Alpha Coverage #120
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Editor’s Pick:
[News] Netflix starts using GenAI in its shows and films
Netflix has integrated generative artificial intelligence (AI) into one of its original TV shows for the first time.
Co-chief executive Ted Sarandos said the technology was employed in The Eternauts, an Argentinian science fiction series, to create a sequence showing a building collapsing in Buenos Aires.
The AI enabled the scene to be completed ten times faster than traditional visual effects methods and at significantly lower cost. "The cost of it just wouldn’t have been feasible for a show in that budget," he said.
According to Bloomberg, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) is testing Runway’s tools in its production process.
Recent reports reveal that Meta Platforms (META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has held discussions regarding a potential acquisition of Runway AI currently valued at around $3 billion.
Link to CNBC TV 18 News Article - Jul. 18, 2025
Link to TechCrunch News Article - Jul. 18, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
FXI 0.00%↑ KWEB 0.00%↑ KGRN 0.00%↑
[News] China faces a demographic time bomb, Apollo warns
Apollo Global Management’s chief economist, Torsten Sløk, has spotlighted a striking demographic transformation unfolding in China.
According to Sløk, the country’s working-age population — once a cornerstone of its rapid economic ascent — is projected to shrink sharply from approximately 900M to just 250M in the coming decades.
The decline is largely attributed to the long-term consequences of the one-child policy, coupled with persistently low fertility rates. With the average birth rate now at just 1.09 per woman, which is well below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to sustain population levels, China faces a rapidly aging society and a shrinking labor force.
According to Sløk, these demographic headwinds pose serious challenges to China's future economic growth, with ripple effects likely to impact productivity, investment, and government spending. As the population ages, the fiscal burden of healthcare and pensions will intensify, straining public finances.
The situation bears strong parallels to Japan’s economic trajectory over the past few decades, where demographic stagnation has contributed to sluggish growth and deflationary pressures. Sløk’s note underscores the need for investors to closely monitor these structural shifts, which may reshape the global economic landscape in the years ahead.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 21, 2025
[News] Apple adjusts App Store rules to avoid EU fines: report
Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) recent adjustments to its App Store policies in the European Union were apparently enough to satisfy European Commission regulators and prevent mounting fines, according to Reuters.
The changes include developers paying a 20% processing fee to Apple for purchases made via the App Store. The percentage can drop to 13% for qualifying members of Apple's small-business program, the report said. Also, developers sending customers outside the App Store for payment will give Apple a percentage ranging from 5% to 15%. The Commission is expected to ratify these changes within the next few weeks.
Earlier in the day, Morgan Stanley noted that revenue from Apple's App Store has accelerated month to date in July, especially in the U.S. and is showing no negative effects so far from the Epic Games v. Apple ruling.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
[News] NextEra Energy outlines 8 GW solar and storage expansion by 2029 while leveraging regulatory clarity and safe harbor pipeline
Strategic focus was placed on the regulatory environment, specifically the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which John W. Ketchum, Chairman, President, and CEO described as "tough but constructive," and the company's proactive approach to safe harboring projects under the new legislation. He stated, "We made substantial financial commitments to begin construction on renewable projects that we believe are sufficient to cover the projects we plan to place into service through 2029."
For Florida Power & Light (FPL), Ketchum affirmed the plan to add more than 8 gigawatts of solar and battery storage by 2029, complementing the existing natural gas and nuclear fleet to serve Florida's growing population.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
BMNR 0.00%↑ #ETH
[News] BitMine surpasses $2B in ETH holdings
BitMine Immersion Technologies (NYSE:BMNR) announced that its Ethereum (ETH-USD) holdings have surpassed $2 billion.
As of July 23, BitMine held 566,776 ETH, valued at $3,643.75 per ETH.
"At BitMine, we surpassed $2 billion in ETH holdings, just sixteen days after closing on the initial $250 million private placement," said Thomas "Tom" Lee of Fundstrat, Chairman of BitMine's Board of Directors. "We are well on our way to achieving our goal of acquiring and staking 5% of the overall ETH supply."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 24, 2025
[News] QuantumScape expands its Volkswagen battery deal, lands milestone payments
The expanded partnership aims to accelerate the development and industrialization of the QSE-5 battery, particularly focusing on advancing a pilot production line in San Jose.
Under the revised terms, PowerCo will provide up to $131 million in new payments over the next two years as certain milestones are achieved. QuantumScape (NYSE:QS) highlighted that the first of the milestones have already been met, with the company expecting to begin receiving payments in 2025. The funds are in addition to a previously announced $130 million, which will be paid upon the fulfillment of technical progress and the licensing agreement.
