Sharad Pawar reflects on MVA's poor performance in Maharashtra Elections, vows party revivalAlex Ovechkin is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a broken left legGoldman Sachs sees buying opportunity in oversold stocks. Trent, Shriram Finance are among 10 top buys - The Economic Times
ITV I'm a celebrity Coleen Rooney's 'dirty b*****d' claim after meeting Donald TrumpThere are many ways to buy into the artificial intelligence (AI) frenzy. Many investors look to AI hardware designer Nvidia , making the former video gaming accelerator maven one of the most valuable companies in the world. Nvidia is a great company, but the stock may have soared too high, too fast. There are more reasonable AI ideas out there right now. Let me tell you why IBM ( IBM 0.26% ) , Micron Technology ( MU -0.12% ) , and Fiverr International ( FVRR 0.88% ) strike me as stronger AI investments in the fall of 2024. A weird herd of AI experts This trio may not be the most obvious AI investments on the market. But they have deep connections to the surging generative AI market, just from slightly unusual angles: IBM lets other companies focus on consumer-friendly AI tools and services while it doubles down on enterprise-class variants instead. Features like auditable data flows and integration with business intelligence tools don't write headlines, but they do inspire long-term service contracts with deep-pocketed corporations. As a result, Big Blue's generative AI platform already has $3 billion of service contracts , less than two years after its launch. Micron doesn't make AI accelerators. It designs and manufactures high-speed memory chips instead. The massive systems that train and then operate generative AI platforms require enormous amounts of memory, and so do the next-generation smartphones that launch with their own AI features. Micron's chips are in high demand thanks to these AI-based connections. Fiverr isn't working on the infrastructure side of the AI boom, but it takes advantage of generative AI in two distinct ways. The company's platform for matching freelancers with freelance service buyers makes heavy use of various AI technologies. The company also sells AI-related freelance services to a wide range of clients -- those AI systems won't build or run themselves, and it takes a human touch to squeeze business value out of generative AI tools. AI-related services have become a key growth driver for Fiverr . AI Stock 2-Year Total Return Price to Free Cash Flow Forward Price to Earnings Nvidia 848% 76.5 33.9 IBM 58% 15.8 20.0 Micron 70% 901.4 7.7 Fiverr (18%) 13.9 11.6 Data collected from YCharts and Finviz on Nov. 21, 2024. Bargain-bin valuations Nvidia has been crushing the rest of the stock market since key client OpenAI introduced ChatGPT almost exactly two years ago. That's great for longtime Nvidia owners, but the galloping gains left the stock hanging at uncomfortably high valuation ratios. No matter how you slice it, Nvidia stock is priced for perfection. The chart may still point upward from here, but there's a real risk of painful price corrections if Nvidia doesn't hold on to its early lead in AI accelerators. By contrast, IBM's AI-driven uptrend has only just begun. Fiverr's stock is actually down in the ChatGPT era, as bearish investors see generative AI as a threat to the company's freelancers. Some day soon, I expect Wall Street to start seeing these bargains for what they are. Fiverr and IBM are quietly building massive revenue streams in the AI space. Their stocks should eventually follow suit. Micron's unique profit trend Micron seems to stick out like a sore thumb in the valuation table above. How can I call the stock "cheap" when it trades at 900 times free cash flows and 146 times trailing earnings? The trick is to look forward instead of backward. The memory chip market endured a deep downturn when the ChatGPT boom kicked off. Micron's sales growth is back on track and its cash profits recently swung back into positive territory after a deep dip in red ink: MU Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts Micron's nosebleed-inducing valuation ratios are based on profits just above the breakeven line, but the future trend will change the math. "We are entering fiscal 2025 with the strongest competitive positioning in Micron's history," CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in October's fourth-quarter earnings call . "We look forward to delivering a substantial revenue record with significantly improved profitability in fiscal 2025." As a result, Micron's forward-looking valuation is an absolute bargain. The company saw bottom-line earnings of $1.30 per share in fiscal year 2024. Your average analyst expects full-year earnings of roughly $8.93 per share in the just-started fiscal 2025, expanding to $12.86 per share in 2026. So if you focus on the forward price-to-earnings ratio , Micron stands out as an incredible value right now.
