
China Holiday Spending Shrinks as Consumer Sentiment Stays Weak
A total of 119 million trips were made domestically during the three-day holiday, rising 5.7% from a year earlier. Travelers spent more than 42.7 billion yuan ($5.9 billion), up 5.9%, figures provided by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Tuesday showed.
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18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Palantir is set to report second quarter earnings after announcing $10 billion US Army deal
Palantir (PLTR) was set to report quarterly earnings Monday after the bell, with Wall Street expecting another period of double-digit growth for the defense tech firm. Wall Street analysts tracked by Bloomberg expect the company to report second quarter adjusted earnings per share of $0.14, up from $0.09 the prior year. They expect revenue to hit $939.25 billion, up roughly 39% from last year, according to Bloomberg data. 'Expectations for Palantir headed into earnings are as high as ever,' DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria told Yahoo Finance in an email. 'The company has easily exceeded expectations for several recent quarters and appears to have more momentum than any other publicly traded software company.' Read more: Live coverage of corporate earnings Palantir sells its artificial intelligence software to businesses and governments in the US and abroad. Its tech does everything from supply chain analysis to surveillance and identifying military targets, the latter of which has drawn backlash from human rights advocates. In May, Palantir stock fell 12% the day after its first quarter results as investors scrutinized the company's valuation and declining sales in its international commercial business, which sells software to businesses abroad, even as its first quarter revenue blew past Wall Street's forecasts. While analysts expect revenue from sales to governments and US businesses to continue soaring in the second quarter, they see sales in its international commercial segment declining slightly to about $147.1 billion from $148 billion last year. Boosting optimism for the future of its revenue from the US government, Palantir announced Thursday that it had inked a deal with the US Army worth up to $10 billion over the next 10 years. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, a notable Palantir bull, said the deal is 'one of the largest ever DOD [Department of Defense] software contracts in US history.' 'We believe this deal represents an additional tailwind for PLTR with AI initiatives across the US government accelerating with AI a strategic focus on the federal front and Palantir in the sweet spot to benefit from a tidal wave of federal spending on AI,' Ives wrote in a note to investors Friday. Overall, Wall Street remains mixed on Palantir stock, however. Ives is one of 10 analysts who hold a Buy rating on shares, while 16 have a Hold rating, and five recommend selling the stock, according to Bloomberg data. Bears remain concerned that Palantir is overvalued. Palantir stock currently trades at levels 24 times the historical market multiple of the S&P 500 (^GSPC). Shares of Palantir are up more than 105% this year, relative to the S&P 500's 6.3% gain, and the stock has far outperformed the "Magnificent Seven" Big Tech stocks in 2025. 'We cannot rationalize why Palantir is the most expensive name in our software coverage,' RBC Capital Markets analyst Rishi Jaluria wrote in a note to clients Wednesday. 'Absent a substantial beat-and-raise quarter elevating the NT [near term] growth trajectory, valuation seems unsustainable.' A 'beat and raise' refers to a company's earnings surpassing Wall Street's expectations and raising its financial outlook for the upcoming Bratton is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Bluesky @ Email her at
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How selfie parks limit tourism damage to the world's most ‘Instagrammable' destinations
It's no secret that social media has changed travel. Holidaymakers increasingly seek to imitate images posted by influencers and their peers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. In our increasingly digital world, travellers now chase the perfect shot like treasure hunters. That can mean navigating crowds, long lines and sometimes even danger – all for content from the world's most 'Instagrammable' spots. In a widely viewed TikTok video, influencer Zoe Rae (the sister of Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague) voiced her disappointment after visiting Bali. Apparently, it did not look as it did when she saw it online. Her comments attracted a backlash, with critics arguing she was simply experiencing the reality behind the content she and others have helped to promote. Research has found that many influencers and social media users participate in an 'aesthetic economy'. That is, travel is 'performed' for likes, views and brand deals. The result? Holidaymakers seeking out highly photogenic ('Instagrammable') destinations from which to stage their content. Sometimes 'getting the shot' becomes more important than any meaningful cultural exchange between hosts and guests. The behaviour of social media-induced tourists has been found to be more irresponsible than that of other types of travellers. There were 379 selfie-related deaths between 2008-21, and the quest for the perfect photo can also lead to trespassing and vandalism. Additionally, studies have found that social-media-induced tourists can cause varying levels of damage to the hotspots they visit. This can include environmental erosion, traffic congestion, pollution, increased rubbish and generally making daily life difficult for locals. Stage-managed selfies But the demand has fuelled the development of shadow economies like 'selfie museums'. 