The agreement is seen as granting PowerCo earlier involvement in QSE-5’s production and automation processes, helping QuantumScape (QS) scale its manufacturing capabilities and speed up the technology transfer needed to introduce the QSE-5 battery on a global scale. It is also expected to enable larger prototype cell deliveries to PowerCo and permit PowerCo to manufacture up to an additional 5GWh of QSE-5-based cells annually, including for non-Volkswagen customers, as well as license future QuantumScape technology.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 24, 2025
News, Facts, Analyst & Market Commentary - Short Reads:
FSLR 0.00%↑ ENPH 0.00%↑ NXT 0.00%↑ ARRY 0.00%↑ TAN 0.00%↑ FAN 0.00%↑
Trump tightens restrictions on solar and wind projects in latest blow to renewable energy
The Trump administration said this week that decisions involving solar and wind energy projects on federal lands must undergo strict "elevated" reviews by Interior Secretary Burgum's office to end "preferential treatment for unreliable, subsidy-dependent" renewable energy sources, in the latest step to stifle wind and solar project development.
The new reviews will involve all decisions related to leases, rights-of-way, construction plans, operations plans, grants, consultations, and biological opinions, and will move to end rights-of-way and capacity fee discounts for existing and future wind and solar projects, saying this will level the playing field with alternatives, such as coal and natural gas.
The action "will create so much bureaucratic process that no solar or wind projects are likely to move in a timely and efficient manner, if at all," Eric Beightel, former executive director of the Federal Permitting Council under the Biden administration, told Politico. "For an administration so focused on eliminating unnecessary roadblocks, this is a clear attempt to use the process to kill projects."
Solar and wind have dominated energy growth in the U.S. in recent years, outpacing natural gas, coal, and nuclear; in 2024 alone, solar and wind projects added more than 33K MW of power combined, or more than 90% of all new electricity generating capacity, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 19, 2025
MP 0.00%↑ USAR 0.00%↑ METC 0.00%↑ NVDA 0.00%↑
China’s rare earth magnet exports to U.S. surge following trade pact
According to data released Sunday by China’s General Administration of Customs, exports of rare earth magnets to the U.S. reached 353 metric tons in June, a more than sevenfold increase compared with May and a rise of 660%.
The surge follows bilateral talks that resolved bottlenecks related to rare earth mineral and magnet shipments, which had been strained by earlier trade friction. As part of the broader deal, U.S. semiconductor company Nvidia (NVDA) is expected to resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China.
In total, China exported 3,188 metric tons of rare earth permanent magnets globally in June, up 157.5% from May’s 1,238 tons. However, that total still lags behind last year’s June figure by 38.1%.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 20, 2025
EU may require car-rental companies to buy only electric vehicles by 2030
The European Commission is drafting legislation that would require major corporations and car rental companies to switch exclusively to electric vehicles for their fleet purchases starting in 2030, German newspaper Bild reported on Sunday.
Citing unnamed EU sources, the report said that firms such as Sixt and Europcar Mobility Group would be restricted to buying only electric cars under the proposed rules. If implemented, the policy could impact as much as 60% of the market for new vehicle sales, one lawmaker in Brussels was quoted as saying.
This initiative would effectively fast-track the European Union’s broader plan to eliminate sales of combustion-engine vehicles by 2035. The Commission intends to unveil the proposal later this summer before it is put forward for parliamentary debate and approval, according to the report.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 20, 2025
Joby Aviation aims for final FAA certification by 2026 - Bloomberg
Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY) plans to have five electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft in one of the final phases of FAA certification by next year as part of its goal to begin commercial flights in 2026, CEO JoeBen Bevirt said at an industry conference in Detroit.
EVTOL aircraft deploy the same vertical take-off and landing capabilities as helicopters (VTOL), albeit with an electric motor and at a more affordable price point for passengers.
In order to certify for commercial use as opposed to less rigorous certification for personal use, Joby (NYSE:JOBY) must prove effective recovery mechanisms are in place in case of mechanical failure, airworthiness, operational rules such as minimum safe altitudes, visibility, and energy reserve requirements, among other FAA specifications.
Joby (JOBY) has yet to secure full certification from the FAA and international regulators in countries it hopes to operate in, including the United Arab Emirates. The company recently completed a successful test flight in Dubai and is currently in the process of applying for an Air Operator Certificate from the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 21, 2025
Tesla’s retro-futuristic diner officially opens as Elon Musk hints at more locations
The Tesla Diner & Drive-In, a long-awaited and hyped facility that combines retro nostalgia and futurism with the automaker’s fast-charging network, officially opened at 4:20 p.m. Monday in Hollywood, California.
The Tesla Diner & Drive-In is technically a place for Tesla drivers to charge their EVs and maybe get hamburgers, hot dogs, milkshakes or other classic diner menu items (served in boxes shaped like Cybertrucks). The diner, which per reporting from Not a Tesla App is loaded with Tesla-branded merchandise, an Optimus robot, and two 45-foot LED movie screens, is clearly hoping to attract more than just Tesla owners.
