Norway's $1.9 Trillion Wealth Fund Sells Off Israeli Assets
Pressure on Norges Bank Investment Management — the official name of the fund — has grown in recent months, reflecting domestic concern over the suffering in Gaza. The fund held stock in some 61 Israeli companies as of the end of June this year, NBIM said in a statement.
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The Hill
a few seconds ago
- The Hill
Lebanon takes a first step toward reclaiming its sovereignty
Last week, the Lebanese government made a historic move toward restoring full authority over its territory by committing to disarm all groups possessing heavy weapons — most notably Hezbollah. For more than four decades, Hezbollah has wielded both military and political power in Lebanon, undermining the country's independence and destabilizing the region. Now, for the first time in years, the Lebanese state is acting to assert its sovereignty and assert control nationwide — a move unimaginable just a year ago, when the militia's grip on the country seemed unshakable. A devastating Israeli bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran during the past year, followed by the loss of its most important ally with the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, dealt a devastating blow to Hezbollah's infrastructure and military arsenal. However, the group, which continues to benefit from Iran's support, retains some influence domestically, despite its isolation. Until it lays down its weapons, it remains a threat to the country and, indeed, to the region's stability. The U.S. envoy to Syria and current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, recently put forth, after several rounds of talks in Beirut, a multi-phase plan to end the military escalation that has persisted between Hezbollah and Israel since the November 2024 ceasefire was signed by Israel and Lebanon. Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun recognized that without decisive action to support the U.S. proposal to dismantle Hezbollah's arsenal once and for all, the Trump administration and its allies would reconsider future diplomatic and financial support to their war-torn, bankrupt nation. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who represents a large Shiite population in Lebanon, also acknowledged the importance of this pivotal moment when the government took its bold decision on Aug. 7 to fully disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025. The decree is a first step — and the most difficult work lies ahead. Following its passage, Hezbollah's leadership vowed never to give up their arms and threatened a return to military action. All that to say, that the dangers are real, not just in the abstract but in immediate, practical terms. Just days after the announcement, six Lebanese Army soldiers were killed while dismantling a Hezbollah bomb factory. Lebanon must now appreciate that it has the most to lose if implementation falters, and it cannot afford to fall short of its obligations under this agreement. Following through on its commitments will ensure the obligations of other countries involved — including Israel, the United States, France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. This is a historic opportunity for Lebanon to break free from the grip of non-state militias and restore the state's monopoly over arms. But success will depend on all parties honoring their commitments. Under the U.S. plan, Israel is to cease all ground, air and maritime military operations following the Lebanon government's decree, ensuring that the government can begin implementing a disarmament plan. It is expected that within 120 days, all militias will be neutralized and Israeli forces withdrawn from Lebanese territory. The U.S., France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have, in turn, pledged to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces' ability to enforce the agreement and protect the country's sovereignty, as well as to organize an international economic conference to spur Lebanon's recovery and reconstruction. The U.S. and its allies should establish mechanisms to enforce the agreement's implementation. Such oversight would be welcomed by the Lebanese people, who are eager to see an end to the cycle of violence and corruption. Washington can also send a strong signal of confidence by prioritizing funding for the Lebanese Armed Forces to carry out its mission — assistance already endorsed by both the Trump and Biden administrations, as well as Congress — if Lebanon were to take decisive action as it did last week. France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are likewise encouraged to work alongside others in strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces and consider advancing the timeline of their proposed donor economic conference, if the parties are fulfilling terms of the agreement on time. By launching this process, Lebanon's leaders have sent a clear message to their citizens and to the world: They are committed to national unity, the rule of law and regional stability. The international community should stand with Lebanon at this turning point — offering sustained diplomatic engagement, enforcement, financial assistance and security backing — to ensure follow-through on both security commitments and advancing reforms that strengthen institutions and accelerate reconstruction efforts. Peace between Lebanon and Israel is within reach, but only if all parties do their part.
Bloomberg
2 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
AI Pay Gets So Costly That Taser Maker Is Hunting Acquisitions
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Yahoo
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Could Buying Lucid Motors Stock Today Set You Up for Life?