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And they implement daily safety checks and regularly train staff to ensure guests are supervised as they take photos. This is an important alternative to the sometimes risky behaviour of selfie-seekers in viral hotspots. Of course, the elephant in the room here might be the commodification and inauthenticity that selfie parks represent. Other research has found that locals can be divided about staged photo opportunities, with some seeing them as inauthentic and gimmicky. There is an awareness that these encounters do not represent the real life of locals. Others, however, consider the money to be made and employment that these opportunities can provide. Read more: Our findings from Bali showed that the selfie parks are extremely successful – with more than 1,500 visitors reported in low season. The offering has been expanded in recent years to add more photo spots, infinity pools and even a day club. For now, all of Bali's selfie parks are locally owned and managed. This creates an important source of employment, as well as being a launchpad for entrepreneurship among locals. The idea of selfie parks may take a bit of getting used to. But having spaces where people can take photos, videos and create social media content safely, while bringing in revenue and employment for local communities, offers a viable solution. This is especially true of the places that struggle most with the negative impacts of tourists motivated by social media. Love them or loathe them, selfie parks probably aren't going away. And they may represent a broader shift in how people travel, share and consume experiences. In destinations facing an influx of selfie-seeking visitors, they might just be a surprisingly practical solution. Other 'viral' destinations should consider establishing dedicated spaces in which tourists can create content. Destinations like the island of Santorini, nicknamed Greece's 'Instagram island' amid extreme overcrowding alongside other harms, could be the type of place to benefit. If so many of today's tourists are chasing the perfect picture, maybe it makes sense to give them a place designed exactly for that. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Lauren A. Siegel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB): A Bull Case Theory
We came across a bullish thesis on LyondellBasell Industries N.V. on DeepValue Capital's Substack. In this article, we will summarize the bulls' thesis on LYB. LyondellBasell Industries N.V.'s share was trading at $62.88 as of July 28th. LYB's trailing and forward P/E were 21.76 and 16.45 respectively according to Yahoo Finance. A factory worker monitoring a conveyor belt of specialty chemicals being produced. LyondellBasell (LYB), one of the world's largest plastics and chemicals producers, operates at the heart of the hydrocarbon-to-plastics value chain, converting oil and gas derivatives into core building blocks like ethylene and propylene, which are polymerized into polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). These polyolefins account for over 45% of revenue and drive LYB's earnings power, with profitability highly sensitive to spreads between product prices and feedstock costs. The company's U.S. operations benefit from advantaged ethane-based feedstocks, making LYB the lowest-cost large-cap producer globally. Recent performance has been weighed down by trough-level polyethylene pricing, but signs of a cyclical inflection are emerging as PE and PP prices have posted their first consecutive monthly gains in over a year, operating rates are rising, and inventories are normalizing. Macroeconomic tailwinds, including accelerating China stimulus and a bottoming U.S. PMI, support a potential restocking cycle heading into 2026, positioning LYB as a high-leverage beneficiary. Financial quality remains intact with a 10-year median ROIC above 20%, a near-9% dividend yield, a disciplined 70–80% FCF payout policy, and a strong balance sheet. Management has shifted toward disciplined growth with projects like the Flex‑2 propylene unit and MoReTec recycling facility, while keeping capex modest. Shares have fallen over 40% from 2024 highs, pricing in a prolonged downturn. A return to mid-cycle margins and selective growth could expand FCF margins to 12% and lift fair value toward $274, implying ~394% total returns over five years, with LYB offering a compelling combination of scale, structural cost advantage, and early-cycle upside. Previously we covered a bullish thesis on Eastman Chemical Company (EMN) by Necessary-Damage5658 in November 2024, which highlighted its opportunity to gain market share as export controls favor compliant suppliers. The company's stock price has depreciated approximately by 24% since our coverage because the thesis didn't play out amid weaker demand. DeepValue Capital shares a similar but emphasizes LYB's advantaged feedstocks and early-cycle leverage. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. is not on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 38 hedge fund portfolios held LYB at the end of the first quarter which was 46 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of LYB as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock. Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data