millions of Dogecoin holders are waiting for more things to do with DOGE.

What are you going to build for them?

Start here ↓ pic.twitter.com/L2yPs2ASU5

— DogeOS (@DogeOS) September 30, 2026

Currently, the infrastructure operates through authorized participants. A designated sequencer arranges transaction ordering, while validators working alongside secure execution environments verify proof validity. Oversight comes from an appointed Security Council.

Dogecoin miners cannot yet validate these cryptographic proofs natively. DogeOS developers have introduced OP_CHECKZKP, a proposed modification to Dogecoin Core that would grant miners direct proof verification capabilities. Initially published in July 2025 with a preliminary code submission following in December, the enhancement awaits community review and potential activation.

The DogeOS initiative originates from the developers of MyDoge, a Dogecoin wallet application. The organization secured $6.9 million in venture funding during May 2025, with Polychain Capital leading the investment round.

According to CEO Jordan Jefferson, the project addresses Dogecoin’s need for fundamental utility independent of celebrity associations.

“We’re focused on the public testnet, giving developers time to build and test applications while we validate the network,” he stated. The team has not disclosed a timeline for mainnet deployment.

Timothy Stebbing, serving as a director at the Dogecoin Foundation, expressed support for the initiative. “My hopes are that DogeOS becomes the springboard for a wave of new utility engineering, the gateway for the next 100 startups to build on Dogecoin,” he remarked.

Historical Context and Price Movement Previous initiatives pursued comparable objectives. Dogechain’s 2022 debut attracted $4.6 million in locked value within its initial days, yet current data from DeFiLlama shows protocol holdings under $300. Shibarium, developed by Shiba Inu’s contributors and launched during 2023, has experienced contraction from approximately $6.4 million in peak deposits to roughly $140,000 presently.

DogeOS distinguishes itself through official Dogecoin Foundation recognition, contrasting with Dogechain’s independent status. Additionally, the project pursues integration with Dogecoin’s mining infrastructure through the proposed protocol enhancement.

From a market perspective, analyst Trader Tardigrade published analysis on X indicating Dogecoin is “breaking out of a Bull Pennant” formation visible on the 12-hour timeframe, projecting a price objective of $0.124. This assessment emerged while DOGE fluctuated between $0.094 and $0.0955, reflecting a 60% reduction from year-ago levels.

Three Dogecoin exchange-traded funds available to U.S. investors have accumulated approximately $12 million in aggregate net capital flows across nearly ten months of operation. Bitwise’s Dogecoin ETF maintained assets below $700,000 prior to the company’s decision to discontinue the product.

330 patients randomized as of September 30, 2026, surpassing full trial enrollment targetCompany reiterates prior guidance: primary endpoint data to be submitted for late-breaking presentation consideration at a major cardiovascular conference in Q2 2027 Data expected to support future marketing application submissions by Medtronic to the FDA and other global regulatory agencies
NEW HOPE, Pa., Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchestra BioMed Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: OBIO) (“Orchestra BioMed” or the “Company”), a biomedical company accelerating high-impact technologies to patients through strategic partnerships with market-leading medical device companies, today announced that it has surpassed full enrollment in the BACKBEAT Global Pivotal Trial (“BACKBEAT Trial”), exceeding its previously announced target of 316 randomized patients. The BACKBEAT Trial is evaluating Atrioventricular Interval Modulation Therapy (“AVIM Therapy”) in pacemaker-indicated patients with uncontrolled hypertension despite the use of medication. Hypertension is the most common modifiable risk factor for death worldwide and the most common comorbidity among the pacemaker population.1

The BACKBEAT Trial (NCT06059638) is being conducted with Medtronic plc (“Medtronic”), the Company's strategic collaborator for the BACKBEAT Trial and, subject to regulatory approval, for the commercialization of AVIM Therapy in pacemaker-indicated patients with uncontrolled hypertension despite the use of medication.

As of September 30, 2026, 330 patients have been randomized in the BACKBEAT Trial at 81 sites across 13 countries.The BACKBEAT Trial’s protocol, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), specifies 284 evaluable randomized subjects for the primary endpoint analysis, with a total enrollment target of 316 patients to account for potential loss to follow-up. The BACKBEAT Trial is a global, multi-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind pivotal trial. Patients are randomized 1:1 to AVIM Therapy combined with continued medical therapy and pacing (treatment) or continued medical therapy and standard pacing alone (control). The primary efficacy endpoint of the BACKBEAT Trial is the between-group difference in the change in 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure (“aSBP”) at three-month follow-up from pre-randomization baseline. The primary safety endpoint is freedom from unanticipated serious adverse device events in the AVIM Therapy arm at three-month follow-up. The protocol-specified sample size provides greater than 90% statistical power for both primary endpoints and is designed to detect a between-group difference of at least 5 mmHg in aSBP.