It’s too early to tell if the diner, which boasts 80 v4 Superchargers stalls and a drive-in movie theater that syncs with speakers inside a driver’s Tesla, will become an enduring fixture of Hollywood. The long lines of people who queued up Monday morning suggests the diner will attract crowds for a while.
“If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, @Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes,” Musk posted on X.
Link to TechCrunch News Article - Jul. 21, 2025
Link to The Verge News Article - Jul. 21, 2025
GOOG 0.00%↑ GOOGL 0.00%↑ #OpenAI
Google's AI model gets gold at global math event, OpenAI also claims win
Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google said its AI model won gold medal at a global mathematics competition, while Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)-backed OpenAI also claimed that its experimental reasoning model achieved a gold medal-level performance.
Google said an advanced version of Gemini Deep Think solved five out of the six International Mathematical Olympiad, or IMO, problems perfectly, earning 35 total points, and achieving gold-medal level performance.
"We can confirm that Google DeepMind has reached the much-desired milestone, earning 35 out of a possible 42 points — a gold medal score. Their solutions were astonishing in many respects. IMO graders found them to be clear, precise and most of them easy to follow," said IMO President Prof. Dr. Gregor Dolinar.
Google noted that it will be making a version of this Deep Think model available to a set of trusted testers, including mathematicians, before rolling it out to Google AI Ultra subscribers.
Meanwhile, OpenAI also claimed a gold medal status for its experimental model.
"In our evaluation, the model solved 5 of the 6 problems on the 2025 IMO. For each problem, three former IMO medalists independently graded the model’s submitted proof, with scores finalized after unanimous consensus. The model earned 35/42 points in total, enough for gold!" said OpenAI researcher Alexander Wei.
Wei noted that the IMO gold LLM is an experimental research model. and the company does not plan to release anything with this level of math capability for several months.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
NVDA 0.00%↑ ORCL 0.00%↑ #OpenAI
Stargate Project advances with 4.5GW partnership with Oracle
Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) and OpenAI, backed by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), have announced a partnership to build 4.5 gigawatts of additional Stargate data center capacity in the U.S., pushing total capacity under development to over 5GW.
Construction of Stargate I in Abilene is well underway, with sections of the facility already operational. Oracle started delivering Nvidia GB200 racks last month, and early training and inference workloads are now running, supporting OpenAI’s next-gen frontier research.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
SLB wins contract for North Sea carbon storage wells
SLB (NYSE:SLB) has been awarded carbon storage contract by Northern Endurance Partnership, a JV of bp, Equinor, and TotalEnergies.
Project involves development of six carbon storage wells in the North Sea.
SLB will use its Sequestri carbon storage solutions portfolio for the project.
Scope includes drilling, measurement, cementing, fluids, completions, wireline, and pumping.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
Oklo, Vertiv to partner in powering AI data centers
Vertiv and Oklo will collaborate on modular, energy-efficient power and cooling solutions and reference designs developed specifically to support data centers driven by nuclear power.
In response to surging data center power demand in the U.S., Oklo and Vertiv are joining forces to revolutionize data center operations through an integrated solution that co-optimizes power and cooling, with Oklo's reliable clean energy generation and Vertiv's specifically designed advanced power and thermal management systems. By leveraging heat from Oklo's onsite power plant to drive Vertiv's cooling systems, the collaboration will significantly enhance data center energy efficiency. This approach delivers resilient power for demanding AI and high-performance computing operations while reducing environmental impact. The companies will work together to produce end-to-end reference designs for data centers that use Oklo’s onsite power plants.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
Tariff strategies: Walmart looks to take market share
Notably, Walmart (CFO) John Rainey told CNBC on Tuesday that the retail giant has not raised prices in response to tariffs, opting to take market share amid the profit headwind. Retail sector analysts have noted that there is very little middle ground on tariff costs, as companies weigh raising prices or taking the hit to profitability.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
NVDA 0.00%↑ #xAI
Musk's xAI seeks billions in funding from private-credit market - report
Elon Musk's xAI is seeking up to an additional $12B in funding through an effort assisted by one of his closest allies who has invested in -- and served on the boards of -- Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX.
Valor Equity Partners, founded by Antonio Gracias, is in discussions with private-credit funds to provide part of the $12B, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The newspaper added that the capital would be used to buy a large amount of Nvidia (NVDA) chips that would then be leased for use in a huge data center for xAI's generative AI chatbot Grok.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
RKLB 0.00%↑ AMZN 0.00%↑ #SpaceX
U.S. is said to seek broader support for Golden Dome as SpaceX influence wanes
The administration is moving to reduce reliance on SpaceX (SPACE) following a deterioration in the relationship between Musk and President Trump, which culminated in a public dispute in early June. Even prior to the fallout, Pentagon and White House officials had expressed concerns about overdependence on a single company for key elements of the $175 billion defense initiative.
