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| 24.08.25 21:45:00 |
Keurig Dr Pepper nears $18-billion deal for Dutch coffee company JDE Peet's, WSJ reports |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
(Reuters) – Keurig Dr Pepper is close to a roughly $18-billion deal to buy Dutch coffee company JDE Peet's, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
After combining, the companies are planning to separate the beverage and coffee units, the report said.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Keurig Dr Pepper and JDE Peet's did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
JDE Peet's, known for its L'Or, Tassimo and Douwe Egberts brands, has a market valuation of about $15 billion, while Keurig Dr Pepper is valued at nearly $50 billion, according to LSEG data.
JDE Peet's lifted its annual forecasts last month after reporting consensus-beating half-year adjusted operating earnings of 709 million euros ($831.09 million), thanks to sales growth that defied already-high coffee prices.
Last year, Keurig Dr Pepper bought a 60% stake in energy-drink maker Ghost for $990 million, planning to purchase the rest in 2028, to spruce up its refreshment beverages portfolio.
($1 = 0.8531 euros)
(Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler and Rod Nickel)
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| 24.08.25 20:32:56 |
Former Meta exec Nick Clegg offers careful criticism of ‘cloyingly conformist’ Silicon Valley |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 24: Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs at Meta speaks onstage during the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit at Sheraton New York Times Square on September 24, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Concordia Summit) | Image Credits:Leigh Vogel / Getty Images
Meta’s former policy chief Nick Clegg seems to be walking a tightrope as he promotes his upcoming book, “How to Save the Internet.”
Unlike certain other Meta employee memoirs, “How to Save the Internet” doesn’t sound like a tell-all or a scathing critique. And in an interview with the Guardian, Clegg (who previously led the U.K.’s Liberal Democrats) seems to distance himself from Silicon Valley without quite disavowing his former employer.
“I really do believe that, despite its imperfections, social media has allowed billions of people … to communicate with each other in a way that has never happened before,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t have worked for Meta “if I felt Mark Zuckerberg or Sheryl Sandberg were the monsters other people say they are.”
Still, he delivered memorable sound bites about the Valley, describing it as a “cloyingly conformist” culture where “everyone wears the same clothes, drives the same cars, listens to the same podcasts, follows the same fads.”
Clegg also sounded be mystified by the industry’s growing obsession with masculinity, saying, “I couldn’t, and still can’t, understand this deeply unattractive combination of machismo and self-pity.”
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| 24.08.25 18:32:00 |
Is the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF the Simplest Way to Double Up on "Ten Titans" Growth Stocks? |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Key Points
The Ten Titans have contributed more than half of S&P 500 gains in the last decade. Avoiding stocks just because they have run-up is a mistake. The S&P 500 should be viewed more as a growth index than a balanced index. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard S&P 500 ETF ›
The largest growth-focused U.S. companies by market cap are Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Microsoft(NASDAQ: MSFT), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Amazon(NASDAQ: AMZN), Alphabet(NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL), Meta Platforms(NASDAQ: META), Broadcom(NASDAQ: AVGO), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX).
Known as the "Ten Titans," this elite group of companies has been instrumental in driving broader market gains in recent years, now making up around 38% of the S&P 500(SNPINDEX: ^GSPC).
Investment management firm Vanguard has the largest (by net assets) and lowest cost exchange-traded fund (ETF) for mirroring the performance of the index -- the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF(NYSEMKT: VOO). Here's why the fund is one of the simplest ways to get significant exposure to the Ten Titans.Image source: Getty Images.
Ten Titan dominance
Over the long term, the S&P 500 has historically delivered annualized results of 9% to 10%. It has been a simple way to compound wealth over time, especially as fees have come down for S&P 500 products. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF sports an expense ratio of just 0.03% -- or $3 for every $10,000 invested -- making it an ultra-inexpensive way to get exposure to 500 of the top U.S. companies.
The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF could be a great choice for folks who aren't looking to research companies or closely follow the market. But it's a mistake to assume that the S&P 500 is well diversified just because it holds hundreds of names. Right now, the S&P 500 is arguably the least diversified it has been since the turn of the millennium.
Megacap growth companies have gotten even bigger while the rest of the market hasn't done nearly as well. Today, the combined market cap of the Ten Titans is $20.2 trillion. Ten years ago, it was just $2.5 trillion. Nvidia alone went from a blip on the S&P 500's radar at $12.4 billion to over $4 trillion in market cap. And not a single Titan was worth over $1 trillion a decade ago. Today, eight of them are.S&P 500 Market Cap data by YCharts.
