US Puts Russian Sanctions In Ukraine Talks & German Election Countdown
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Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
BABA vs. AMZN: Which ‘Mega-Cap' Cloud Stock Has More Upside, According to Wall Street Analysts?
Mega-cap stocks are those with a market capitalization of $200 billion or more. Most of these stocks are associated with large, well-established companies with strong track records. Due to their sheer size, mega-cap stocks are often considered safe bets during uncertain macroeconomic times. Using TipRanks' Stock Comparison Tool, we will compare Alibaba (BABA) and Amazon (AMZN) to see which mega-cap stock has more upside ahead, according to Wall Street analysts. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) Stock Alibaba is China's largest e-commerce and cloud-services company, running platforms such as Taobao, Tmall, and AliCloud. The stock has surged more than 45% this year, fueled by AI-driven cloud demand and strong momentum in instant delivery services. Recently, Alibaba has ramped up efforts in its core e-commerce business. Taobao expanded its one-hour delivery service to 50 cities, hitting over 40 million daily orders during peak campaigns. The company launched a ¥10 billion ($1.4 billion) subsidy plan to compete with and Meituan in the fast-delivery space. In addition, Alibaba merged its food delivery unit, and travel services, Fliggy, into Taobao and Tmall to strengthen its retail ecosystem. Looking ahead, the company is set to report its Q1 FY26 earnings soon. Wall Street expects Alibaba to report earnings of $2.16 per share for Q1, down 6% from the year-ago quarter. The decline could be due to the company's heavy investment in logistics and delivery. Meanwhile, analysts project Q1 revenues at $35.49 billion, up 6% year-over-year. Is Alibaba Stock a Good Buy Right Now? Mizuho's Top analyst, Wei Fang, maintained an Outperform rating but trimmed the price target from $160 to $149, citing concerns about rising competition and lower near-term profitability. According to him, rising competition in China's local commerce sector, especially in food delivery and instant retail, is beginning to hurt the company's bottom line. Overall, Wall Street has a Strong Buy consensus rating on Alibaba stock based on 13 Buys and one Hold. The average Alibaba price target of $150.09 implies about 23.78% upside potential from current levels. Amazon Stock (NASDAQ:AMZN) Amazon, the global e-commerce and cloud leader, delivered better-than-expected Q2 2025 earnings. The stock has surged about 5% so far this year, driven by strength in its cloud unit, Amazon Web Services (AWS). The company is making continuous efforts to boost spending on AI infrastructure to drive long-term growth. At the same time, Amazon is doubling down on its grocery business. It recently expanded its 'Amazon Fresh' store rollout in the U.S. and is testing faster same-day grocery delivery to strengthen its retail footprint. This move is designed to increase customer loyalty and complement its Prime ecosystem. What Is the Price Target for Amazon Stock? In response to Amazon's latest grocery push, Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak highlighted that expanding the grocery selection on should help the company cut delivery costs while lowering the minimum basket size. He noted that this move is part of Amazon's broader effort to capture a larger share of the $1.5 trillion offline grocery market. Based on 44 Buys and one Hold recommendation, Amazon stock earns a Strong Buy consensus rating on TipRanks. The average AMZN stock price target of $265.22 implies 14.8% upside potential from current levels. Conclusion Wall Street remains bullish on both Alibaba and Amazon stocks. However, analysts see greater upside potential in Alibaba. The Chinese giant is betting big on instant commerce and subsidies to defend market share. Meanwhile, Amazon is expanding its grocery and AI bets to drive long-term growth. While its upside may be smaller than Alibaba's, Amazon's stable growth and strong cash flow continue to earn Wall Street's confidence.