Among those is Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Project Kuiper, a planned constellation of 3,000 low-Earth orbit satellites, of which only 78 have launched to date. The Pentagon has approached Kuiper about participating in Golden Dome, signaling an openness to involving commercial tech companies in national defense infrastructure. Amazon (AMZN) Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos acknowledged earlier this year that Kuiper’s technology would have military relevance, though he emphasized the platform’s commercial intent.
The administration is also in contact with established defense firms including Lockheed Martin (LMT), Northrop Grumman (NOC) and L3Harris (LHX), as well as emerging rocket startups like Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Stoke Space, which may be invited to bid on individual launches as the project evolves.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
Trump says will be meeting China's Xi Jinping in the 'not too distant future'
"President Xi has invited me to China, and we'll probably be doing that in the not too distant future. A little bit out, but not too distant," Trump told reporters.
"I don't mind if he gets along with China, because we're getting along with China very well. We have a very good relationship. In fact, the magnets, which is a little complex piece of material, but the magnets are coming out very well, they're sending them in record numbers. We're getting along with China very well," Trump said.
The U.S. and China are currently adhering to a temporary trade truce under which the Asian nation has agreed to supply rare earths up front to the U.S., in exchange for Nvidia H20 chips.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier said the trade truce expires on August 12 and that he would be meeting with his Chinese counterparts in Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday where an "extension" would "likely" be worked out.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
Tesla California registrations down 21.1% in Q2
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) registrations in California were down 21.1% in the second quarter, making this the seventh consecutive quarterly decline in registrations for the EV maker in the state.
According to recent data from the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA), Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) registrations are down 18.3% compared to the first half of 2024, resulting in a 2.9% loss to Tesla’s market share for the quarter.
The top-selling brands so far this year is still the Tesla (TSLA) Model Y with 44,112 registrations, followed by the Model 3 at 31,394 and Toyota Camry with 30,490 registrations.
Tesla’s (TSLA) slump, as well as demand for rival EVs, could change over the next two months, however, as buyers rush to capitalize on the expiring federal EV tax credit. To be eligible for the $7,500 tax credit for new EVs and $4,000 credit for used, buyers must purchase or lease and take delivery of an EV before September 30.
Any sudden burst of demand for EVs is unlikely to change the trajectory of car sales in California, however, as the CNCDA is forecasting a 9% drop in new vehicle registrations in H2 as a result of higher vehicle prices due to tariffs, increasing inflation, lower economic growth, and stagnant household disposable income.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 22, 2025
SPY 0.00%↑ EWJ 0.00%↑ DXJ 0.00%↑
Trump says U.S. strikes trade deal with Japan, imposes 15% tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a trade deal with Japan, setting a 15% reciprocal tariff on the country’s exports to the U.S. and featuring a reported cut in auto duties.
Trump said Japan will invest $550 billion in the U.S. as part of the deal.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that U.S. auto tariffs on Japanese vehicles will be reduced from 25% to 15%, according to Reuters.
Auto exports to the U.S. remain vital to Japan’s economy, accounting for 28.3% of total exports in 2024, based on customs data.
Japan has agreed to import more U.S. rice within its existing tariff-free quota as part of a broader bilateral trade deal.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Japan are nearing a deal to jointly export liquefied natural gas from Alaska, which could potentially revive a long-stalled project.
Speaking to lawmakers, Trump said Japan is “forming a joint venture with us in Alaska for the LNG,” though he offered no further details and it’s unclear if the deal is formalized.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Enphase outlines $2B Netherlands battery market opportunity while advancing U.S. supply chain diversification
CEO Badrinarayanan Kothandaraman announced quarterly revenue of $363.2 million with free cash flow of $18.4 million. He highlighted, "Our Q2 revenue included $40.4 million of safe harbor revenue. As we exited Q2, our battery channel inventory was normal, while our microinverter channel inventory was slightly elevated."
Kothandaraman emphasized progress in U.S. domestic manufacturing: "In Q2, we shipped approximately 1.41 million microinverters from our U.S. contract manufacturers, booking 45x production tax credits."
Enphase began shipping its fourth-generation battery systems in June, aiming to cut backup costs and installation complexity, and is developing a fifth-generation battery with a 50% increase in energy density.
Market expansion was highlighted in Europe, where revenue increased 11% sequentially, and in Australia, where government rebates are expected to drive battery attach rates.
Strategic changes included a supply chain diversification to mitigate tariff risks, with the CEO noting, "The originally proposed 145% tariff on Chinese products was ultimately reduced to 30% in May. As a result, our expected 6% to 8% margin headwind in Q3 has improved to an estimated 3% to 5%."
Enphase expects Q3 2025 revenue in the range of $330 million to $370 million, below the $372M Wall Street consensus estimate, including shipments of 190 to 210 megawatt hours of IQ Batteries. Kothandaraman clarified, "The Q3 revenue guidance does not include any safe harbor."
Enphase (NASDAQ:ENPH) also sees Q3 gross margin of 43%-46% with net IRA benefit and 33%-36% excluding net IRA benefit, including 3-5 percentage points of new tariff impact.