To put that monster gain into perspective, the S&P 500's market cap was $18.2 trillion a decade ago. Meaning the Ten Titans have contributed a staggering 51.6% of the $34.3 trillion market cap the S&P 500 has added over the last decade. Without the Ten Titans, the S&P 500's gains over the last decade would have looked mediocre at best. With the Ten Titans, the last decade has been exceptional for S&P 500 investors.
Story Continues
The Ten Titans have cemented their footprint on the S&P 500
Since the S&P 500 is so concentrated in the Ten Titans, it has transformed into a growth-focused index, making it an excellent way to double up on the Ten Titans. But the S&P 500 may not be as good a fit for certain investors.
Arguably, the best reason not to buy the S&P 500 is if you're looking to avoid the Ten Titans, either because you already have comfortable positions in these names or you don't want to take on the potential risk and volatility inherent in a top-heavy index.
That being said, the S&P 500 has been concentrated before, and its leadership can change, as it did over the last decade. The underperformance by former market leaders, like Intel, has been more than made up for by the rise of Nvidia and Broadcom.
So it's not that the Ten Titans have to do well for the S&P 500 to thrive. But if the Titans begin underperforming, their sheer influence on the S&P 500 would require significantly outsized gains from the rest of the index.
Let the S&P 500 work for you
With the S&P 500 yielding just 1.2%, sporting a premium valuation and being heavily dependent on growth stocks, the index isn't the best fit for folks looking to limit their exposure to megacap growth stocks or center their portfolio around dividend-paying value stocks.
The beauty of being an individual investor is that you can shape your portfolio in a way that suits your risk tolerance and investment objectives. For example, you use the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF as a way to get exposure to top growth stocks like the Ten Titans and then complement that position with holdings in dividend stocks or higher-yield ETFs.
In sum, the dominance of the Ten Titans means it's time to start calling the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF what it has become, which is really more of a growth fund than a balanced way to invest in growth, value, and dividend stocks.
Investors with a high risk tolerance and long-term time horizon may cheer the concentrated nature of the index. In contrast, risk-averse investors may want to reorient their portfolios so they aren't accidentally overexposing themselves to more growth than intended.
Should you invest $1,000 in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF right now?
Before you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $649,657!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,090,993!*
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*Stock Advisor returns as of August 18, 2025
Daniel Foelber has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Intel, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, Oracle, Tesla, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft, short August 2025 $24 calls on Intel, and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Is the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF the Simplest Way to Double Up on "Ten Titans" Growth Stocks? was originally published by The Motley Fool
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| 24.08.25 18:23:00 |
The Motley Fool Just Ranked the Biggest Financial Stocks. Here's Why the No. 3 Pick Could Be Your Best Investment. |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Key Points
The world's largest financial stocks cover a lot of ground, but banks make up the bulk of the list. The best investment opportunity on the list may not be in a bank, but in a company that helps banks. Visa's payment processing business is growing strongly, and the stock still looks fairly valued.10 stocks we like better than Visa ›
The Motley Fool just updated its report on the largest financial companies in the world. The list is filled with banks, but there are a couple of other names in the mix, including diversified conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway(NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B), which is the No. 1 name on the list. But your best investment opportunity might actually be No. 3, Visa(NYSE: V). Here's why.
What does Visa do?
Visa is what's known as a payment processor. You probably think of it as a credit card company. But it really provides the technology that allows credit and debit cards to be safely used for payments. It connects buyers and sellers on behalf of card issuers, which are often the banks that fill up The Motley Fool's top financial stocks list.
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Image source: Getty Images.
The interesting thing about Visa is that no single transaction it facilitates is really all that important. That's because it only charges a small fee for the use of its payment network. It's the volume of transactions that flow through its network that's important. In the fiscal third quarter of 2025, payment volume increased 10% year over year, with Visa handling 65.4 billion transactions. On a dollar basis, volume rose 8%.
These are gigantic numbers and highlight just how deeply entrenched Visa is in the financial markets. But it is also deeply entrenched on Main Street. You probably have a credit card or debit card (or both) with a Visa logo on it. Most stores you shop at likely trust Visa to act as an intermediary for them. Don't forget online shopping, where most e-commerce sites allow Visa cards to be used as a safe payment option.
The world is increasingly moving away from paper money and toward card and digital payments. To be fair, Visa isn't the only company benefiting from this trend. But it is one of a very small number of companies that have an effective oligopoly in the space. That's kind of like a monopoly, but the industry dominance is shared across a small number of companies.