David Hochman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Orchestra BioMed, commented, “Achieving and surpassing full enrollment of the BACKBEAT Trial is a defining milestone for Orchestra BioMed, for our collaboration with Medtronic and potentially for the millions of high cardiovascular risk patients who remain above blood pressure target despite the medications available to them today. We are grateful for and excited about the enrollment momentum built across our global trial site network over the last year. I want to thank the patients and their families who chose to participate, and the clinical teams and investigators at our trial sites globally whose commitment made this milestone possible. Our focus now turns to completing three-month follow-up, database lock, and the delivery of a rigorous, well-powered data set next spring.”

Robert C. Kowal, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President and General Manager for Cardiac Pacing Therapies in the Medtronic Electrophysiology Therapies operating unit, stated, “For decades, cardiac pacing has been foundational in the management of rhythm disorders. Reaching full enrollment in the BACKBEAT Trial brings us a big step closer to understanding whether AVIM Therapy can extend the role of cardiac pacing therapy to include hypertension management for patients at increased cardiovascular risk. We are proud of the collaborative work our team and Orchestra BioMed’s team have done alongside investigators around the world, and we look forward to the primary endpoint results.”

Vivek Reddy, M.D., Executive Chairman of the BACKBEAT Clinical Steering Committee, Director of Cardiac Arrhythmia Services at The Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and Director of Electrophysiology for the Mount Sinai Health System, commented, “Randomized, double-blind evidence is the highest standard by which a new therapeutic modality earns its place in clinical practice, and that is exactly what the BACKBEAT Trial was designed to generate. The pilot data for AVIM Therapy have been exciting, consistent and mechanistically coherent, but the field needs a pivotal trial to answer the question definitively. On behalf of the Steering Committee, I want to recognize the investigators, coordinators and other professionals whose work enabled the trial to reach full enrollment, and I look forward to seeing the three-month primary endpoint results.”

Clinical, Regulatory and Commercial Next Steps

Orchestra BioMed and Medtronic intend to submit the BACKBEAT Trial’s primary endpoint results for consideration as a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at a major cardiovascular conference in the second quarter of 2027. Assuming positive results from the BACKBEAT Trial, Medtronic plans to submit AVIM Therapy marketing applications to the FDA and other global regulatory agencies promptly.

About Orchestra BioMed

Orchestra BioMed is a biomedical innovation company accelerating high-impact technologies to patients through strategic collaborations with market-leading global medical device companies. The Company’s two flagship product candidates, Atrioventricular Interval Modulation (AVIM) Therapy and Virtue Sirolimus AngioInfusion Balloon (Virtue SAB), are currently undergoing pivotal clinical trials for their lead indications, each representing multi-billion-dollar annual global market opportunities. AVIM Therapy is a bioelectronic treatment for hypertension, the leading risk factor for death worldwide, and is designed to be delivered by a pacemaker and achieve immediate, substantial and sustained reductions in blood pressure in patients with hypertensive heart disease. The Company has a strategic collaboration with Medtronic, one of the largest medical device companies in the world and the global leader in cardiac pacing therapies, for the development and commercialization of AVIM Therapy for the treatment of uncontrolled hypertension in pacemaker-indicated patients. AVIM Therapy has FDA Breakthrough Device Designations for these patients, as well as an estimated 7.7 million total patients in the U.S. with uncontrolled hypertension despite medical therapy and increased cardiovascular risk. Virtue SAB is a highly differentiated, first-of-its-kind non-coated drug delivery angioplasty balloon system designed to deliver a large liquid dose of proprietary extended-release formulation of sirolimus, SirolimusEFR™, for the treatment of atherosclerotic artery disease, the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Virtue SAB has been granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the FDA for the treatment of coronary in-stent restenosis, coronary small vessel disease and below-the-knee peripheral artery disease. For further information about Orchestra BioMed, please visit www.orchestrabiomed.com, and follow us on LinkedIn.