Key Points Lucid is building an electric car company from the ground up. It is making progress in the effort, but upstart businesses don't usually climb higher in straight lines. Lucid's second-quarter report showed that some good things -- and less good things -- are happening. 10 stocks we like better than Lucid Group › Lucid Motors (NASDAQ: LCID) is an exciting business to own a piece of. That, however, may not be a great thing for some investors. In fact, the company's second-quarter results highlighted both the opportunities and the risks of investing in what is, basically, an upstart business. If you are wondering if an investment in Lucid could set you up for life, the answer is maybe -- but only if you can tolerate the risks and uncertainties of owning the shares right now. The opportunity in Lucid Motors The big story with Lucid is that it is building an electric vehicle (EV) business from the ground up. It is attempting to use new technologies to break into the mature and competitive automotive sector, much as Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has already done. The problem for Lucid is that when Tesla leveraged its EVs to become a profitable business, there was almost no competition in that niche. Today, most major automakers and a whole lot of upstarts are vying for a piece of the EV space. Simply put, Lucid's path to profitability is going to be much harder. That's not to suggest that Lucid can't get there. Its vehicles have industry-leading battery life, which is a key advantage given that battery life is one of the biggest worries that consumers have about buying EVs. But that edge isn't enough to mitigate the inherent difficulty of breaking into a crowded marketplace. Meanwhile, the company still faces all the natural issues and complexities of ramping up vehicle production. Lucid's second-quarter report showed both the good and the bad aspects of the business. If you are a conservative investor, the roller-coaster ride this business is taking its shareholders on probably won't feel comfortable for you. If you are an aggressive investor who's willing to buy shares and hold them for the long term, the stock's currently low price could present you with a potentially huge opportunity. But, of course, in order for that opportunity to pay off huge, management will need to execute well. Pros and cons On the positive side of the ledger, Lucid increased its vehicle deliveries by 38% year over year in the second quarter. It also inked a partnership with Uber that could see the ride-sharing company deploy as many as 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs. The company began offering an adapter that will allow customers to use Tesla Superchargers. And, for those who appreciate media hype, Lucid enlisted Timothée Chalamet as its first brand ambassador. To be fair, the Hollywood star could end up being more of a cost center than a financial benefit for the company, but that's kind of how advertising works. Based on all that, you could easily conclude that the second quarter was a solid one for Lucid. And the company is, in fact, making progress toward its goals. But there was also negative news in the quarter. For example, while deliveries were up, the company still only produced 3,800 or so cars. That would be barely a rounding error for most automakers. And, perhaps more notable, the company lowered its full-year production guidance from 20,000 to between 18,000 and 20,000. That may not sound like a huge difference, but on a percentage basis, it suggests that Lucid could miss management's original production goal by as much as 10%. That's notable and not good, even though it isn't surprising for an upstart manufacturer to encounter problems as it ramps up production. And then there's Lucid's ongoing lack of earnings. It lost $0.28 per share in the second quarter. That was an improvement over its $0.34 per share loss in the same stanza of 2024, but it is still bleeding red ink. That's not likely to stop for a long time, as the company is spending heavily to build out its business. In fact, it continues to lose money on every vehicle it makes. It needs to boost its production volume so it can spread its fixed costs over more vehicles, showing the interrelatedness of the problems here. It's making progress, but not smoothly Lucid ended the second quarter with roughly $2.8 billion in cash on its books. Add in other sources of capital, like debt, and management says the company has nearly $4.9 billion in liquidity. Simply put, it has the capital to keep moving forward for now. And it is making clear progress as a business, even if that progress can sometimes be lumpy in nature. That's not unusual for a start-up business. The big issue for investors is the possibility that Lucid might not break into the big leagues. At the end of the day, conservative investors should probably watch Lucid from the sidelines. More aggressive investors with the ability to tolerate the risks may want to step aboard. If Lucid achieves its long-term goals, there could be material upside in its stock. But execution will be key, business volatility will continue, and you'll need a strong stomach to stick around. Should you invest $1,000 in Lucid Group right now? Before you buy stock in Lucid Group, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Lucid Group wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,427!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,119,863!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 13, 2025 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Could Buying Lucid Motors Stock Today Set You Up for Life? was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