Visa is doing well, but it's not shockingly overpriced
As you might expect, Visa is performing well as a business. In the fiscal third quarter of 2025, revenues rose 14%, and adjusted earnings jumped 23%. Investors are aware of how well Visa is doing today, and the stock isn't cheap.
But the real attraction here is that Visa's shares don't look outlandishly expensive, either. Some numbers will help here. The price-to-sales (P/S) ratio is currently around 16.8x, versus a five-year average of 17.7x. The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is 33.5x, compared to a longer-term average of 34.1x.
The P/S ratio and the P/E ratio are not low by any stretch of the imagination, suggesting that value-focused investors might want to watch from the sidelines. But if you are a growth-minded investor, this strongly growing business looks fairly reasonably priced, historically speaking. That puts it into the growth at a reasonable price, or GARP, camp, which is probably a good place to be as the S&P 500(SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) flirts with all-time highs.
Visa isn't perfect, but it is attractive
Visa is doing well as a business. Wall Street knows that and has placed a high price tag on the shares. But that price tag isn't ridiculous when you look back at the company's recent valuation history. Given the ongoing success of the business and the likely future of more digital and card payments, long-term investors looking for an investment opportunity among the largest financial companies should probably make Visa their starting point.
Should you invest $1,000 in Visa right now?
Before you buy stock in Visa, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Visa wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $649,657!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,090,993!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,057% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 185% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of August 18, 2025
Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. |
| 24.08.25 18:00:00 |
Prediction: These 2 Trillion-Dollar Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks Could Strike a Megadeal That Wall Street Isn't Ready For |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Key Points
Apple has yet to launch a widely adopted breakthrough in the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, instead opting for incremental iPhone updates and grand visions for products not yet launched. Tesla has built an autonomous driving system and a humanoid robot, but neither business is moving the needle financially for the company. Apple and Tesla were rumored to have explored a tie up about a decade ago; now may be even more compelling than ever for the two trillion-dollar behemoths to explore a partnership again.These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires ›
One of Silicon Valley's most famous "what-if" stories centers on a rumored deal that never happened. According to reports, Apple(NASDAQ: AAPL) had the chance to acquire Tesla(NASDAQ: TSLA) roughly a decade ago -- but the deal never materialized.
In the years since, Tesla has cemented itself as a global leader in electric vehicles (EV), while Apple has remained a dominant force in consumer electronics. Yet despite their respective clout, both companies share a surprising weakness: Unlike Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms, neither Apple nor Tesla has built a truly scaled artificial intelligence (AI) business.
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Apple's foray into the AI arena has been relatively muted, relying on incremental iPhone upgrades rather than a bold, stand-alone AI platform -- a departure from its decorated history of innovation. Tesla, on the other hand, has ambitious plans for its humanoid robot, dubbed Optimus, and its robotaxi network, but these initiatives remain unproven at scale.
This is what makes the prospects of a strategic partnership between Apple and Tesla so intriguing right now. Each could help cover the other's blind spots, and in doing so, build the foundation of scaled AI platforms that their rivals already enjoy.
Why Apple needs Tesla
Apple's legacy has always been rooted in consumer devices, pioneering category-defining products such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. For years, the company was seen as the undisputed master of uncovering latent needs and turning them into must-have innovations.
In recent years, however, Apple's push into advanced hardware has struggled to live up to the company's historic track record.
Last year, the company scrapped its car initiative, Project Titan, after years of research and development. The ambitious project ended without a formal product launch -- leaving Apple with no presence in the automotive market despite years of speculation.
More recently, Apple unveiled its Vision Pro headset, a foray into augmented and virtual reality. The device has widely been viewed as a disappointment -- a high-end luxury gadget rather than a mass-market breakthrough, limiting its adoption among everyday consumers.
Now, as rumors swirl around a Siri-powered robot in Apple's pipeline, management faces a critical decision: pursue yet another hardware moonshot from scratch and risk billions in capital expenditures (capex), or align with a partner that's already in production.
In my view, Apple doesn't need to reinvent the wheel by sinking more time and money into developing products that may never launch. Instead, Apple could thrive by positioning itself as the software and services layer powering intelligent hardware that already exists in the market.
By joining forces with Tesla, Apple could leverage the company's expertise in autonomous driving systems and robotics while integrating its own AI-powered software ecosystem and consumer marketing prowess.
Such a collaboration could allow Apple to leapfrog into both consumer and enterprise adoption of smart devices -- staking a claim in the robotics and autonomous era of AI, without repeating costly mistakes of the past.
Image source: Getty Images.
Why Tesla needs Apple
Tesla's robotaxi and Optimus both carry transformative potential. But bringing these projects to life requires massive investments in compute power and AI infrastructure.
