Blackstone Minerals (BSX:AU) has announced Visible Gold Discovered Above High Grade Cu-Au Porphyry
Download the PDF here.
This post appeared first on investingnews.com
More than anything else, rapid urbanization is driving demand for critical minerals like copper around the world.
Delivering the opening keynote address at this year’s Prospectors and Developers Association Conference (PDAC) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) CEO Mike Henry spoke to the opportunities and challenges posed by the growth of urban centers around the world.
His presentation discussed how the mining industry, including Canada’s, can respond to the growing demands on the resource sector and deliver the critical minerals that will be required over the next few decades.
The opportunity: Copper and critical mineral demand outpacing supply
Over the last 10 years, there has been a global population redistribution. For the first time, more of the world’s population lives in urban centers than in rural areas. Along with this shift has come greater densification, which has pushed electrical grids to their limits.
However, as Henry pointed out, this is just the beginning. By 2050, the global population will grow by 25 percent to 10 billion people, and the vast majority of them will live in urban centers.
“They are the engines of massive opportunity for our industry. More high rises, homes, roads and infrastructure, greater electrification, more phones, televisions, cars and air conditioning. More energy, more data centers to power AI and cloud computing,” he said.
This population boom means the world will need more of everything, from copper and steel to potash and other minerals.
As a company, BHP is a global powerhouse. Its portfolio of assets touches on a variety of minerals that will be critical in the coming decades; few, however, may be as important as copper. Henry suggests that demand for red metal will rise 70 percent over the next 15 years.
The massive surge in demand presents an enormous opportunity for the resource sector, especially for investors. Outlining the scale of capital required, Henry estimates that more than US$250 billion will be needed for mining and concentration to keep pace with demand growth, with additional funding needed for smelting and refining — and that’s just for copper.
When other minerals are added to the equation, the total could reach US$800 billion between now and 2040.
The first challenge: Finding significant critical mineral deposits in Canada
Although opportunities exist, they don’t come without challenges, and Henry suggests that the challenges exist both above and below ground.
“First, we’re going to have to find the resources… Those resources are big, large deposits that are becoming harder to find,’ he said. ‘They’re deeper, they’re more remote, they come with new technical challenges, and they’re often in riskier jurisdictions.’
This has led to BHP rethinking how it invests in exploration, seeing them not only fund and carry out exploration work itself, but partnering with other companies around the world.
Some of these partnerships have seen work being carried out in Canada with Henry suggesting considerable untapped resources in the country.
“Of course, Canada has extensive exploration history already, yet much of this has been at shallow depths in subaortic areas. So there remains potential to find deeper or underexplored parts of the country, and we’re engaged in that effort with a specific focus on copper,” he said.
The solution, he said, is to apply new technologies from other sectors, including 3D seismic sensors and muon tomography. However, this new technology generates huge amounts of data, which benefits from advances in artificial intelligence to help make sense of all the information being collected.
Henry says that BHP has taken a different approach to partnerships by borrowing from the tech sector.
“We’ve also borrowed the accelerator concept from big tech, and we are supporting innovative exploration technologies, methods, and ideas through our global accelerator program, BHP Explorer,” Henry said.
The implications are enormous for an industry that needs new ideas brought to the forefront in short timelines.
The second challenge: Government mining policies
However, the biggest challenge facing the resource sector comes not from within the industry but from outside it.
Henry suggested that the biggest changes can come from evolving government policy, and he thinks things are beginning to move in the right direction. Canada itself released a critical minerals strategy in 2021, and its latest update includes 34 minerals and metals.
“There has been a very welcome burst of renewed government interest in critical minerals in recent times, and the motivations do vary,” he said.
For some governments, this interest stems from a desire to use resources to unlock the economic opportunity associated with decarbonizing the global energy grid. Meanwhile, other governments are pursuing critical minerals needed to provide energy security, economic sovereignty and defense supply chain resilience.
Henry noted that some countries are taking steps to make themselves more competitive and are working to attract capital investment for projects through fiscal reform and tax credits. He also pointed out that some governments are streamlining the regulatory process, which he suggests will speed up development time and reduce risks.
Henry sees incredible benefits in Canada due to the strength of the mining sector, but he cautions that past successes aren’t indicative of future success. He believes Canada is in danger of missing out on the next great opportunities in the resource sector.