About AVIM Therapy

AVIM Therapy is an investigational therapy compatible with standard dual-chamber pacemakers designed to substantially and persistently lower blood pressure. It has been evaluated in pilot studies in patients with hypertension who are also indicated for a pacemaker. In MODERATO II, a double-blind, randomized pilot study, AVIM Therapy-treated patients had a mean reduction of 11.1 mmHg in 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure (aSBP) from pre-randomization baseline at six months, representing a net reduction of 8.1 mmHg versus control patients. At the same time point, the net reduction in office systolic blood pressure (oSBP) was 12.3 mmHg versus control.

Additional MODERATO II data showed an immediate mean oSBP reduction of 13.2 mmHg when AVIM Therapy was activated during setup before randomization, with 97% of patients achieving a reduction of at least 5 mmHg. In addition to reducing blood pressure, clinical results using AVIM Therapy demonstrate improvements in cardiac function and hemodynamics.

The BACKBEAT (BradycArdia paCemaKer with atrioventricular interval modulation for Blood prEssure treAtmenT) global pivotal trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of AVIM Therapy in lowering blood pressure in patients who have systolic blood pressure above target despite anti-hypertensive medication and who are indicated for or have recently received a dual-chamber cardiac pacemaker. AVIM Therapy has been granted two Breakthrough Device Designations by the FDA for the treatment of uncontrolled hypertension in patients who have increased cardiovascular risk.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the timing, implementation, results and design of the Company’s ongoing pivotal trials, the timing of regulatory submissions, realizing the clinical and commercial value of the Company’s product candidates, the potential safety and efficacy of the Company’s product candidates, the size of the potential markets for the Company’s product candidates, and the ability of the Company’s partnerships to accelerate clinical development. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of the Company’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and may differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political, and legal conditions; risks related to regulatory approval of the Company’s commercial product candidates and ongoing regulation of the Company’s product candidates, if approved; the timing of, and the Company’s ability to achieve expected regulatory and business milestones; the impact of competitive products and product candidates; and the risk factors discussed under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, which was filed with the SEC on March 12, 2026.

The Company operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. Given these risks and uncertainties, the Company cautions against placing undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which only speak as of the date of this press release. The Company does not plan and undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements made herein, except as required by law.

Investor Contact:
Silas Newcomb
Orchestra BioMed
[email protected]

Media Contact:
Nina Premutico
Orchestra BioMed
[email protected]

1 World Health Organization, Global Report on Hypertension 2025 (an estimated 1.4B adults aged 30–79 with hypertension in 2024, 33% of that age group; ~23% of those living with hypertension have their blood pressure effectively controlled).

United Airlines said it installed Starlink on over 560 of its airplanes as of mid-September. Gary Hershorn/Getty Images United Airlines is trying to pry away its rivals' loyal fliers with a not-so-subtle jab at their lack of Starlink.

"Don't keep buffering: switch to United and get the fastest WiFi in the sky," reads its offer to match travelers' loyalty status on Delta Air Lines or American Airlines.

Early on Thursday, United's X account replied to a dozen posts from users who were discussing the offer or complaining about Delta's in-flight WiFi.

The offer is open until October 15, and customers will have 90 days to spend or fly with United to maintain their status level through the end of January 2028. It applies to members with elite status, which starts with American Gold or Delta Silver Medallion.

United was the first US airline to announce a deal with Elon Musk's Starlink, back in 2024. As of mid-September, Starlink was equipped on about a third of its fleet, including mainline aircraft and regional ones operated by United Express subsidiaries.

Why cheap bus travel is disappearing in America

It hopes that all its airplanes will be equipped with the ultra-fast satellite WiFi service by the end of next year.

Although American signed on with Starlink in May, the service is not yet available as the airline plans to start rolling it out next year on narrow-body airplanes.

American also announced a loyalty-status match program late on Wednesday. It's offered to travelers with status on Southwest, JetBlue, Delta, and United, and lasts for four months.

However, switching your airline of choice may not be practical for everyone.

While the Big Three airlines compete fiercely in major cities, many travelers may find one of them offers more routes — or perhaps the only ones — from their local airport. For example, Delta has a larger presence in the South thanks to its enormous hub in Atlanta.

Unlike its rivals, Delta has passed on Starlink in favor of Amazon Leo. Leo similarly uses a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit for internet connection, but its only other airline customer is JetBlue. Delta plans to start installing the service on 500 aircraft in 2028.

Delta's decision has repeatedly drawn Musk's ire.

On Tuesday, he posted on X saying Delta CEO Ed Bastian will "lose his job over this." The world's richest person also responded with a laughing emoji to one user who joked that AI agents could be isolated from crawling the internet by giving them Delta's in-flight WiFi.