Accenture, the University of Toronto (U of T), and McGill University, along with other organisations in Canada, have been recognised among Canada’s 100 Best Diversity Employers for 2024. The recognition comes as part of the competition that honours companies that excel in fostering workplace diversity and inclusiveness. This accolade highlights their exceptional programmes aimed at supporting key groups: visible minorities (including the Black community and newcomers), women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and LGBTQ individuals. The process involved a detailed review of diversity programs at different organisations which was then compared with others in the same industry. Organisations that showed strong support for at least one of the five recognised diversity groups received awards. However, this article focuses on the programs that help visible minorities, that is the Black community and newcomers to Canada. Why do these organizations make the list 1. Accenture Inc. Accenture was recognised as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2024 due to its commitment to achieving internal workforce representation goals by 2025 across nine diversity dimensions: Asian, Black, Latin/Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, military, LGBTQ and women. The company tracks its progress through monthly reviews of a Canadian scorecard, which provides metrics on headcount mix, recruitment mix, and turnover gap. Additionally, Accenture collaborates with community partners to offer one-year apprenticeships to marginalised youth, Indigenous communities, newcomers to Canada, and refugees, providing them with training in new and emerging technologies. 2. The University of Toronto (U of T) The U of T was selected for its extensive efforts in promoting racial equity, diversity, and inclusion. U of T’s anti-racism and cultural diversity office provides professional development courses to enhance faculty and staff’s understanding of their roles and responsibilities in advancing these goals. These courses cover topics such as addressing anti-Black racism, preventing racial discrimination and harassment, and managing microaggressions. 3. McGill University This university earned its place among Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for its comprehensive five-year action plan to tackle anti-Black racism. This plan, developed in consultation with stakeholders across the university, includes a commitment to hiring five per cent Black tenure-track or tenured professors by 2032, with an interim target of at least 40 Black tenure-track and tenured professors by 2025. McGill also aims to increase the representation of Black management and executive staff from 3.4 per cent to 5 per cent by 2025 and 6.8 per cent by 2032. As part of this action plan, McGill recently launched an internal internship pilot program for Black-identifying employees, featuring coaching and experiential learning opportunities.Incarnate Word (10-2, 7-0) became the first team in program history to finish undefeated in conference play. The No. 6 Cardinals await the FCS selection show on Sunday to learn the playoff matchups. Calzada came in leading the FCS in passing touchdowns with 30 on the season and No. 6 for passing yards (3,018). He finished 26 of 40 with an interception against East Texas A&M. Incarnate Word linebacker Darius Sanders made his third interception in two games then Calzada launched a 43-yard pass to Jalen Walthall to tie it at 14 midway through the second quarter. The Cardinals' Marcus Brown blocked a 45-yard field-goal attempt that would have broken a tie at 24 early in the fourth. Calzada found wide-open Logan Compton in the end zone for a 31-24 lead. Mason Pierce was also left wide open for an 18-yard score with 2:43 left. Ron Peace was 21 of 38 for 165 yards with one touchdown and one interception for East Texas (3-9, 2-4). He also rushed for a score. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballMalik Nabers calls Giants "soft as f—k" after latest loss - NBC Sports
Asian shares were mixed on Monday after stocks fell broadly on Friday as Wall Street closed out a holiday-shortened week on a down note. U.S. futures were lower while oil prices were little changed. In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6% to 2,418.80. But shares of Jeju Air Co. lost 8.8% after one of the company’s jets skidded off a runway , slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames Sunday in South Korea as its landing gear failed to deploy. 179 people died in the crash. Political turmoil continued as South Korean law enforcement officials requested a court warrant on Monday to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. They are investigating whether his martial law decree on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.9% to 39,914.21 as the dollar gained against the Japanese yen, trading at 157.83 yen, up from 157.75 yen. The Tokyo market will wrap up trading for 2024 with a yearend ceremony as Japan begins its New Year holidays, the biggest festival of the year. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong shed 0.3% to 20,030.63 while the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.3% at 3,408.72. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.9% to 8,191.50. On Friday, the S&P 500 fell 1.1% to 5,970.84. Roughly 90% of stocks in the benchmark index lost ground, but it managed to hold onto a modest gain of 0.7% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8% to 42,992.21. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 1.5%, to 19,722.03. The losses were made worse by sharp declines for the Big Tech stocks known as the “Magnificent 7”, which can heavily influence the direction of the market because of their large size. A wide range of retailers also fell. Amazon fell 1.5% and Best Buy slipped 1.5%. The sector is being closely watched for clues on how it performed during the holiday shopping season. The S&P 500 gained nearly 3% over a 3-day stretch before breaking for the Christmas holiday. On Thursday, the index posted a small decline. Despite Friday's drop, the market is moving closer to another standout annual finish . The S&P 500 is on track for a gain of around 25% in 2024. That would mark a second consecutive yearly gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The gains have been driven partly by upbeat economic data showing that consumers continued spending and the labor market remained strong. Inflation, while still high, has also been steadily easing. A report on Friday showed that sales and inventory estimates for the wholesales trade industry fell 0.2% in November, following a slight gain in October. That weaker-than-expected report follows an update on the labor market Thursday that showed unemployment benefits held steady last week. The stream of upbeat economic data and easing inflation helped prompt a reversal in the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy this year. Expectations for interest rate cuts also helped drive market gains. The central bank recently delivered its third cut to interest rates in 2024. Even though inflation has come closer to the central bank's target of 2%, it remains stubbornly above that mark and worries about it heating up again have tempered the forecast for more interest rate cuts. Inflation concerns have added to uncertainties heading into 2025, which include the labor market’s path ahead and shifting economic policies under incoming President Donald Trump. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation , a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade. In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil picked up 1 cent to $70.61 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 1 cent to $73.78 per barrel. The euro fell to $1.0427 from $1.0433.None