“Other countries have some mix of even better resource endowments in certain commodities, better tax and royalty regimes, more streamlined permitting processes, while still maintaining high standards and more productivity, enabling industrial relations framework,” Henry said.
Henry sees complacency and bureaucracy as the enemy of growth and economic security, and believes Canada needs to accelerate its efforts to match those being carried out elsewhere.
In comparison, he points to Chile, where he says they’ve accelerated permitting for multi-billion dollar greenfield projects to five to 10 years and even shorter for brownfield developments. In Canada, he said, those timelines stretch to 10 to 15 years.
“Global capital is going to flow to the best opportunities, risk return opportunities globally. So if a country isn’t constantly benchmarking and saying, what’s the combined effect of our industrial relations policies, our tax settings, our permitting process relative to the other countries that are chasing the same opportunity, we run the risk of falling behind,” Henry said.
What does this mean for investors?
Henry outlined a potential for staggering growth in the mining sector for critical minerals such as copper over the next 15 to 20 years. He suggested there is an opportunity for investors looking to get into the sector at all levels, from exploration to production.
He also noted that it is not without problems. When investors evaluate projects, especially early in development, they should recognize that a multitude of factors could determine their success or failure.
Henry touched on access to the resource, the depth of the deposit and its remoteness. He also noted that jurisdictions play a huge part in a project’s success, so investors should research a country’s permitting process and tax system, as well as why a country may look to fast-track projects and whether it affects a company’s risk analysis.
“Once capital mobilizes in one direction, sometimes it can be quite hard to mobilize back in the other,” Henry said.
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
This post appeared first on investingnews.com
Fear is gripping the financial markets in 2025. CNN’s Fear and Greed Index, a widely followed gauge of investor sentiment, has plunged into the ‘Extreme Fear’ zone.
After dipping to 22 at the end of February, the index had fallen to 20 as of March 4, reflecting deep unease among traders and institutional investors alike.
This shift comes amid a mix of economic uncertainties and global geopolitical tensions that have left investors skittish. This includes the US Trump administration enacting tariffs on allies Canada and Mexico on March 4, as well as the administration pulling away from Ukraine and towards Russia.
While market sentiment indicators don’t dictate future price movements, they provide insight into the emotional state of the market — often a contrarian signal for savvy investors. When fear reaches extreme levels, it has historically marked moments of potential opportunity or further market turbulence.
But what does this drop into Extreme Fear really mean? How is the index calculated? And how have past instances of such extreme sentiment played out in the markets?
This article explores the significance of the CNN Fear and Greed Index, its historical context and what investors should watch for next.
What is CNN’s Fear and Greed Index?
CNN’s Fear and Greed Index is a tool designed to measure the prevailing emotions influencing the stock market by weighing seven key indicators.
The Fear and Greed Index operates on a scale from 0 to 100, with a score under 45 indicating fear, a score of 55 and above signifying greed, and one in between marked as neutral. Scores of under 25 and above 75 are labeled Extreme Fear and Extreme Greed, respectively.
How is CNN’s Fear and Greed Index calculated?
The index aggregates seven key indicators, each reflecting different aspects of market sentiment:
- Stock Price Strength – Tracks the number of stocks hitting 52-week highs versus those reaching 52-week lows.
- Stock Price Breadth – Examines trading volume in advancing versus declining stocks.
- Put and Call Options – Analyzes the ratio of bearish (put) options to bullish (call) options.
- Junk Bond Demand – Measures the yield spread between high-yield (junk) bonds and safer investment-grade bonds.
- Safe Haven Demand – Assesses the relative performance of stocks versus government bonds.
When these indicators collectively signal heightened caution, the Fear and Greed Index falls into the fear zone, with Extreme Fear indicating widespread pessimism in the markets.
Other instances of Extreme Fear
Understanding past instances of Extreme Fear can provide insights into current market conditions. The last two notable times the index hit Extreme Fear were August 5, 2024, and December 19, 2024.
1. August 5, 2024: Global sell-off and economic uncertainty
On August 5, 2024, markets saw a sharp decline following weak tech earnings and US employment data, accelerated by an unexpected interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan resulting in investors trying to unwind their yen carry trades. This caused a ripple effect across global markets:
- Japan’s Nikkei index plummeted 12 percent in a single session.