It was at least the third instance of Musk bashing Delta since it announced the Amazon Leo deal in May.

At the time, Bastian told Bloomberg that Amazon's service has an "improved bandwidth with a much lower price point than what we've ever seen from Starlink."

He also highlighted Amazon's retail and video-gaming offerings, and an airline spokesperson cited the potential for a "broader partnership" beyond in-flight WiFi.

Delta and United did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Pete Syme You're currently following this author! Click to unsubscribe from email alerts.

Pete Syme is an aviation reporter for Business Insider, based in London.He writes about all things related to the industry, from aviation safety and CEO interviews to route reveals and airplane tours. Pete also uses data for industry analyses and to visualize breaking news events.Before joining Business Insider in 2022, he graduated with an MA in Newspaper Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English from the University of Exeter.

SpaceX Starlink Elon Musk More United Airlines American Airlines Aviation Airlines

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) shares are trading higher Thursday after the company announced self-hosted deployment for IBM Bob, its agentic software development platform, designed to help enterprises advance AI sovereignty and governance.

IBM shares are climbing with conviction. Why is IBM stock up today? The new deployment option allows organizations to bring AI-powered software development to on-premises, private-cloud, sovereign-cloud, and air-gapped environments, rather than requiring sensitive code, data, or workflows to move to external services. IBM said the offering is aimed at enterprises in regulated industries that need greater control over data residency, security policies, and AI governance, allowing them to run supported models on premises — including in air-gapped environments — or connect Bob to external model services through hybrid configurations.

“The future of enterprise AI will depend on security, governance and sovereignty,” said Neel Sundaresan, GM of AI and Automation at IBM. “Organizations need AI that operates inside environments they have control over, especially when working with sensitive code and regulated data. Bob’s self-hosted deployment provides a way for enterprises to bring agentic AI directly to those environments so they can benefit from the technology while maintaining security, compliance, and operational control.”

IBM Shares Rush HigherIBM Price Action: At the time of publication, IBM shares are trading 5.94% higher at $233.00, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

Image via Shutterstock

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Investment Expected to Yield 15.8% and Generate Significant Earnings Accretion for IIP Shareholders

Investment Expands on IIP's Commitment to Diversify into the Life Science Sector

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (NYSE: IIPR) ("IIP" or the "Company") announced today that it entered into definitive agreements to provide $245 million under a new mezzanine loan commitment to affiliates of IQHQ, Inc. ("IQHQ") in connection with the completion, lease-up, tenant improvements and stabilization of Phase I of Alewife Park, a master-planned life science campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts (the "Investment"). The loan is secured by pledges of equity interests in the entities that own the Alewife Park campus.

Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Alewife Park is a 27-acre life science campus comprised of three existing buildings totaling 392,000 square feet (Phase I) and two pad-ready sites with up to 364,000 square feet of additional development potential (Phase II). According to IQHQ, the campus has approximately $800 million invested prior to IIP’s investment and Phase I is currently 78% leased to Lila Sciences, a Cambridge, MA based AI-enabled next generation scientific discovery company.

“We are pleased to further expand our life science portfolio through this investment for Alewife Park, which we believe will provide attractive risk-adjusted returns for IIP shareholders and significant accretion to our earnings,” said Alan Gold, Executive Chairman of IIP. “This transaction reflects our disciplined approach to capital allocation by providing financing in support of a premier Class A life science campus in Cambridge that has demonstrated strong leasing momentum and further allows us to capitalize on the attractive, long-term strength of the life science industry.”

IIP funded approximately $111 million at closing, which was used to repay in full the borrower’s existing $85 million bridge loan, together with accrued interest, fees and expenses, with the remaining $134 million expected to be funded through the fourth quarter of 2027, as additional amounts are drawn and funding conditions are satisfied. The loan is expected to yield an interest rate of approximately 15.8% over the term of the loan, subject to a floor of 14%.

The loan matures in February 2028 and has a one-year extension option. IIP may also purchase all or a portion of the other mezzanine lender’s notes at IIP’s option, thereby increasing its investment by up to $155 million on the same terms. All items described in this paragraph are subject to certain conditions set forth in the loan agreements.

The Company expects to fund the Investment with cash on hand and borrowings under its revolving credit facilities.

About IQHQ

IQHQ, Inc. is a life science focused real estate company founded in 2019 to meet the industry's needs through the acquisition, development, redevelopment, leasing and management of life science assets.