CEO Badri Kothandaraman said residents who want to install solar and home batteries will have to move toward financing the systems with third-party leases, which will still qualify for tax incentives next year.
Management cited potential demand declines in 2026 as the 25D homeowner tax credit expires, anticipating a 20% drop in total addressable market.
BloombergNEF analysts expect residential solar installations this year will rise by ~13% Y/Y as homeowners rush to take advantage of expiring tax credits, but they see the market shrinking by 35% in 2026.
Tariff exposure continues to impact margins, with batteries more affected than microinverters, but supply chain diversification and a roadmap to non-China cell sourcing are underway.
Goldman Sachs reiterated its Sell rating and $32 stock price target on Enphase (ENPH).
Analyst Philip Shen at Roth Capital said in a note this week that he expects Enphase's (ENPH) sales will slump to ~$1B in 2026 from ~$1.5B this year.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
TSM 0.00%↑ #FXCOF
Taiwan unveils $510 billion push to become global AI leader
The initiative, named the "Ten Major AI Infrastructure Projects," aims to position Taiwan as a global leader in AI by 2040.
It aims to become a global AI influencer and a “smart technology island,” with three core technologies making the base of this initiative: silicon photonics, quantum technology, and AI robotics.
Taiwan's TSMC (NYSE:TSM)—the biggest contract chipmaker in the world—and numerous other companies in the sector are actively working on a technology called silicon photonics.
Foxconn (OTCPK:FXCOF) Chairman Young Liu has also backed the move by forming the Taiwan AI Robotics Industry Grand Alliance to support local development of AI robotics and related ecosystems, Reuters reported. The island nation also intends to create an industry chain for quantum technology.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Oklo, Liberty Energy launch next-generation integrated power solution
Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) +4.1% and Oklo (NYSE:OKLO) +3.3% pre-market Wednesday after the two companies unveiled an alliance to accelerate integrated power solutions for large-scale, high-demand customers, including data centers, industrial facilities, and utility-scale sites.
Liberty (NYSE:LBRT) said its Forte natural gas power generation and load management solution will provide initial reliable primary power and flexible energy services, along with future grid management services focused on optimization and resiliency; as Oklo's (NYSE:OKLO) Aurora powerhouses come online, they will be integrated to provide clean, continuous baseload energy, complementing Liberty's natural gas power.
"This innovative approach redefines how today’s most energy-intensive industries can scale efficiently with cost-effective, next-generation power solutions, combining rapid deployment, intelligent load management, and integrated grid management," Liberty (LBRT) CEO Ron Gusek said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
BlackSky wins contract to deliver monitoring services to Latin American customers
BlackSky Technology (NYSE:BKSY) said on Wednesday that it has won a contract to provide immediate on demand subscription-based Gen-3 and Gen-2 monitoring services for Latin American defense and intelligence customers in the fight against transnational organized crime.
The agreement gives end-users the ability to set up AI-enabled automated tip-and-cue tasking for BlackSky’s proprietary Gen-3 and Gen-2 satellites, access to BlackSky Archive imagery and analytics data, plus the ability to order third-party commercial constellation data.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] GE Vernova spikes to record high on strong Q2; sees revenues at top end of guidance
GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) +13.8% in early trading Wednesday, spiking to an all-time intraday high of $629.97, after posting better than expected Q2 adjusted earnings and revenues, while raising guidance for adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow for the full year.
Q2 revenues from all three business segments - power, wind and electrification - topped forecasts: Power revenues rose 6.8% Y/Y to $4.76B, wind jumped 8.9% to $2.25B, and electrification surged 23% to $2.2B, above respective expectations of $4.64B, $2.2B and $2.11B.
For the full year, GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) said it expects revenues will trend towards the higher end of a range of $36B-$37B, and raised its free cash flow target to $3B-$3.5B, up from its prior outlook of $2B-$2.5B.
The company said its guidance includes an impact from President Trump's tariffs as currently outlined on the lower end of a $300M-$400M range.
CEO Scott Strazik noted progress in the 300-megawatt small modular reactor, construction beginning in Ontario, and the NRC accepting TVA’s application to construct at the Clinch River site.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Trump's AI Action Plan set to boost AI innovation, data center infrastructure, less regulations on the way
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration unveiled the "AI Action Plan" which has three pillars — innovation, infrastructure, and international diplomacy and security.
Exporting American AI: The Commerce and State Departments will partner with industry to deliver secure, full-stack AI export packages — including hardware, models, software, applications, and standards — to America’s friends and allies around the world.
Promoting Rapid Buildout of Data Centers: Policies would include expediting and modernizing permits for data centers and semiconductor fabs, and creating new national initiatives to increase high-demand occupations like electricians and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) technicians.
In addition, policies would include removing onerous federal regulations that hinder AI development and deployment, and seek private sector input on rules to remove.