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the volatility could be a precursor to prolonged instability.
2. December 19, 2024: Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance
Investor fears resurfaced in mid-December when the US Federal Reserve signaled that interest rates would likely remain elevated longer than expected. The announcement sent shockwaves through the markets:
- The US dollar surged to a two-year high, weighing heavily on emerging markets.
- Cryptocurrencies took a hit, with Bitcoin dropping over 15 percent in a week.
How do other fear-based indices compare?
While CNN’s Fear and Greed Index is a popular barometer of market sentiment, it isn’t the only fear-based indicator worth watching. Here’s how other major sentiment gauges compare:
Crypto Fear & Greed Index
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index tracks investor sentiment in the cryptocurrency market. Crypto markets are particularly sensitive to risk-off sentiment, making this index an important measure for digital asset investors.
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has also dropped into Extreme Fear with a score of 15 on March 4. This decline coincided with continued geopolitical tensions, particularly US President Donald Trump’s announcement of new 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico that day.
Doomsday Clock
Though not a financial index, the Doomsday Clock, updated annually by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, reflects global existential risks, including nuclear tensions, climate change and geopolitical instability.
As of January 28, 2025, the clock is at 89 seconds to midnight, signaling heightened global uncertainty, which can influence investor sentiment in risk assets like equities and cryptocurrencies.
What Extreme Fear means for investors
The plunge of CNN’s Fear and Greed Index into Extreme Fear territory signals widespread investor anxiety. But is this a warning of further declines, or a contrarian buy signal?
Historically, moments of extreme fear have often preceded strong market rebounds, as panicked selling creates opportunities for value investors. However, not all instances lead to immediate recoveries — some mark the beginning of prolonged downturns.
Key considerations for investors:
- Economic data: Keep an eye on employment reports, inflation data and GDP growth figures.
- Federal Reserve policy: Interest rate decisions will continue to be a key driver of market sentiment.
- Corporate earnings: Weak earnings reports could exacerbate investor fears, while strong results may signal resilience.
- Geopolitical developments: Trade tensions, global conflicts and macroeconomic policies can shift market sentiment quickly.
While fear-based indicators provide valuable insights, investors should use them alongside fundamental and technical analysis to make informed decisions.
Whether this moment marks a temporary panic or the start of a broader downturn remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: investors should be prepared for volatility in the weeks or months ahead.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
This post appeared first on investingnews.com
Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Friday (February 28) as of 9:00 p.m. UTC.
Bitcoin and Ethereum price update
Bitcoin (BTC) is currently trading at US$84,278.24, reflecting an increase of 1 percent over the past 24 hours. The day’s trading range has seen a high of US$84,851.28 and a low of US$81,015.49.
Ryan Lee, chief analyst at Bitget Research, told Cointelegraph that Bitcoin could fall further, “nearing $75,000 as a key support level based on historical patterns and trader sentiment.”
Ethereum (ETH) is priced at US$2,213.28, a loss of 1.5 percent over the same period.
The cryptocurrency reached an intraday high of US$2,238.75 and a low of US$2,138.62. According to crypto intelligence platform Lookonchain, hackers who made off with US$1.4 billion worth of crypto from decentralized exchange Bybit had laundered over US$605 million worth of Ether as of Thursday (February 27) evening.
Altcoin price update
- XRP is trading at US$2.14, reflecting a 0.8 percent decrease over the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency recorded an intraday high of US$2.16 and a low of US$2.70.
- Sui (SUI) is priced at US$2.82, showing a 1.6 percent increase over the past 24 hours. It achieved a daily high of US$2.83 and a low of US$2.52.
- Cardano (ADA) is trading at US$0.6306. The last 24 hours have shown no net change. Its highest price on Friday was US$0.6368, with a low of US$0.6123.
Crypto news to know
House Democrats to launch meme coin act
House Democrats are preparing to introduce the Modern Emoluments and Malfeasance Enforcement (MEME) Act, which prohibits public officials from profiting from, endorsing, issuing or promoting any digital assets.