While Tesla's balance sheet boasts a healthy cash cushion, it's worth noting that, like Apple, the company has also made some controversial capital allocation decisions in recent years.
TSLA Cash and Short Term Investments (Quarterly) data by YCharts
Case in point: Tesla recently scaled back its in-house Dojo AI supercomputer project, opting instead to revert to proven infrastructure from Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. Similar to Apple's Project Titan, the recent moves around Dojo underscore how costly and uncertain it can be to build proprietary systems at scale.
This is where a joint venture with Apple could reshape Tesla's financial trajectory. Apple sits on more than $132 billion in cash, equivalents, and marketable securities, and it commands unmatched global distribution channels. By partnering with Apple, Tesla could accelerate the commercialization of Optimus and robotaxi without overplaying its hand financially.
Moreover, Apple's unparalleled brand equity could help transform Tesla's AI-driven machines from prototype concepts into mainstream products -- bridging the gap between Musk's futuristic vision and tangible household and enterprise adoption.
A second chance that no one sees coming
Apple's decision not to acquire Tesla is often portrayed as a missed opportunity. But having spent a decade working in mergers and acquisitions as an investment banking analyst, I can say with confidence that deals rarely unfold as neatly as the financial models suggest. In many cases, strategic partnerships can unlock far greater, more accretive opportunities than an outright acquisition.
As the last of big tech to scale an AI business, both Apple and Tesla now sit at a pivotal crossroad. A collaboration between the two would represent a rare second chance for trillion-dollar innovators to join forces and reshape the future of the technology landscape.
By combining Apple's ecosystem with Tesla's progress in robotics and autonomous systems, the companies could fast-track the commercialization of next-generation AI applications -- moving them from research labs and into the hands of consumers worldwide.
Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity
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Nvidia:if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009,you’d have $461,605!*Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $43,287!*Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $649,657!*
Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, available when you joinStock Advisor, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.
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Adam Spatacco has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. |
| 24.08.25 18:00:00 |
A shocking 19% of retirees say they’re living a ‘nightmare’ — how to save yourself from the same terrible fate |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Retirement is often thought of as a time of life when you get to sit back, relax, indulge your hobbies and enjoy the fruits of your labor, but a new survey from Schroders says that for many Americans, that’s not the case.
Schroders 2025 U.S. Retirement Survey says that just 5% of retirees say that they are "living the dream." By contrast, a shocking 19%, or almost one in five, say they are "living the nightmare".
This gap highlights a harsh truth: many Americans are falling short of the savings needed to support a comfortable retirement. While Northwestern Mutual research suggests the average person believes they'll need around $1.26 million to retire comfortably, Fidelity reports the average 401(k) balance among those 70 and up is just $250,000. And according to Federal Reserve data, only 3.2% of all retirees have $1 million or more saved.
This is simply not enough for many seniors, especially with many financial concerns to worry about. Let's take a look at why so many are struggling, along with how future retirees can avoid falling victim to this same fate.
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Why so many retirees are struggling
The Schroders survey makes clear that the stress comes from several fronts: inflation, health care and uncertainty about how long savings will last.
More than 8 in 10 worry about how rising costs are shrinking their purchasing power, and nearly half admit their day-to-day expenses in retirement have turned out higher than expected. And 47% of adults aged 50 and older responded to National Polling on Healthy Aging reporting that they've been impacted a great deal by inflation in the past year.
Healthcare is another financial stress point. Many seniors are forced into early retirement due to health crises, while others develop a medical issue sooner than anticipated and face high care costs. Fidelity reports the average cost of healthcare for a single 65-year-old person who retires in 2025 is $172,500, and retirees reported spending an average of 15% of their income on medical costs like insurance premiums and prescriptions, with more than half saying they thought Medicare would cover more.
Story Continues
Uncertainty about longevity is compounding these pressures. A majority of retirees — 62% — admit they have no idea how long their savings will last. And with 70% worried about outliving their assets and 80% fearful a market downturn could wipe out a big chunk of their nest egg, it’s clear why so many describe their financial reality as a nightmare rather than a dream.
Read more: Do you own rental properties in the US? These 6 hacks can help you boost your income and lower your tax burden
How to avoid ‘living the nightmare’
For workers who haven’t retired yet, the best defense is a proactive plan.
That begins with knowing your retirement number: how much you’ll actually need to maintain your lifestyle. Financial planners often suggest saving at least 10 times your final salary or multiplying your expected annual spending by 25. If you want $80,000 a year in retirement, that means building toward a $2 million nest egg.
