China's Industrial Output Seen Slowing on Rain, Capacity Curbs
Official data due Friday will show industrial production increased 6% in July from a year earlier, down from a 6.8% gain in the previous month, according to the median forecast by 33 economists in a Bloomberg survey. Retail sales growth is expected to soften to 4.6%, which would be the lowest in five months.
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19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Milestone Scientific Inc (MLSS) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth Driven ...
Revenue: $2.3 million for Q2 2025, a 25% increase driven by dental segment performance. International Revenue: $1 million for Q2 2025, up from $489,000 in Q2 2024. Medical Revenue: $32,000 for Q2 2025, an increase from $19,000 in Q2 2024. Gross Profit: $1.6 million for Q2 2025, an increase of $206,000 from Q2 2024. Selling, General and Administrative Expenses: $3 million for Q2 2025, up from $2.9 million in Q2 2024. Research and Development Expenses: $52,000 for Q2 2025, down from $352,000 in Q2 2024. Loss from Operations: $1.5 million for Q2 2025, a decrease from $1.8 million in Q2 2024. Cash and Cash Equivalents: $1.3 million as of June 30, 2025. Working Capital: Approximately $3.9 million with no long-term debt. Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities: $2.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with MLSS. Release Date: August 15, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Milestone Scientific Inc (MLSS) reported a 25% revenue growth in Q2 2025, reaching $2.3 million, primarily driven by the dental segment. The company secured Medicare Part B payment rate assignment under CPT code 0770T in multiple jurisdictions, enhancing reimbursement pathways for the CompuFlo Epidural System. International sales more than doubled, contributing significantly to the revenue increase, with international revenue accounting for 48% of total sales. The company has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Eric Hines as CEO and Jason Papes as Senior Vice President, Global Head of Sales and Marketing, both bringing extensive experience in scaling operations. Milestone Scientific Inc (MLSS) maintained a solid balance sheet with $1.3 million in cash and no long-term debt, indicating strong financial management. Negative Points Despite the Medicare Part B coverage, adoption of the CompuFlo system in the medical segment has been slow, with only 5 to 10 clinics actively using the product. Domestic dental sales were relatively flat, indicating challenges in growing the US market despite international success. The company reported a loss from operations of approximately $1.5 million for Q2 2025, although this was a decrease from the previous year. Research and development expenses decreased significantly, which could impact future innovation and product development. The company faces challenges with tariffs and international market dynamics, which could affect future growth and profitability. Q & A Highlights Q: Can you discuss the adoption of the CompuFlo system on the medical side, particularly with Medicare Part B coverage, and what steps are being taken to accelerate its adoption? A: Eric Hines, CEO: We currently have between 5 and 10 clinics using the product in the US. The focus is on reimbursement, collecting data, and ensuring doctors are reimbursed appropriately. We plan to invest in specialists to help with claims and data collection, focusing initially on a few clinics to confirm reimbursement processes before expanding further. Q: What are the plans for expanding the sales team under the new Head of Sales, Jason Papes? A: Eric Hines, CEO: Jason brings his prior distribution business, primarily focused in Texas. We are evaluating our current relationships with Axial and Shamrock. The focus will be on US-based sales, particularly in states where we have traction, and potentially hiring additional distribution as needed. Q: What drove the international revenue growth this quarter, and what percentage of total revenue did it represent? A: Keisha Harcum, VP, Finance: International revenue accounted for 48% of total revenue. Growth was driven by additional distributors, larger orders, and improved communication with distributors. The international business tends to be lumpy due to large orders from groups of customers. Q: How are tariffs affecting your international business, and what measures have you taken to mitigate their impact? A: Keisha Harcum, VP, Finance: Tariffs have not significantly impacted us. We have set up direct shipping from our warehouse in China to international partners and have sufficient inventory in the US to avoid tariff-related issues. Q: What is the strategy for expanding reimbursement coverage for the CompuFlo system? A: Eric Hines, CEO: The focus is on deepening relationships in regions with existing reimbursement, collecting data, and ensuring reimbursement processes are solid before expanding. We plan to engage Board members with expertise in reimbursement to assist in this effort. Q: Can you provide an update on the