California Representative Sam Liccardo shared his party’s intent to address concerns surrounding meme coins and potential conflicts of interest with ABC News on Thursday.
“Let’s make corruption criminal again,” said Liccardo, a former federal and local criminal prosecutor.
“The Trumps’ issuance of meme coins financially exploits the public for personal gain, and raises the specter of insider trading and foreign influence over the Executive Branch,’ he added.
The MEME Act seeks to establish clear guidelines for public officials regarding digital assets. In other regulatory developments, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) determined on Thursday that meme coins are not securities. Therefore, traders are not required to register their transactions with the commission.
However, Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw warned that the commission’s vague definition of meme coins could be exploited to potentially circumvent securities regulations.
SEC postpones ruling on Ether ETF options
The SEC has opted to delay its ruling on whether or not to allow Ether exchange-traded fund (ETF) options to be listed on the Cboe. According to a Friday filing, the SEC has extended the deadline to make a final decision until May 2.
The Cboe is seeking to list options on the Fidelity Ethereum Fund (CBOE:FETH), initially filing its request in August 2024. This is the second time the SEC has delayed its decision, having extended its deadline for the first time in October.
On February 7, the agency also delayed its decision to allow options tied to BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum ETF (NASDSAQ:ETHA) to be listed on the Nasdaq ISE, giving itself until April 9.
BlackRock includes iShares Bitcoin Trust in model offerings
BlackRock, a leading global investment firm, has incorporated its Bitcoin ETF, the iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ:IBIT), into its model portfolio offerings. “We believe Bitcoin has long-term investment merit and can potentially provide unique and additive sources of diversification to portfolios,” Michael Gates, lead portfolio manager for BlackRock’s Target Allocation ETF model portfolio suite, wrote on Thursday in a note obtained by Bloomberg.
The decision signals growing acceptance among financial advisors to consider Bitcoin as a component of diversified investment strategies. However, BlackRock will limit Bitcoin’s representation within these portfolios to a range of 1 to 2 percent, perhaps acknowledging Bitcoin’s characteristic price volatility, which was on full display this week.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
This post appeared first on investingnews.com
Domino’s Pizza is finally releasing its own version of stuffed crust on Monday, aiming to win over the customers who are willing to spend more on the pricey pizza customization.
Thirty years ago, Yum Brands’ Pizza Hut debuted the cheesy stuffed crust, marketing the launch with a television commercial starring Donald Trump. As years passed, rivals Papa John’s and Little Caesars eventually followed with their own takes. Trump went from hawking pizza to sitting in the Oval Office.
Generations of consumers have grown up with stuffed crust, including the increasingly important Gen Z diners, who are entering the workforce and buying their own pizzas now. The addition is critical for Domino’s, the top U.S. pizza chain, to compete with rivals Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, which have ceded market share to Domino’s in recent quarters but still steal the pizza chain’s customers.
“Nearly 13 million Domino’s customers each year are buying stuffed crust from our competitors, and these are our customers who have to leave our brand because we’re the only national pizza brand that doesn’t offer it,” Domino’s Chief Marketing Officer Kate Trumbull told CNBC.
Domino’s has taken so long to release stuffed crust that a survey of its customers found that 73% already believed that the chain offered it on the menu, according to Trumbull.
That all changes on Monday, when Domino’s launches its Parmesan Stuffed Crust. The menu item is included in the pizza chain’s $9.99 carryout deal.
When Pizza Hut originally launched stuffed crust, Domino’s viewed the menu item as gimmicky, according to Trumbull. Plus, the company heard that stuffed crust caused bottlenecks and slowed down service, leading to unhappy customers and workers.
But Domino’s perspective changed after more national competitors followed Pizza Hut’s lead. The chain committed to launching its own version in 2022, when its sales were faltering in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic pizza boom.
“It has been one of the longest development efforts in the company’s history,” Trumbull said.
The process began with extensive market research. Findings included that stuffed crust customers tend to buy pizza more frequently and often spend more per transaction.
Eight potential iterations followed before Domino’s landed on the right recipe for its Parmesan Stuffed Crust, made with mozzarella and topped with garlic seasoning and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
At the same time, Domino’s was improving its restaurants’ overall operations, retraining its employees across the system on making its crust and rolling out a custom dough spinner to restaurants. If the pizza chain hadn’t made its kitchens more efficient, it wouldn’t have been able to launch stuffed crust, according to Trumbull.