About Innovative Industrial Properties

Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. is an internally managed real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on the acquisition, ownership and management of specialized properties leased to experienced, state-licensed operators for their regulated cannabis facilities and financial investments in the life science industry. Additional information is available at www.innovativeindustrialproperties.com.

This press release contains statements that IIP believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than historical facts are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as IIP “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “believes” or “should” or the negative thereof or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expected benefits or impact of the transactions described in this press release; the Company’s ability to fund future advances under the mezzanine loan and anticipated funding sources; the Company’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the right of first offer; estimated interest rates and projected yields on the Investment; and the borrower’s ability to satisfy its obligations under the loan. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, changes in interest rates, including fluctuations in SOFR; the borrower’s ability to satisfy conditions to future advances; the borrower’s ability to achieve projected leasing levels; risks related to the development, construction, and lease-up of life science properties; changes in real estate market conditions; the Company’s ability to maintain its REIT qualification; and the risk factors discussed in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, as updated by the Company’s subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements. IIP disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

More News From Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc.

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With the 10-year Treasury now paying more than most income stocks, five dividend names face a simple question: does real cash actually back the payout, or just the yield number on the screen?

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

The 10-year Treasury now pays 5.18%, its highest reading of the past year as of Sept. 24. That raises the bar for every income stock. A dividend payer yielding less than a risk-free bond has to earn its place through growth, and one yielding more has to prove the payout is funded by real cash. This basket runs five names through the coverage metric that fits each business: free cash flow for the drugmakers, adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) for the REITs, and distributable cash flow for the pipeline partnership. Three of the five out-yield Treasuries. All five pass, and the margins of safety vary more than the yields suggest.

Gaming and Leisure Properties: An 8.32% Yield With the Most Room Among Ultra-High Yielders Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) yields 8.32%, which clears the ultra-high-yield threshold and tops the 10-year Treasury well. The quarterly dividend stands at 82 cents, or $3.28 on an annualized forward basis.

Dividend safety read: AFFO is the right metric for a triple-net REIT because it strips out non-cash depreciation that distorts GAAP earnings. Second-quarter AFFO came in at $304 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, up 10.1% year over year, with full-year 2026 AFFO guidance raised to $4.10 to $4.12 per share. Set that against a $3.28 annualized dividend and the cushion is wide. Leverage sits at 4.8x net debt to adjusted EBITDA, below the company’s 5x to 5.5x target range, giving it the ability to fund its pipeline without issuing new equity. The dividend history shows steady steps higher: 76 cents through 2024, 78 cents through 2025 and a 5.1% raise to 82 cents in the second quarter of 2026.

Bull case: Growth is already contracted. A $2.02 billion development pipeline carries a blended 8.77% cap rate, and management projects per-share AFFO growth of through 2027 and into 2028. Second-quarter adjusted EBITDA rose 12.2% to $405.5 million, and the vast majority of tenant rent coverage sits above 1.8x. The shares trade with a 50-day moving average of $42.79, below the 200-day average of $45.26 and well under the $52.39 analyst target. Sentiment leans positive, with 6 Strong Buy and 10 Buy ratings against 7 Holds and 1 Strong Sell.

Risk: Tenant concentration. A few of regional casino operators generate most of the rent, and the weakest master lease covers rent at only 1.59x. Construction on a Chicago casino project adds execution risk. If a major tenant hits a gaming downturn, lease coverage compresses first, and that is where investors should look before the dividend ever feels pressure.

Western Midstream: An 8.33% Distribution Backed by Guided Cash Flow Western Midstream (NYSE:WES | WES Price Prediction) yields 8.33%, the second ultra-high yielder in the group. The quarterly distribution is 93 cents per unit, or $3.72 annualized, with $3.68 paid over the trailing 12 months. As a master limited partnership, it issues a K-1 at tax time.

Distribution safety read: Distributable cash flow is the correct test for an MLP, and 2026 guidance calls for $1.85B to $2.05B, or $4.59 to $5.08 per unit. Even the low end sits well above the $3.72 annualized payout, and management expects results toward the high end of its ranges. First-quarter adjusted EBITDA hit a record $683.1M, up 15% year over year. The partnership holds an investment-grade balance sheet with roughly $2.0 billion of liquidity, and fee-based contracts with minimum-volume commitments protect cash flow when volumes wobble. The track record deserves a clear-eyed read: The quarterly payout climbed from 57 cents in early 2024 to 87 cents later that year and to 93 cents today, but it was cut from 62 cents to 31 cents in 2020.