Once you know the goal, break it into smaller, achievable milestones. Online calculators at sites like Investor.gov can help you figure out how much to contribute each month based on your age, income and existing savings. Even modest amounts saved consistently can snowball over decades thanks to the power of compound growth.
Building your savings also means using the right accounts and strategies. A 401(k) with an employer match should be your first stop, followed by IRAs for added tax advantages. And because retirement planning is complex, one of the smartest moves you can make is to consult with a financial advisor, who can help you craft a plan that accounts for taxes, market risk and unexpected costs.
Finally, don’t forget that preparing for retirement isn’t just about saving — it’s about protecting yourself against uncertainty. That means creating an emergency cushion and being alert to financial traps. You should be wary of any communication that asks you to:
Provide your Social Security number Reveal a password or account number Send money directly or through gift cards, crypto or wire transfer
The Schroders survey is ultimately a reminder that retirement isn’t just about reaching a number on paper — it’s about preparing for the realities that can upend even the best-laid plans. With inflation, health care and uncertainty weighing heavily on today’s retirees, the survey underscores how critical it is to approach retirement with foresight, flexibility and support.
What to read next
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
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| 24.08.25 15:42:00 |
Prediction: Chamath Palihapitiya's $250 Million SPAC Could Create the Next Palantir for America's Energy Grid |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Key Points
Palihapitiya's new SPAC focuses on four core themes: artificial intelligence (AI), energy production, crypto, and defense. While there are limitless candidates for the new SPAC, one software startup stands out as a compelling opportunity -- sharing some similarities with Palantir in its early days. SPACs have been overly risky investments for quite some time, and Palihapitiya's personal track record is mixed.10 stocks we like better than Palantir Technologies ›
Remember when special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) dominated Wall Street headlines just a few years ago?
At the center of the frenzy was Chamath Palihapitiya -- better known on Wall Street as the "SPAC king". A former executive at AOL and Meta Platforms turned billionaire venture capitalist (VC), Palihapitiya made his name taking bold bets on disruptive companies.
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »
For a while, SPACs seemed to fade quietly into the background of stock market activity. But just as investors began to write them off, Palihapitiya reignited the conversation with a new prospectus for his latest $250 million "blank check company": American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp. While details are limited at the moment, Palihapitiya has hinted at the kinds of businesses he's targeting.
Let's break down what investors need to know about this SPAC, why Palihapitiya's recent move matters, and which company I think could be on his radar -- a potential candidate to become the next Palantir Technologies(NASDAQ: PLTR).
What is American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp.?
In the S-1 filing for American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp., Palihapitiya outlines four core pillars he believes are essential to U.S. competitiveness -- artificial intelligence (AI), decentralized finance (DeFi), defense, and energy production.
At first glance, these may look like broad, boilerplate themes. But I see something deeper -- a unifying thesis that ties together some of the biggest secular growth opportunities underpinning the American economy.
Right now, the American economy is experiencing something akin to the Industrial Revolution thanks to the booming impacts of AI. But with any megatrend comes significant trade offs.
For AI, the most pressing challenges are not software development or infrastructure manufacturing -- it's the strain on the U.S. power grid. Hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Oracle, and OpenAI are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into data centers, each requiring massive amounts of electricity to operate at scale.
And it's not just the private sector. The U.S. government is moving aggressively with initiatives like Project Stargate, a $500 billion domestic infrastructure program designed to establish America's digital transformation.
Against this backdrop, I think Palihapitiya may be eyeing a start-up sitting at the intersection of his four pillars.
Image source: Getty Images.
What company could fit the bill for Chamath?
In my eyes, Houston-based Amperon could be a natural fit for the American Exceptionalism SPAC.
Amperon functions as an operating system for the power grid, offering AI-powered software that delivers real-time intelligence to utilities, energy traders, and large power buyers. Its platform enables decision-makers to forecast demand, renewable output, and wholesale prices with greater precision -- addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the energy economy.
In many respects, Amperon can be thought of as the Palantir of climate tech. Just as Palantir's Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) synthesizes massive volumes of unstructured data and turns them into actionable insights for government agencies and large private enterprises, Amperon applies the same methodology to the grid. It translates fragmented inputs -- from weather patterns or anomalies in demand surges -- into a unified model for energy stakeholders.
The company has also built strategic collaborations with Microsoft, National Grid, and Acario (part of Tokyo Gas). Much like Palantir's early contracts, these partnerships have the potential to deepen and expand over time -- embedding Amperon's tools more firmly into data workflows.