Ahead of the launch of Parmesan Stuffed Crust, the pizza chain spent 12 weeks training franchisees and 7,000 stores on how to make it properly.
“We’re not going to leave anything to chance after taking three years,” Trumbull said.
This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
Sonic the Hedgehog may be able to run faster than the speed of light, but his film franchise nearly came to a screaming halt in 2019.
A less-than-three-minute trailer released early that year to tease the film’s release, which was just six months away, was widely panned by fans who took to social media to rail against Paramount’s character design. Dubbed “Ugly Sonic,” the blue creature that appeared on film was a far cry from the iconic video game speedster.
Cinematic Sonic, version 1, had more realistic facial features, including human-like teeth, and his body proportions were deemed inconsistent with the character fans grew up with in the ’90s.
“The trailer goes out, and I think it became the most viewed trailer in the history of Paramount Pictures. Which is amazing,” said Toby Ascher, who acquired the rights to Sonic and produced the film franchise. “The only problem was that 90% of people hated the trailer because of the design of Sonic.”
“All of a sudden we went from trying really, really hard to make a really, really faithful video game adaptation to being next in line of the people who had ruined video games for everyone. It just was a disaster of epic proportions,” Ascher added.
The studio pivoted, opting to redesign the title character and push the film’s release back three months to February 2020. The fix cost Paramount around $5 million but resulted in a franchise that has generated nearly $1.2 billion at the global box office. The studio hopes to build on that momentum with a fourth installment in the film franchise, set to debut in 2027.
“The Sonic franchise owes its box office success and longevity to a monumental decision early in the development of the first films’ marketing campaign,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “A re-design of a main character is no small thing. … These decisions can make or break what is every studio’s dream of having a single film turn into a long-term revenue generating franchise. The return on investment by turning an ‘ugly’ Sonic into a beautiful revenue generating franchise is undeniable.”
Ascher first acquired the rights to Sonic the Hedgehog in 2013, a time in Hollywood when video game-inspired films had failed to resonate with audiences.
“When we first started working on Sonic, making a video game adaptation was, like, a really bad idea,” he told CNBC.
No film based on a video game property had, to that point, managed to earn a positive rating from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It wasn’t until 2019 that a video game-based film generated a “fresh” rating on the site, indicating more than 60% positive reviews.
“I don’t think anyone in town really thought making a Sonic movie was a good idea,” Ascher said. “But, I think our strategy was that we had grown up with these games. We’ve grown up with these characters, and we wanted to treat them like any other character. We wanted to give them real emotional arcs, and real emotional stories where you could relate to them.”
Ascher noted that previous video game adaptations typically focused on worldbuilding rather than character development.
“What we’ve been able to do is inject into the franchise heart, and I think that that’s what’s made it different,” said Neal Moritz, Ascher’s producing partner and producer of franchises like “The Fast and the Furious” and “21 Jump Street.”
Both Ascher and Moritz noted that while the filmmaking team behind the first “Sonic the Hedgehog” film overhauled the main character’s design, the story remained pretty much the same.
The filmmaking team was blindsided by audiences’ reactions to the first trailer, but were resolute in trying to resolve the issue rather than shelve the film or release it in its current form.
Moritz said he made an “impassioned speech” to the heads of Paramount and Sega to allow the filmmakers to fix the mistake.
As Moritz recalls, he told executives: “We really screwed up here, but there’s an incredible amount of interest and what we need to do is fix it … We need some more money and we need some more time. If you give that to us, I think we could turn this thing around.”
“I give both Paramount and Sega a lot of credit,” Moritz said. “They said ‘OK.’”
In the redesign, the team brought back Sonic’s iconic white gloves and classic red shoes. They reinfused the character with some of his cartoon roots, and six months after the first trailer, Paramount released a new iteration.
“The fans saw that we were trying to be really genuine in our love for this franchise,” Ascher said, noting that in the wake of the first trailer the team began engaging more with fans and focus groups to drum up feedback and inspiration.