UPI
5 hours ago
- UPI
State Department halts Gazan visitors' visas amid review
The State Department on Saturday announced a halt in visa approvals for Gazans after podcaster Laura Loomer on Friday questioned their arrivals in locations across the United States. File Photo by Louis Lanzano/UPI | License Photo Aug. 16 (UPI) -- A review of medical-humanitarian visa processing temporarily has stopped the State Department from approving visitors' visas for Gazans as of Saturday. The State Department announced the halt in visa processing for Gazans after podcaster Laura Loomer on Friday questioned flights that carry injured Gazans needing medical care into the United States, Politico reported on Saturday. Loomer reported "flights of Gazans arriving at airports all across" the United States, and the State Department reported the halt in visa processing for Gazans on Saturday. "All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days," State Department staff posted on X on Saturday morning. Neither the State Department nor Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided additional information regarding the decision. The State Department's decision comes after the Trump administration in June increased its vetting of visa applicants to include social media posts and other online activities by respective applicants. Officials in France likewise suspended the evacuation of Gazans to France after a female student identified as a "Palestinian" allegedly circulated a social media post depicting former German dictator Adolf Hitler calling for the killing of Jews, according to Fox News. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told media the woman must leave France and said no further evacuations of Gazans will occur while the matter is investigated to learn how she obtained a student visa. In the United States, Kent, Ohio-based non-profit HEAL Palestine is sponsoring the evacuation of injured Gazans to obtain medical care in the United States. HEAL Palestine says it has evacuated 148 Gazans, including 63 children, and brought them to the United States for medical care. The evacuees are being treated in locations across the nation, including Atlanta, Boston, San Antonio and Seattle and will return to Egypt upon completion of their medical care, the non-profit says. HEAL Palestine was founded in 2024 and says it primarily helps children between ages 6 and 15, but its numbers show it has brought more adults to the United States than children.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Trump's efforts at Alaska summit applauded by world leaders, while Russia rejoices at no longer being world's pariah: ‘A glimmer of hope has finally opened'
World leaders hailed President Trump's push for a diplomatic breakthrough in the deadly war in Ukraine, calling his sitdown with Vladimir Putin a 'glimmer of hope' on Saturday — a jarring contrast to the triumphant mood in Moscow at no longer being viewed as a global pariah. 'President Trump's efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine,' UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. 'His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended. 6 Starmer said the world was closer than before to an end to the war in Ukraine. The reactions came after Trump debriefed European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, about his summit with Putin during a Saturday morning phone call. 'While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving President Zelensky,' Starmer added. 6 The German Chancellor was relieved that no land swap had been negotiated without Ukraine at the table. Leaders expressed relief that no land was negotiated without Ukrainian leaders present, after Trump last week had hinted that discussions could include 'some swapping of territories.' 'There were no territorial negotiations between Putin and Trump over the heads of Ukraine and the Europeans, said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a video address. 'That is good news.' 'A glimmer of hope has finally opened to discuss peace in Ukraine,' rejoiced Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. 6 Meloni expressed cautious optimism after the bilateral summit. REUTERS European leaders stressed their desire to see unwavering security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a deal, including possible NATO and EU membership. 'I welcome, in this regard, the readiness of the United States to contribute,' French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X Saturday. 'It will also be essential to draw all the lessons from the past 30 years, in particular from Russia's well-established tendency not to honor its own commitments,' he added. 6 Macron expressed some skepticism at Russia's track record of honoring its committments. POOL/AFP via Getty Images Others, however were much more skeptical of Moscow's intentions. 'The results of the Alaska summit confirm that while the US and its allies are seeking paths to peace, Putin is still only interested in the greatest possible territorial gains and the restoration of the Soviet empire,' said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. 'Today, it is even clearer that Russia respects only the strong, and Putin has once again proven to be a cunning and ruthless player,' Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. 6 The leaders met for over three hours in Alaska Friday. In Russia, the summit was seen as a clear win — the red carpet was even rolled out for Putin. The Russian strongman left the world stage facing no immediate sanctions despite not agreeing to calls for a long sought-after cease-fire. 'The President of Russia personally and in detail outlined to the President of the United States our conditions for ending the conflict in Ukraine,' Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram. 'Following a nearly three-hour conversation, the head of the White House refused to escalate pressure on Russia.' 6 Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed in Russia. REUTERS The meeting, where Putin received the red-carpet treatment, also signaled the end to Moscow's diplomatic isolation, a status the Kremlin had faced since beginning its war on Ukraine in 2022. In March 2023, the Russian strongman was convicted of war crimes by the International Criminal Court and a warrant for his arrest was issued. 'Western media are in a state that can be called insanity, bordering on complete madness,' wrote the foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, on Telegram. 'For three years, they have been talking about Russia's isolation, and today they saw the red carpet that greeted the Russian President in the United States.'