Both Amperon and Palantir demonstrate how AI-driven software layers can evolve into indispensable infrastructure. Where Palantir dominates defense and enterprise intelligence, Amperon is carving out a parallel role capturing energy, climate, and grid optimization.
And because energy touches every sector, Amperon's reach extends even further. Its intelligence platform could support crypto and DeFi protocols, where mining depends on reliable power sources, and strengthen defense applications, where resilient energy sources are critical to national security. This suggests that Amperon's total addressable market (TAM) is far broader than it might initially appear.
Ultimately, this vision aligns almost perfectly with the ethos of Palihapitiya's new SPAC: backing companies at the intersection of AI, defense, DeFi, and energy -- all rolled up and packaged into a compelling opportunity reshaping conscious capitalism.
Remember to be careful with SPACs
In the disclosure section of the prospectus, Palihapitiya reminds investors that they should only consider this SPAC if they can "embody the adage from President Trump that there can be 'no crying in the casino.'" Harsh as it sounds, the warning is well placed.
History hasn't been kind to SPACs. A University of Florida study found that SPACs across nearly every major industry have consistently underperformed the broader market over the past decade.
SPCE data by YCharts
Palihapitiya's own track record underscores this risk. Aside from MP Materials and SoFi Technologies, most of his SPACs have been financial catastrophes. As an investor, he has also backed other high-profile deals that flamed out -- including Desktop Metal and Berkshire Grey (both delisted) and Proterra and Sunlight Financial (both bankrupt).
My take is to approach the new SPAC with measured optimism, while keeping Palihapitiya's history of stewarding outside capital at the forefront of your thesis.
American Exceptionalism's converging focus on emerging themes across AI, defense, crypto, and energy might position it as a unique opportunity potentially poised for explosive growth. But smart investors understand that promise and hope are never true substitutes for prudent, disciplined investing.
Should you invest $1,000 in Palantir Technologies right now?
Before you buy stock in Palantir Technologies, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Palantir Technologies wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $649,657!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,090,993!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,057% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 185% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
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Adam Spatacco has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, and SoFi Technologies. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Oracle, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends MP Materials and National Grid Plc and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. |
| 24.08.25 15:20:00 |
Is Capital One About to Create the Biggest Payment Network In America? Here's What Investors Need to Know. |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Key Points
Capital One was already a major credit card issuer. Now it’s also got a payment network presence. The credit card giant is also a bank, even if it’s not yet done a great deal of business-building on this front. Despite the stock’s firm gains for the past couple of years, the analyst community says there’s more upside immediately ahead. 10 stocks we like better than Capital One Financial ›
On the surface they're all just credit card companies, by virtue of all being in the card-payment business. Dig deeper though. Most of the major players in the industry are distinctly different from one another, with some of them even being dependent on one another.
And this reality translates into opportunity for Capital One Financial(NYSE: COF) following its recently completed acquisition of credit card company Discover. With this move, Capital One is positioned to threaten the dominant reach of Visa(NYSE: V) and Mastercard(NYSE: MA), while simultaneously putting more direct competitive pressure on all-inclusive competitor American Express(NYSE: AXP).
Here's what investors need to know.
It's (kinda) complicated
Contrary to a common assumption, they're not all the same.
Consumers rarely think about it, but the Visa or Mastercard cards likely to be in your wallet or purse are neither issued by Visa nor Mastercard. Although one or the other's name appears on the card, a bank like JP Morgan's Chase or Citigroup is actually the issuer, providing all the service (including the billing) your account requires. Banks simply need -- and pay -- Visa or Mastercard to facilitate your purchases using their payment networks extending out to tens of millions of retailers, restaurants, and other types of consumer-facing businesses all over the world. Capital One's cards either rely on Visa or Mastercard to serve as their point-of-purchase middleman.Image source: Getty Images.
American Express and Discover are different. They're the card issuer as well as the payment network, although neither of their networks are nearly as big as Mastercard's or Visa's. Indeed, Capital One says Discover's network only facilitates about 2% of the United States' total card transactions, and only 1% of the entire world's. American Express's U.S. share is 11%, for perspective. The rest, of course, are Mastercard's and Visa's.
Still, while its business may be smaller, Discover is collecting more net revenue per transaction by not needing third-party payment networks like Visa or Mastercard.
And as of May, Capital One wholly owns Discover.
Story Continues
Casting a wider net
Capital One hasn't expressly said it, but it's pretty obvious where all of this is going -- the company intends to leverage both brand names as well as Discover's payment network to become a more complete and competitive player.
That's easier said than done. Even if the combined companies are willing to offer merchants better terms than Visa, Mastercard, or American Express, there are still significant challenges. Chief among them is reach, or lack thereof.