The new trailer was well-received by fans, and three months later “Sonic the Hedgehog” opened to $58 million at the box office. The feature went on to collect $146 million domestically before the pandemic shuttered theaters. Globally, it pulled in $302 million.
The Sonic franchise has continued to thrive in the following years, with each follow-up feature outperforming the last.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” snared $190 million domestically and $403 million globally, while “Sonic the Hedgehog 3″ tallied $235 million stateside and $485 million worldwide.
“That’s a big jump,” said Marc Weinstock, Paramount’s president of worldwide marketing and distribution. “I get excited that every new movie does better than the last one, which is rare.”
Following the success of the second “Sonic” film, the studio’s then-president and CEO of Paramount Pictures, Brian Robbins, greenlit a “Knuckles” series based on the franchise for the company’s streaming service, Paramount+, as well as a third Sonic film.
Sonic was becoming multi-platform, much like Robbins and Paramount had done for franchises like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “A Quiet Place,” “Spongebob Squarepants” and “Paw Patrol.”
The “Knuckles” show generated more than 11 million global viewing hours in its first 28 days on Parmount+.
The theatrical success also rocketed Sonic from a $70 million licensing business to one that generates more than $1 billion in retail revenue annually, according to Ivo Gerscovich, Sega’s senior vice president and chief business and brand officer of Sonic the Hedgehog.
“The great thing about Sonic — and the success of Sonic from the very beginning — is that we basically have listened to the fans from day one,” Robbins, now co-CEO of Paramount, said. “The fans are fanatical about this franchise and love this franchise and know this franchise. Because of that, they’ve become really key in shaping the franchise … They evangelize it.”
Fans inspired the casting of Keanu Reeves as Shadow, an archrival of Sonic, in the third Sonic film. And the filmmaking team says it continues to look to fans to inspire which characters it will add to the films and series next.
Ascher and Moritz both teased that the fourth Sonic film with again feature a new fan-favorite character, but said the team will continue to expand the franchise’s universe at a slow pace.
“If all of a sudden we bring every character, they are not going to get the time that the audience needs to understand them and relate to them and really fall in love with them,” Ascher said. “So, as we bring characters in, whether it’s film or it’s TV, the most important thing is that they have a good story that really showcases the character in an incredible way.”
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal owns Rotten Tomatoes and is the distributor of “The Fast and the Furious” films.
This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
Starbucks announced Tuesday that Nordstrom CFO Cathy Smith will join the company as its new chief financial officer, replacing longtime veteran Rachel Ruggeri.
The executive change is the latest for Starbucks after Brian Niccol joined the company as chief executive in September with the goal of turning around slumping coffee sales.
So far, noteworthy departures during Niccol’s tenure have included the company’s North American CEO, North American president, chief supply officer and the former chair of the board. Meanwhile, many executives with ties to Niccol from his time leading Chipotle Mexican Grill and Yum Brands’ Taco Bell have joined the company.
Smith, 61, joins Starbucks after two years at Nordstrom, which is also based in Seattle and recently announced a $6.25 billion deal to go private. Throughout her decades-long career, Smith has also served as CFO for Bright Health Group, Target, Express Scripts, Walmart International, GameStop, Centex, Kennametal, Textron and Raytheon.
Smith is expected to start next month, Niccol wrote in a letter to employees.
Ruggeri has served as chief financial officer for Starbucks since 2021. Excluding two brief stints at other companies, she has worked at the coffee chain since 2001.
“I’m personally grateful for the partnership we’ve had over the last 6 months since I joined Starbucks,” Niccol said in the letter. “Thank you, Rachel, for all you have done for our business, our culture and our partners.”
Her departure is without cause, the company said in a regulatory filing. Ruggeri will stick around to help with Smith’s transition into the role, according to Niccol.
This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
Sector Rotation: Financials Climb as Consumer Discretionary Slips
While the players in the top five sectors have remained the same, we can see some movement in their relative positions. Communication services continue to lead the pack, but financials have climbed to second, nudging consumer discretionary down to third. Technology and utilities are holding steady at fourth and fifth, respectively.
In the bottom half of the ranking, consumer staples has overtaken industrials, claiming sixth place. The remaining positions, from eight to eleven, have stayed the same.