Upholding Free Speech in Frontier Models: The AI Action plan would also include updating Federal procurement guidelines to ensure that the government only contracts with frontier large language model developers who ensure that their systems are objective and free from top-down ideological bias.
The White House intends to remove red tape and onerous regulation; ensure that frontier AI protects free speech and American values; encourage open-source and open-weight AI; enable AI adoption; empower American workers in the Age of AI; support next-generation manufacturing; invest in AI-enabled science; build world-class scientific datasets; invest in AI interpretability, control, and robustness breakthroughs; build an AI evaluations ecosystem; accelerate AI adoption in government; drive adoption of AI within the Department of Defense; protect commercial and government AI Innovations; and combat Synthetic media in the legal system.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Chipotle slides after rare negative comparable sales quarter; restaurant peers on watch
Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) fell sharply in after-hours trading on Wednesday after missing revenue estimates with its Q2 earnings report.
A 3.0% increase in total revenue was driven by new restaurant openings, as comparable sales fell 4.0% during the quarter that ended on June 30. The comparable sales growth mark fell below the consensus estimate of -2.9%. Transactions were down 4.9% during the quarter. Notably, Chipotle (NYSE:CMG) lapped its strongest comparable sales quarterly mark of 2024 and had an additional headwind due to the timing of Easter.
Chipotle (CMG) opened 61 new company-owned restaurants during the quarter, of which 47 included a Chipotlane. Chipotle (CMG) sees full-year restaurant growth of 315 to 345 units, with over 80% having a Chipotlane.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
ServiceNow's AI products surpass expectations, raises outlook by $125M
The company quarter reported adjusted earnings per share of $4.09, which was much more than the consensus estimate of $3.57. GAAP EPS of $1.84 outdid the estimate of $1.60 as well.
Revenue for the quarter ended June 30 totaled $3.22B, which was more than the consensus of $3.12B. For the quarter in progress, ServiceNow expects subscription revenue ranging from $3.26B to $3.27B, which is also more than the estimate of $3.21B.
Now Assist was included in 18 of ServiceNow's top 20 deals during the second quarter. Some of ServiceNow's major clients utilizing their AI platform include Nvidia (NVDA) and Starbucks (SBUX).
As a result, ServiceNow increased its full-year 2025 subscription revenue by $125M at the midpoint to range from $12.77B to $12.79B, which is more than the estimate of $12.68B.
ServiceNow also unveiled a new strategic partnership with CapZone Impact Investments, which was developed to build mission-critical manufacturing facilities. The first project entails transforming a legacy naval yard in Mobile, Ala., into a modern state-of-the-art facility for building and maintaining naval vessels.
In addition, ServiceNow announced agentic workforce management, a new extension of end-to-end AI agent orchestration that enables employees and AI agents to seamlessly and securely work together to deliver real business outcomes.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Tesla reaffirms 2025 low-cost EV timeline, delivers in-line Q2 results - update
The company assured investors that plans for a lower cost vehicle “remain on track for the second half of 2025.”
The company is also continuing its production of the Tesla Semi and Cybercab, both slated for volume production in 2026.
Because of the company’s focus on the robotaxi rollout in Austin last month, production release of autopilot is “several months behind,” Musk said on the company’s earnings call.
Following the launch in Austin, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is also seeking regulatory approval for robotaxis in the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, and Florida (a remark that briefly launched shares higher) with Musk predicting that robotaxis will be available to “half the U.S. population by the end of this year.”
Optimus 3 is an “exquisite design” and will be the biggest product ever, Musk predicts. But while Optimus remains a “hard product to design,” production is expected to start at the beginning of next year, and scale production by five years.
Dan Meir Levy, Barclays: Asked about adding non-Tesla vehicles to robotaxi network and funding scale. Musk and Taneja indicated rollout will be gradual, with third-party cars allowed “next year,” and funding will move from internal balance sheet to debt once recurring revenues are established.
Mark Trevor Delaney, Goldman Sachs: Asked about FSD subscription trends. Taneja reported, “since we have launched version 12 of FSD in North America, we've definitely seen a marked improvement... we have seen a 25% increase since that time.”
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
QuantumScape extends cash runway into 2029 as PowerCo deal expands with $131M in new payments
CEO Siva Sivaram announced an expansion of QuantumScape's collaboration and licensing agreement with Volkswagen Group's PowerCo, with "PowerCo contributing additional payments of up to $131 million to QS over the next 2 years to support our joint commercialization activities." Sivaram also highlighted that "the first milestones linked to expected payments of more than $10 million have already been achieved." He stated that the upgraded agreement allows PowerCo to produce up to an additional 5 gigawatt-hours of QS cells annually, bringing the total to 85 gigawatt-hours.
Sivaram reported that QuantumScape signed a joint development agreement with another major global automotive OEM, strengthening collaboration beyond initial sampling and moving toward commercialization and licensing.