Even though Discover cards are accepted almost everywhere any credit cards can be used to make a purchase, clearly consumers remain far more comfortable with established names like Visa and Mastercard, and more familiar issuers like Chase or Bank of America. Again, Discover only handles about 2% of the nation's card-based purchases, while its 72 million worldwide cardholders are only a fraction of the 1 billion-plus that both Visa and Mastercard boast.
Don't count Capital One out just yet though. It's still got a lever to pull. That's Capital One's huge customer. It's consistently one of the top five issuers in terms of total payments, total card balances, and total purchase volume. Merchants -- and U.S. merchants in particular -- can't simply pretend the company doesn't support a sizable chunk of their total revenue.
Capital One is also a chartered bank. It's not a massive one, but it's not an insignificant one either. Federal Reserve data indicates that with nearly $650 billion in total assets, Capital One is the United States' sixth-biggest banking entity, right behind U.S. Bank, and right in front of Goldman Sachs. Although it hasn't done a great deal yet in terms of offering traditional banking services, if it wanted to, it's certainly got the option of making itself something more like all-inclusive and fast-growing online-banking name SoFi.
More to the point for interested investors, Capital One's entire business ecosystem is increasingly complete, with some pockets of existing scale already in place. The weakest link is arguably its relatively tiny payment network. But, never say never.
It doesn't need the biggest payment network to reward shareholders
But the question remains. Is Capital One going to turn Discover's card-payment network into the country's biggest?
Probably not.
That's not a dig against Discover or Capital One. It's just realistic. Visa and Mastercard are deeply entrenched. Even American Express is established with its small but growing cardholder base. The market may not need a major fourth option; the business is pretty price-competitive already.
Nevertheless, for would-be investors there's little downside risk here, but a respectable degree of potential growth. It's unlikely Discover's payment network is going to get any smaller. Capital One does, however, have several tools in its toolbox it could use to expand its footprint. And even just growing it from its current share of 2% to a mere 4% of the U.S. market would double its size. That's not insignificant for the company even if it is insignificant for entire payment processing sliver of the business.
This might help convince you: Despite the stock's persistent bullishness since late 2023, the analyst community's consensus target of $255.52 is still 20% above the stock's current price. That suggests there's some underappreciated upside with the recent union of Discover and Capital One.
Should you invest $1,000 in Capital One Financial right now?
Before you buy stock in Capital One Financial, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Capital One Financial wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $649,657!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,090,993!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,057% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 185% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of August 18, 2025
American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Goldman Sachs Group, JPMorgan Chase, Mastercard, U.S. Bancorp, and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends Capital One Financial. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Is Capital One About to Create the Biggest Payment Network In America? Here's What Investors Need to Know. was originally published by The Motley Fool
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| 24.08.25 15:19:00 |
Want AI Exposure With Less Volatility? This Stock Is a Top Choice. |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Key Points
IBM provides AI exposure with a 0.70 beta, offering a calmer ride than rocket ships like Nvidia or Microsoft. Big Blue's free cash flow rose about 55% over three years despite modest revenue growth. The stock is down in the last month and last quarter and sits well below its 52‑week high, which creates a tempting setup for new money. 10 stocks we like better than International Business Machines ›
I get it. The ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) boom gives you a dopamine rush from market darlings like Nvidia and Microsoft. The recent financial results are gorgeous, the AI growth narratives are grand, and the valuation multiples are...aspirational. Microsoft stock trades at 52 times free cash flow, and Nvidia's reading on the same ratio is 58. Their price-to-sales valuations are double-digit figures.
But if you want AI exposure that won't have you checking stock futures at 3 a.m., you should consider something deeply unfashionable instead. I'm talking about IBM(NYSE: IBM).
Yes, the Big Blue IBM. The one your grandparents think still sells mainframes and punch cards. Under the hood, it's now a hybrid-cloud-and-software company with an enterprise-AI services segment that gets paid to make other people's AI actually work. Sure, IBM still sells mainframes, but even these heavy-duty data crunchers come with integrated AI systems nowadays.
In the long run, for all the romance with shiny new things and high-octane growth stories, the stock market tends to reward cash flow that shows up on time. And in the rapidly evolving AI market, IBM is a cash flow machine.
The calmer way to play AI
Let's run a few more numbers. As of Aug. 22, IBM's beta value stands at 0.70. That means IBM typically moves roughly two-thirds as much as the market, directionally.
It's a pretty calm investment. A low beta is not a bug -- it's a feature. You're trading some upside optionality for a smoother ride with fewer sudden price drops.