- (1) Communication Services – (XLC)
- (3) Financials – (XLF)*
- (2) Consumer Discretionary – (XLY)*
- (4) Technology – (XLK)
- (5) Utilities – (XLU)
- (7) Consumer Staples – (XLP)*
- (6) Industrials – (XLI)*
- (8) Energy – (XLR)
- (9) Real-Estate – (XLRE)
- (10) Healthcare – (XLV)
- (11) Materials – (XLB)
Weekly RRG
This week’s observations on weekly sector rotation:
- Communication services remain the lone wolf in the leading quadrant, with its recent node pointing back up — a positive sign for its continued dominance.
- Financials are on the cusp of re-entering the leading quadrant, showing an apparent turnaround.
- Consumer discretionary (XLY) is in the weakening quadrant but still has the highest RS-Ratio reading, potentially giving it ample room to reverse course.
- Technology has retreated to the lagging quadrant — not a great look, imho.
- While also in the lagging quadrant, Utilities shows a strong RRG heading and is close to moving into the improving quadrant.
Daily RRG
Switching to the daily RRG, we get some additional context for these rankings:
- Communication services is in the weakening quadrant with a negative heading, but its tail is short and its RS-Ratio remains strong.
- Financials is also in the weakening quadrant but starting to curl back up — it’ll be a close call whether it moves through lagging or not.
- Consumer discretionary is deep in the lagging quadrant, with the weakest RS-Ratio reading on the daily chart.
- Technology is in the leading quadrant but losing relative momentum.
- Utilities show strength in the leading quadrant, moving higher on the RS-Ratio scale.
Notably, consumer staples are making waves on the daily chart, with a strong move into the leading quadrant.
Spotlight on the Top Five
Let’s get back into the trenches and look at the individual charts for our top performers:
Communication Services – XLC
The sector is maintaining its rhythm of higher highs and higher lows, though there’s been some near-term deterioration. The old resistance line is now acting as support — a level to watch in the coming week.
Relative strength remains robust, with the raw RS line trending higher and the RS-Ratio confirming this upward movement. The RS-Momentum line appears to be bottoming around the 100 level, which could signal a potential turnaround.
Financials – XLF
Financials had a stellar week, closing at the top of its range and flirting with all-time highs. The raw RS line has already broken to new highs, and both RRG lines are turning upward. This sector is well-positioned to claim the top spot in the coming weeks potentially.
Consumer Discretionary – XLY
Things are looking a bit dicey for consumer discretionary. We’ve broken below the previous low, establishing a series of lower highs and lower lows. Support levels just below 210 and around 200 are now critical. The RS line has stalled and is moving lower, dragging both RRG lines down.
This sector must hold current price levels and reverse its relative strength decline to maintain its top-five status.
Technology – XLK
Technology is in a similar boat to consumer discretionary. It’s approaching a double support area around 220, with a rising support line and horizontal support from previous lows. The RS line is rolling over and breaking down — if it breaches the lower boundary of its range, we could see more relative downside. Both RRG lines have topped out and are moving below 100, creating that negative heading on the RRG.
Utilities – XLU
Utilities are bucking the trend of technology and consumer discretionary. It’s slowly but surely continuing its upward trajectory, maintaining that series of higher highs and higher lows. While still range-bound, the relative strength chart is starting to trend higher, pushing both RRG lines upward. It’s still in the lagging quadrant, with both RRG lines below 100, but the heading is strong.
Portfolio Performance Update
Unfortunately, we’ve lost the outperformance that was built up over the last few weeks. We’re now neck-and-neck with the benchmark—the RRG portfolio has gained 1.62% since inception, while the SPY has gained 1.68% over the same period.
#StayAlert, –Julius
The news is that the United States will have a Cryptocurrency reserve. How this will occur is still murky, but Bitcoin surged on the news. Carl and Erin give you their opinion on Bitcoin’s chart setup and possible future movement.
Carl opens the trading room with a review of the DP Signal Tables which are showing new deterioration. The Bias Table shows numerous Bearish Biases.
The market overview was next up with a complete review of the SPY under the hood as well as coverage of Bitcoin, the Dollar, Gold, Gold Miners, Bonds, Yields and Crude Oil. Carl even looked at the Silver chart.
As always Carl walked us through the Magnificent Seven daily and weekly charts. There are plenty of bearish configurations.