Yan Dong, Deutsche Bank: Asked about the new joint development agreement (JDA) with another global automotive OEM and the steps toward a full licensing deal. Sivaram explained that "the same playbook that we have used with PowerCo... applies" and the JDA is to adapt the technology to the customer's needs before moving to licensing.
Sivaram remarked, "This quarter is a major inflection point in our journey, and we are now firmly in the commercialization phase of our company."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Euro car sales tumble 7.3% in June; Tesla loses market share
Car registrations in the EU declined by 7.3% Y/Y to 1.01 million units in June 2025, reversing a 1.6% surge in May, highlighting the challenging global economic environment for automakers.
Overall, in the first half of 2025, car sales declined 1.9% Y/Y. The battery-electric car market share for H1 2025 stood at 15.6%, still far from where it needs to be at this point in the transition, the Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said. Meanwhile, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 37.8%, down from 48.2% over the same period in 2024.
Despite an increase in total sales of electric vehicles, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) lost market share for the sixth consecutive month. In June, Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) sales in the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association sales dropped 22.9% Y/Y, reducing its market share from 3.4% to 2.8%.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 24, 2025
#Neuralink
Neuralink eyes $1B annual revenue by 2031 - report
Elon Musk’s brain implant company Neuralink aims to implant its chips in 20,000 people annually by 2031, potentially generating over $1 billion in yearly revenue, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg.
According to the report, Neuralink plans to operate five major clinics within six years and offer three versions of its brain implant: Telepathy, enabling brain-to-machine communication; Blindsight, aimed at restoring vision; and Deep, designed to treat tremors and Parkinson’s disease.
The company expects to receive regulatory approval for Telepathy by 2029, with a target of 2,000 surgeries per year and projected revenue of $100 million, the report said. By 2030, Neuralink plans to launch Blindsight, scale up to 10,000 surgeries annually, and generate over $500 million in revenue.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 24, 2025
Google Cloud was the star in Alphabet's Q2 report - analysts
"We like GOOGL's strong strategic position as #1 in Search, #1 in Streaming (YouTube), #2 in Mobile (Android), #3 in Cloud; and #1 in Autonomous driving (Waymo). LLMs make data more valuable and GOOGL's data is best in class," Needham said.
“Moving to Google Cloud, the segment's acceleration to 32% growth from the 28% growth it saw last quarter is a clear indication of strong AI-led public cloud infrastructure demand," Morningstar said.
PT hiked by $10 to $220; rating "buy".
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 24, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 23, 2025
Ocean Power GAAP EPS of -$0.17, revenue of $5.86M
Backlog at April 30, 2025 was $12.5 million, a 158% increase over the prior year.
Pipeline as of the date of this release stands at $137.5 million, an 88% increase over the $71.6 million pipeline at April 30, 2024.
Operating expenses of $23.3 million for FY25 decreased $8.9 million, or 28%, versus $32.2 million for the year ended April 30, 2024.
Ocean Power Technologies (NYSE:OPTT) on Thursday announced the signing of a new reseller agreement with a Latin America-based partner focused on supporting the Mexican offshore and maritime markets.
Under the agreement, the partner will provide business development, sales, and technical support services. The agreement also includes a $3 million purchase commitment for OPT’s WAM-V Unmanned Surface Vehicles.
Revenues for FY25 of $5.9 million increased 6% over FY24 revenues.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 24, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 24, 2025
Coursera Non-GAAP EPS of $0.12 beats by $0.03, revenue of $187.1M beats by $6.58M
CEO Gregory M. Hart introduced product innovations including Coursera Coach, an AI-powered tutor, stating "learners using Coach are 10% more likely to pass a quiz on their first attempt." He emphasized expansion of AI Translations and AI Dubbing, now enabling more than 120,000 learners to complete over 400,000 learning hours in multiple languages, especially in Spanish-speaking markets.
Coursera reported $123 million in Consumer segment revenue, up 10% year-over-year, and $64 million in Enterprise segment revenue, also up 10% year-over-year.
Consumer segment gross profit reached $75 million with a 61% margin, and Enterprise segment gross profit was $45 million with a 70% margin.
Free cash flow was $29 million, and Coursera ended Q2 with $775 million in unrestricted cash and no debt.
Net income stood at $19 million, and adjusted EBITDA was $18 million, or 9.6% of revenue.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 24, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 24, 2025
GOOG 0.00%↑ #SSNLF #OpenAI #PerplexityAI
Samsung in talks to expand smartphone AI beyond Google’s Gemini - report
Samsung Electronics (OTCPK:SSNLF) is in talks with the likes of OpenAI and Perplexity AI to integrate more AI services in upcoming Galaxy devices, seeking a wider range of offerings beyond Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Gemini, Bloomberg reported.
South Korea’s largest company aims to give customers more options on its upcoming Galaxy S26 smartphone line next year, according to Choi Won-Joon, president and chief operating officer of its mobile division.