Bull case: The $1.6 billion Brazos Delaware II acquisition adds roughly $100 million of additional EBITDA in 2026, and the Aris Water integration has captured about 85% of a $40 million synergy target. At 11 times forward earnings, the units price in modest expectations for a business guiding toward the top of its range.

Risk: Growth spending is eating into the cushion. Second-quarter capital expenditures of $741.791 million exceeded operating cash flow of $524.847 million, and free cash flow after distributions was -$137.4 million in the first quarter. If producers pull back drilling plans while capex stays elevated, the partnership leans harder on its balance sheet to hold the payout.

Realty Income: 5.93% Monthly Income With AFFO Coverage Intact Realty Income (NYSE:O) yields 5.93%. That is high-yield territory rather than ultra-high-yield, and it sits only slightly above the 5.18% Treasury, the thinnest premium among the three names that beat the risk-free rate. The next ex-dividend date is September 30, 2026.

Dividend safety read: Second-quarter AFFO rose 3.8% to $1.09 per share, while monthly dividends paid in the quarter totaled to 81 cents per share. Full-year AFFO guidance moved up to $4.44 to $4.45, well clear of the annualized dividend of $3.252 as of June 30. The company reported its 115th consecutive quarterly dividend increase and 670 monthly dividend announcements in a row. Fitch rates it ‘A’ with a Stable Outlook, and occupancy stands at 98.8%.

Bull case: The acquisition engine is accelerating. Realty Income invested $2.6 billion in the second quarter at a 7.3% initial cash yield and raised 2026 investment guidance to $10 billion. A $6 billion large-scale data center joint venture and a management platform with $3.5 billion of third-party assets open new growth opportunities beyond retail. A free cash flow yield of 7.35% supports continued raises.

Risk: Leverage is moving the wrong way. Net debt to annualized pro forma adjusted EBITDAre rose to 5.4x from 5.2x in the first quarter, and 65.7% of annualized base rent is tied to tenants below investment grade. With the 10-year yield up 0.54% in a month, higher refinancing costs pinch the spread between what Realty Income earns on new deals and what it pays to fund them. Analysts reflect that caution, with 15 Hold ratings.

AbbVie: Why Free Cash Flow Tells the Real Dividend Story AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) yields 2.62% at a share price of $264.28. That trails the Treasury, so AbbVie earns its spot through coverage strength and payout growth rather than raw yield.

Dividend safety read: On paper, the payout looks extended. Trailing GAAP earnings per share of $3.55 sit below the $6.83 dividend per share, which puts the GAAP payout ratio above 100%. That figure misleads because GAAP earnings include huge non-cash charges tied to past acquisitions. In 2025, AbbVie booked net income of $4.226 billion but recorded $8.139 billion in depreciation and amortization, an expense that uses no cash. Free cash flow shows what actually funds the check: operating cash flow of $19.03 billion, less capital expenditures of $1.214 billion, still exceeds the $11.657 billion paid in dividends by a wide margin. Adjusted EPS guidance of $13.87 to $14.07 for 2026 tells the same story.

Bull case: The post-Humira transition is working. Skyrizi grew 24.4% to $5.505B and Rinvoq rose 24.5% to $2.525 billion in the second quarter, more than offsetting a 35.9% Humira decline. Adjusted EPS of $3.65 beat the $3.08 consensus on revenue of $16.99 billion, up 10.2%. Chief executive Robert A. Michael said “AbbVie delivered another excellent quarter… long-term outlook remains very strong.” The stock trades at 16x forward earnings after an 14.97% year-to-date gain.

Risk: The quarterly cushion narrowed in 2026. Second-quarter operating cash flow of $3.436 billion only slightly exceeded the $3.07 billion dividend payment, and the roughly $10.9 billion Apogee Therapeutics acquisition adds dilution and integration demands. Should Skyrizi and Rinvoq growth slow while Imbruvica keeps sliding (down 29.4%), the dividend growth rate is the first thing to give.

Johnson & Johnson: AAA Credit Behind a Payout Ratio That Is Creeping Higher Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) yields 2%, the lowest in the group and well under the Treasury. Its case rests on balance-sheet quality: It is one of only two U.S.-based companies with a AAA credit rating.