Valuation is the second sanity check. IBM's shares trade at 18 times free cash flow and 3.5 times trailing sales. In AI land, that's pretty austere. These modest valuation ratios suggest you're paying a fair, not fanciful, price for IBM's proven cash generation.
Meanwhile, the dividend yield is 2.8%. That's actually on the low side for IBM, whose yield averaged 4.3% over the last five years. At the same time, it's far above the S&P 500 index's average yield of 1.2% and light-years ahead of Microsoft or Nvidia -- their yields stop at 0.7% and 0.02%, respectively.
Story Continues
Image source: Getty Images.
Not a rocket ship, but a cash machine
"But growth!" you say. "IBM's slow-burning cash generation is boring!"
Right -- Big Blue isn't a hypergrowth story. Trailing sales are up by 7.3% over the last three years -- in total, not per year. IBM can't keep up with Microsoft's 42% revenue growth over the period, not to mention Nvidia's booming 399% top-line increase.
The counterpoint is cash profit. IBM's free cash flow surged 55% higher in this three-year period, driven by a great long-term strategy. Red Hat is the hybrid-cloud foundation on which IBM's cloud-centered AI strategy is constructed. Software subscriptions sit on top of that robust base, and consulting services glue the whole plan together. IBM lives in the boring but profitable pick-and-shovel part of the AI build-out.
WatsonX adoption is picking up the pace
IBM's customers have been testing its WatsonX AI services for a couple of years now, preparing to install enterprise-friendly AI services for the long haul. These pre-adoption tests are converting into solid long-term contracts nowadays.
You can see this trend in IBM's financial reports, and investors are taking notice. That's why the dividend yield is so low: IBM's stock has gained 22% in the last year, or 25% if you account for dividends with the total-return metric.
If you want a near-term trading angle, the ticker tape has actually done you a favor recently. IBM is down by high single digits over the past month and past quarter, nearly 19% below its 52-week high. That's not a full-on retreat, but it is a better entry point than chasing the lofty valuations of Nvidia and Microsoft.
Risks? Sure. IBM's debt leverage is substantial. And if the market decides that every AI-adjacent stock must be priced like an accelerator chip monopoly, IBM won't excite anybody.
But suppose the valuation multiples of highfliers continue to compress, as they have been doing in recent quarters. In that case, investors tend to rediscover IBM-like stocks with strong cash flows, rich dividends, and low beta values. This cash machine makes risk-weary investors feel safe, the way people rediscover umbrellas in the rain.
IBM belongs in a balanced AI portfolio
I'm not telling you to sell Nvidia or Microsoft. They are great companies with tremendous business growth, and they might even deserve their trillion-dollar valuations in the long run. I'm just suggesting solid portfolio construction over exciting narratives. Keep your rocket stocks; add a reliable ballast.
IBM gives you sticky enterprise AI exposure with a lower-volatility profile, a reasonable multiple, and generous cash returns while you wait.
Should you buy stock in International Business Machines right now?
Before you buy stock in International Business Machines, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and International Business Machines wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $649,657!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,090,993!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,057% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 185% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of August 18, 2025
Anders Bylund has positions in International Business Machines and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends International Business Machines, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Want AI Exposure With Less Volatility? This Stock Is a Top Choice. was originally published by The Motley Fool
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| 24.08.25 13:47:36 |
Why You Might Be Interested In CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) For Its Upcoming Dividend |
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**Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!**
Readers hoping to buy CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least one business day to settle. This means that investors who purchase CSX's shares on or after the 29th of August will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of September.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.13 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.52 per share. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that CSX has a trailing yield of 1.5% on the current share price of US$34.58. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether CSX can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. That's why it's good to see CSX paying out a modest 31% of its earnings. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It distributed 47% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.
It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.
Check out our latest analysis for CSX
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.NasdaqGS:CSX Historic Dividend August 24th 2025
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at CSX, with earnings per share up 3.6% on average over the last five years. Recent earnings growth has been limited. However, companies that see their growth slow can often choose to pay out a greater percentage of earnings to shareholders, which could see the dividend continue to rise.
Story continues
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, CSX has lifted its dividend by approximately 9.3% a year on average. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.
To Sum It Up
Is CSX worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share have been growing moderately, and CSX is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow as dividends, which is an attractive combination as it suggests the company is investing in growth. It might be nice to see earnings growing faster, but CSX is being conservative with its dividend payouts and could still perform reasonably over the long run. Overall we think this is an attractive combination and worthy of further research.
With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. For example - CSX has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content?Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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