“We are talking to multiple vendors,” Choi said in an interview at Samsung’s headquarters in Suwon. “As long as these AI agents are competitive and can provide the best user experiences, we are open to any AI agent out there.”
Samsung (OTCPK:SSNLF) was nearing a deal to invest in Nvidia-backed (NVDA) Perplexity AI and integrate its app and assistant, Bloomberg reported in June.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 25, 2025
Tesla eyes a limited robotaxi launch in the San Francisco area this weekend
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is reportedly preparing to launch its robotaxi service in San Francisco as soon as this weekend. According to several media reports, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) informed its staff that the original timeline for the launch has been accelerated, with a staff memo suggesting the rollout could even occur beginning on Friday. The geofenced area where the robotaxi service will operate covers a large portion of the Bay Area.
Elon Musk said during Tesla's (TSLA) quarterly earnings call earlier this week that its robotaxis will operate with a safety operator in the front seat during the initial deployment in the Bay area. The company has also indicated that some Tesla (TSLA) owners will be invited to use the robotaxi service and will pay for their rides, which marks a notable incremental step toward broader public access.
A spokesperson for the California DMV told Business Insider that the agency recently met with Tesla (TSLA), but noted that the company has yet to apply for a permit for driverless testing or deployment.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 25, 2025
HIMS 0.00%↑ LLY 0.00%↑ NVO 0.00%↑
Hims & Hers drops as U.S. lawmakers target copycat weight loss drugs
In a letter sent to the agency on Friday, more than 80 lawmakers call on the FDA to crack down on fake and knockoff versions of weight loss drugs such as Eli Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) Wegovy.
Hims & Hers Health (NYSE:HIMS) continues to market compounded versions of Wegovy at a sharp discount to the branded product, even after a years-long shortage of the popular weight loss drug ended early this year.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 25, 2025
Atai Life Sciences down 12% after hours on mid-stage failure of schizophrenia asset
Atai Life Sciences (NASDAQ:ATAI) is off ~12% in after-hours trading Friday after a company it has a significant investment in reported that a phase 2b study of a schizophrenia asset missed its primary endpoint.
Recognify Life Sciences said that inidascamine did not achieve statistical significance on a scale of improvement in cognitive and functional measures compared to placebo.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 25, 2025
YouTube:
[WealthWise] It's not just about bitcoin anymore. Altcoins are drawing more corporate attention
While bitcoin (BTC-USD) may still dominate the cryptosphere, some firms are making bold bets on altcoin giants like ethereum (ETH-USD) and solana (SOL-USD) – not just for diversification, but as a core part of their overall strategy.
On Monday, Bit Digital (BTBT) said it completed its transition to an ether (ETH-USD) treasury strategy, having accumulated 100.6K tokens worth $301.8M at the current ETH price of $3K per coin. The purchases were funded by public equity offerings -- borrowing a page from Michael Saylor-founded Strategy's (MSTR) playbook -- and the sale of its bitcoin (BTC-USD) holdings.
"We believe Ethereum has the ability to rewrite the entire financial system. Ethereum's programmable nature, growing adoption, and staking yield model represent the future of digital assets," Bit Digital CEO Sam Tabar had said in a statement. His company "is aligning itself with Ethereum's long-term potential and positioning itself as a focused Ethereum treasury platform in the public markets."
Similarly, DeFi Development (DFDV) is raising capital via convertible debt to acquire Solana (SOL-USD), and Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) recently announced a $250M private placement to advance its ETH treasury strategy.
The shift toward altcoins "isn’t about abandoning Bitcoin, which remains a critical macro asset and store of value," said Leah Wald, CEO of SOL Strategies. Instead, "it's about diversification and positioning for the next era of on-chain utility and providing an alpha exposure vehicle for investors portfolios."
Relative to bitcoin (BTC-USD), ether (ETH-USD) and solana (SOL-USD) provide exposure to higher-growth ecosystems that offer "both upside and exposure to real utility, yield through staking, and alignment with fast-growing sectors like AI, decentralized infrastructure, and Web3," said Ravi Doshi, co-head of Capital Markets at FalconX.
The key risk, of course, is altcoin price action can be even more volatile than bitcoin (BTC-USD), especially during bear markets.
"But for companies tied to growth narratives, that’s often a feature, not a bug," John Murillo, chief business officer of global fintech solutions provider B2BROKER said. "I think this is the start of a more layered treasury strategy: BTC for credibility, ETH/SOL for functionality. Over time, we may see firms build portfolios that resemble venture-style bets, not just 'digital gold' reserves.”
If altcoin adoption continues to grow — as the regulatory landscape becomes clearer and friendlier — "in a space that rewards innovation, betting only on BTC might feel like playing it too safe," said Pablo Gerboles Parrilla, founding director at Alive DevOps.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 12, 2025
Link to YouTube Video (02:12 Mins) - Jul. 26, 2025
Disclosure: We own positions in some/all of the tickers mentioned in this article.