VA status and any progress in that area? A: Eric Hines, CEO: We are focusing on one VA vision in the eastern US to make progress. Each VA operates independently, so the strategy is to succeed in one area first. Neal Goldman, Chairman: Pricing is favorable for both instruments and disposables, and success in the VA could accelerate growth on the medical side. Q: What is the status of the Brazil market, and are there any plans to pursue it further? A: Neal Goldman, Chairman: Brazil remains a long-term potential, but there are no immediate developments due to recent tariffs and other challenges. The focus is on executing in existing markets before expanding to new ones like Brazil. Q: How are clinicians responding to the CompuFlo technology, and is there a plan to leverage their feedback for broader adoption? A: Eric Hines, CEO: We have an advisory group to gather insights from clinicians using the product. The focus is on understanding the pros and cons and collecting data to refine our approach before expanding to a broader market. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Italians as Well Off as Brits Expose UK's Era of Stagnation
The UK economy has lost its edge over Italy and slipped further behind France over the past decade, according to per head gross domestic product figures that reveal a stark underperformance fueled by a population surge, high inflation and tepid growth. The findings will ring alarm bells in Keir Starmer's government, which is looking at how much the economy generates for each resident rather than aggregate output as a gauge of the living standards it has pledged to improve. GDP per capita was stagnant last year when Labour took office and fell in 2023.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
AI experts warn that China is miles ahead of the US in electricity generation — lack of supply and infrastructure threatens the US's long-term AI plans
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A U.S. analyst of Chinese technology said that the country has already solved its energy problem — at least in terms of power for its AI infrastructure. Rui Ma, founder of Tech Buzz China, posted on X that the country's massive investments in advanced hydropower and nuclear technologies meant that its 'electricity supply is secure and inexpensive.' This is in contrast to the U.S., where many AI data centers are disrupting its electricity grid and supply, resulting in a lack of supply and price increases for every user. Both Washington and Beijing are currently in an AI race, with the two powers vying for the lead in this technology. Because of this, the two rivals are diving into a massive build-out of AI data centers that require massive amounts of electricity to run. In the U.S., it has come to the point that tech giants are building their own power plants — with Elon Musk importing one to power his data centers and companies, like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, Nvidia, and more investing in the research and development of nuclear reactors. However, it seems that this is not a problem for China. According to Fortune, the East Asian country has an 80% to 100% power reserve, allowing it to absorb the massive demand brought about by the hundreds of data centers it built in recent years. More than that, it's also continually expanding its output, with one expert telling the publication that it 'adds more electricity demand than the entire annual consumption of Germany, every single year.' Some argue that the power is delivered by heavily polluting coal plants, but China is also investing massively in renewable energy projects. Nevertheless, if the power demand outstrips supply, it can easily reactivate coal plants to cover the shortfall. In fact, the new data centers are welcomed, as they help stimulate demand in a market that has an excess of power production. Nevertheless, electricity oversupply doesn't seem to be an immediate concern, as most of China's power plants are state-owned. Beijing also plans its energy production well in advance, allowing it to prepare for prospective demand, like the AI data center boom. This still does not address the elephant in the room, though: the fact that many Chinese data centers sit idle or underutilized. Beijing is developing a network to create a marketplace that will sell surplus capacity, but it is still facing challenges, especially with latency and different ecosystems. On the other hand, the U.S. faces major hurdles with its electricity supply. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg said that power constraints will limit AI growth, and that new power plants aren't being built fast enough to satisfy AI's insatiable demand. If the U.S. does not address this issue sooner, it risks lagging behind China even if it has more powerful and efficient hardware. That's because the latter can just throw tons of power to gain the upper hand in the AI race through sheer brute force, similar to how Huawei's CloudMatrix cluster beats the performance of Nvidia's GB200. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Solve the daily Crossword