Dividend safety read: The direction of the payout ratio is the key tell. In the second quarter of 2025, J&J earned net income of $5.537 billion and paid $3.129 billion in dividends. A year later, net income was essentially flat at $5.534 billion while dividends rose to $3.227 billion. Quarterly earnings growth of -0.9% against a dividend raise from $1.30 to $1.34 per share (3.1%) means the payout ratio edged up over the trailing year. The starting point remains conservative: trailing EPS of $8.62 against a $5.24 dividend per share, and 2025 free cash flow of $19.7B against $12.381 billion in dividends. In absolute dollars, no name here has more room.

Bull case: Newer drugs are carrying the load. First-quarter sales of DARZALEX rose 22.5% to $3.96 billion, TREMFYA jumped 68.3% to $1.61 billion and CARVYKTI climbed 62.1% to $597 million. Guidance calls for 2026 revenue of $100.3 billion to $101.3 billion and adjusted EPS of $11.45 to $11.65, which would pull the adjusted payout ratio back in the right direction.

Risk: STELARA biosimilars. Sales fell 59.7% in the first quarter, a roughly 920bps drag on Innovative Medicine, and litigation charges added $330 million. First-quarter operating cash flow of $2.514 billion came in below the $3.131 billion dividend, a reminder that quarterly cash is lumpy. If the planned Orthopaedics separation or patent cliffs slow earnings growth further, the payout ratio keeps drifting up.

Coverage Scorecard: Who Passes With the Most Room Johnson & Johnson and Gaming and Leisure Properties pass with the widest cushions, one on AAA-rated free cash flow and the other on AFFO guidance paired with leverage below target. Western Midstream and AbbVie clear their correct metrics well, though growth spending and a big acquisition trim their near-term margin. Realty Income passes on AFFO with the smallest balance-sheet room as leverage climbs. With the 10-year Treasury at 5.18%, only GLPI, WES and O pay more than the risk-free rate, and coverage is what separates the yields worth owning from the ones that merely look generous (we listed the seven warning signs that a fat yield is about to be cut, available here: Dividend Traps).

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Goldman points to debt reduction and dividend growth four months into Richard Jackson's tenure Summary

Goldman Sachs upgraded Occidental Petroleum to Buy and raised its target to $69, citing debt reduction, dividend growth potential and a discounted valuation.

Occidental Petroleum OXY rose 0.87% in premarket after Goldman Sachs (GS) upgraded the stock to Buy from Neutral and lifted its price target to $69 from $63. The call came about four months into Richard Jackson's tenure as chief executive, after he succeeded Vicki Hollub on June 1.

Goldman cited Occidental's differentiated advanced recovery approach, along with a strong outlook for debt reduction and room for dividend growth. It also flagged a self-help program targeting $4 billion in cash flow improvement by 2030, and said the stock's discounted valuation offered attractive risk-reward.

Goldman noted that its oil exploration and production coverage had gained 34% year-to-date on elevated oil prices. Occidental shares had risen by about the same amount, despite the capital efficiency and deleveraging gains the company has made under its new chief executive.

Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.

Click for the complete disclosure

TRON has been pulled into another U.S. sanctions action after the Treasury Department added seven addresses on the network to its sanctions list over an alleged ATM jackpotting operation tied to Tren de Aragua.

Summary

Seven TRON addresses that received about $6.1 million were added to the U.S. sanctions list over an alleged Tren de Aragua ATM jackpotting operation. All seven addresses were hosted by a centralized crypto exchange, potentially allowing the underlying accounts and connected activity to be identified. U.S. authorities reported $40.73 million in losses across more than 1,500 alleged Tren de Aragua jackpotting attacks as of August 2025. Funds from the sanctioned TRON addresses were sent to other wallets associated with Tren de Aragua, with another connected network receiving about $35 million. According to TRM Labs, the seven TRON addresses received approximately $6.1 million in total inflows since March 2022. The blockchain intelligence firm cautioned that not all of the funds were necessarily connected to the alleged ATM scheme.

The addresses were added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List as the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned eight individuals and two Mexico based companies over the operation. A separate Tren de Aragua leader accused by Treasury of involvement in illicit gold mining was designated in the same action.

TRM found that all seven TRON addresses were deposit addresses hosted by a centralized crypto exchange, giving the sanctions action a direct link to accounts held through a virtual asset service provider instead of self custody wallets.

Seven TRON addresses received $6.1 million TRM traced the largest portion of the $6.1 million to the TRON address attributed to Eric Gabriel Cardenas Arzola, which received approximately $2.1 million.