After questions, Erin was up sharing her thoughts on Sector Rotation. Defensive sectors are still leading the pack while Technology and other aggressive groups look bearish despite Friday’s rally. Erin dove into the under the hood chart of Technology.
Erin finished the trading room going over viewer requests including SMCI and PFE.
01:30 DP Signal Tables
04:59 Market Overview
10:30 Bitcoin
12:00 Market Overview (continued)
15:45 Magnificent Seven
21:30 Questions (including Bonds and Gold long-term)
31:26 Sector Rotation
41:19 Symbol Requests
Find our video replays on our YouTube channel at @DPAlert. Click on the “Videos” link to get the most up to date trading room and DP Alert videos.
Join us live in the trading room live on Mondays at Noon ET by registering ONCE here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D6iAp-C1S6SebVpQIYcC6g#/registration
Don’t forget we have a free two week trial available for all of our subscriptions! Just use coupon code: DPTRIAL2 at checkout! Here is a link to our products page: https://www.decisionpoint.com/products.html
The DP Alert: Your First Stop to a Great Trade!
Before you trade any stock or ETF, you need to know the trend and condition of the market. The DP Alert gives you all you need to know with an executive summary of the market’s current trend and condition. It not only covers the market! We look at Bitcoin, Yields, Bonds, Gold, the Dollar, Gold Miners and Crude Oil! Only $50/month! Or, use our free trial to try it out for two weeks using coupon code: DPTRIAL2. Click HERE to subscribe NOW!
Learn more about DecisionPoint.com:
Watch the latest episode of the DecisionPointTrading Room on DP’s YouTube channel here!
Try us out for two weeks with a trial subscription!
Use coupon code: DPTRIAL2 Subscribe HERE!
Technical Analysis is a windsock, not a crystal ball. –Carl Swenlin
(c) Copyright 2025 DecisionPoint.com
Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional. Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.
DecisionPoint is not a registered investment advisor. Investment and trading decisions are solely your responsibility. DecisionPoint newsletters, blogs or website materials should NOT be interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any security or to take any specific action.
Helpful DecisionPoint Links:
Price Momentum Oscillator (PMO)
Swenlin Trading Oscillators (STO-B and STO-V)
Jimmy Johnson has been an analyst for ‘Fox NFL Sunday’ since the program debuted in 1994.
After 31 years, the 81-year-old is calling it quits, as he announced on ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd’ Monday.
‘I’ve made an extremely difficult decision,’ Johnson said. ‘I’ve been thinking about it for the last four or five years, and I’ve decided to retire from Fox.’
Speculation about Johnson’s retirement began to run rampant during the network’s coverage of Super Bowl 59. Fox ran a tribute to the long-time analyst as part of its pregame show and ‘Fox NFL Sunday’ host Curt Menefee asked Johnson if the Super Bowl would be his last time on-air in his role.
‘One day at a time, Curt,’ Johnson replied.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
But now, Johnson is ready to ride off into the sunset, even despite how much he has enjoyed his role with the network.
‘Probably the most fun I’ve ever had in my career – and that’s counting Super Bowls and national championships – was at Fox Sports,’ Johnson said. ‘I have an absolute ball with my friends on the set. The best friends I’ve ever had, there with Fox.’
That was part of what made Johnson’s decision to step away so difficult.
‘I’m gonna miss it. I’m gonna miss all the guys. I’ll see ’em occasionally,’ Johnson told Cowherd. ‘But it has been a great run starting back 31 years ago.’
Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks echoed those sentiments and noted in a statement that Johnson would be ‘sincerely missed’ after his retirement.
‘Jimmy served as an inspiration to generations of football fans with his legendary swagger, one-of-a-kind insight and signature humor,’ Shanks wrote. ‘From his motivating pep talks to his unmatched energy over the years, he was our coach who always pushed us to be better. We’re incredibly grateful for his contributions in making Fox NFL Sunday the top pregame show on TV, where we shared countless memorable moments, highlighted by surprising him live on-air with the news he was being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame – an occasion we will never forget.
‘Coach will be sincerely missed and we wish him the best as he sets sail into retirement, like only Jimmy Johnson can.’
This post appeared first on USA TODAY