According to the firm’s analysis, activity across the seven addresses followed a similar pattern. Each received funds from numerous sources through deposit addresses hosted at a centralized exchange, while most have remained dormant for months. The most recent inflow identified by TRM went to the address attributed to Cardenas Arzola in July 2026.

Funds did not stop at the seven wallets. TRM said the sanctioned addresses sent cryptocurrency to other addresses associated with Tren de Aragua. The second group of addresses subsequently sent approximately $35 million to a network that U.S. authorities have affiliated with Venezuelan national Jorge Figueira.

U.S. authorities have charged Figueira with laundering approximately $1 billion in illicit funds. According to TRM, Figueira has not been convicted and the charges against him remain allegations.

The latest findings resemble another TRON based pattern TRM identified in September. Exchange hosted deposit addresses were used in the Xinbi Guarantee network, where illicit value largely settled through USDT on TRON.

Tether subsequently froze $39.3 million in USDT across 10 TRON addresses linked to Xinbi Guarantee, crypto.news previously reported. TRM had identified Xinbi as one of Southeast Asia’s largest illicit crypto marketplaces, with approximately $24.2 billion in transactions since 2022.

Treasury ties TRON wallets to alleged ATM attacks Treasury described the operation behind the latest sanctions as an ATM jackpotting scheme, a cyberattack in which criminals exploit vulnerabilities in ATMs or interactive teller machines and install malware that forces them to dispense cash without debiting a bank account.

According to the Treasury account cited by TRM, the attacks typically involve monitoring a targeted machine before malware is installed and remotely activated to bypass its security controls. The network operates from Mexico and Venezuela while targeting machines in the United States. Stolen funds are allegedly laundered through several methods, including cryptocurrency transactions, before being sent to Tren de Aragua members in different countries.

Reported U.S. losses from alleged Tren de Aragua jackpotting attacks reached $40.73 million across more than 1,500 attacks as of August 2025, according to Treasury. Since Oct. 21, 2025, the Department of Justice has indicted 98 people over their alleged roles in ATM jackpotting schemes.

Anibal Alexander Canelon Aguirre, known as “Prometheus,” was identified as the main target of the latest action. Treasury alleges Canelon Aguirre engineered the malware used in the attacks. Six alleged associates were designated alongside him, with OFAC linking each of the seven individuals to one of the TRON addresses.

The defendants face charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska that include providing material support to Tren de Aragua, bank fraud conspiracy, bank burglary conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. All charges remain allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

TRON remains prominent in stablecoin transfers TRON’s appearance in the latest sanctions action comes as the blockchain handles a large share of global USDT activity.

During the second quarter, TRON processed $2.1 trillion in USDT transfers while its stablecoin market reached a record $89.2 billion. USDT supply on the blockchain ended the quarter at $87.9 billion, according to Messari data published in August.

The network has repeatedly appeared in recent sanctions and asset freeze cases involving USDT. OFAC added 131 TRON addresses to its ISIS K designation in July, with Chainalysis saying Tether subsequently froze balances across all of the addresses. The wallets had received more than $1.4 million since 2023, while Tether froze the balances following the sanctions update.

More recently, Tether said it had helped freeze nearly $550 million in Iran linked USDT during 2026. Four TRON wallets holding more than $130 million were frozen in a July action tied to the Central Bank of Iran.

A separate September case involved $61.2 million in USDT that U.S. prosecutors are seeking to forfeit. Court records identified 10 TRON addresses holding the funds, which prosecutors alleged were connected to proceeds from sanctioned Iranian oil sales. Tether had frozen all 10 wallets.

Exchange accounts face screening after TRON sanctions According to TRM, the latest Tren de Aragua addresses differ from self custody wallets because all seven are deposit addresses hosted at a centralized exchange. The exchange hosting the addresses may therefore be able to identify the underlying account holders and accounts connected to them.

TRM said virtual asset service providers and financial institutions should screen the seven TRON addresses and review historical transactions for exposure. Its analysis recommended extending those checks to indirect counterparties because funds moved from the designated addresses to other wallets associated with Tren de Aragua.

Since the designations were made under Executive Order 13224, foreign financial institutions that knowingly conduct or facilitate a significant transaction on behalf of a designated person may face secondary sanctions. According to the report, possible measures include restrictions involving U.S. correspondent or payable through accounts.

The immediate compliance work falls on the exchange hosting the seven addresses and other virtual asset service providers that processed funds moving to or from them, TRM said. The firm plans to continue tracking activity connected to the addresses and Tren de Aragua’s financial network.