Elon Musk gets Oval Office send-off from Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump lauded billionaire Elon Musk's time heading the Department of Government Efficiency during an event marking the end of Musk's controversial tenure in the Trump administration.
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Globe and Mail
14 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
3 Stocks Set to Ride the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Wave to New Heights
Artificial intelligence (AI) is this decade's most prominent investing theme so far. As AI-powered applications took the world by storm, Wall Street fell in love with AI stocks. With the AI wave far from cresting, three Motley Fool contributors take a closer look at three of their favorite AI stocks: Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » Amazon's cloud leadership makes the stock a no-brainer for the AI wave Justin Pope (Amazon): Artificial intelligence will change the game for Amazon, a company that's already wildly successful by any measure. Amazon Web Services, or AWS for short, is the world's leading cloud platform, with a 30% share of the global cloud infrastructure market. AWS generated more than 58% of the company's total operating income over the past four quarters, but only 17% of total net revenue. Many artificial intelligence (AI) applications, which are software at their core, will run on cloud computing platforms. Amazon and other cloud companies continually invested billions of dollars to build data centers to expand their cloud capacity to accommodate all this demand. Research from Goldman Sachs estimates that AI will drive sustained cloud growth, boosting global cloud computing revenue at a 22% annualized pace, to $2 trillion by 2030. It seems likely that AWS, which grew revenue by 17% year over year in the first quarter, will sustain healthy growth for the foreseeable future as long as AI momentum continues. Amazon is building out an AI ecosystem on AWS, including Bedrock, a platform for developing generative AI applications such as virtual agents. Amazon's market leadership should help it upsell its cloud customers and retain them on AWS for their AI needs. Analysts estimate Amazon will grow earnings by an average of 17% annually over the long term. I think those are fair growth expectations given Amazon's AI opportunities, as well as its continued growth potential in e-commerce, digital advertising, streaming, and Prime subscription service. It makes the stock a buy at its current price-to-earnings ratio of 33, a reasonable valuation for such a growing, world-class company. Low-cost AI could stoke demand for this company's products Will Healy (Qualcomm): Admittedly, investors may not necessarily think of Qualcomm when looking at stocks that will take AI to new heights. Its longtime client, Apple, appears poised to stop using its smartphone chipsets in the iPhone. Additionally, Qualcomm's ties to China could put pressure on the stock should U.S.-China relations continue to deteriorate. Nonetheless, DeepSeek's breakthrough dramatically lowered the cost of developing AI models. Qualcomm's chipset business, which made up 64% of the company's revenue in the first half of fiscal 2025 (ended March 30), relies on an AI-driven upgrade cycle that presumably benefits from low-cost AI. Moreover, Qualcomm applied its technical capabilities to the automotive and Internet of Things (IoT) industries in recent years. Over the last year, these segments grew revenue by 60% and 31%, respectively, and such successes are likely to put a brighter spotlight on its AI. Qualcomm may have already begun to benefit. It generated $22.6 billion in revenue in the first two quarters of fiscal 2025, 17% higher than year-ago levels. Costs and expenses grew 13% over the same period, and thanks to lower investment income and higher income taxes, the $6 billion in net income increased by 18% over the last year. When considering that growth, one must also assume Qualcomm stock prices in its challenges. It sells at a P/E ratio of 15, even after bouncing off the 52-week lows reached in early April. Low valuations are not necessarily a reason to buy a stock. However, considering Qualcomm's potential to transform parts of the AI industry, investors may want to buy this semiconductor stock while it is still inexpensive. Jake Lerch (Nvidia): When it comes to AI stocks, it's impossible to ignore Nvidia. Simply put, Nvidia remains the king of AI stocks. Since January 2020, Nvidia shares gained more than 2,200% -- meaning a $5,000 investment made on Jan. 1, 2020, would now be worth nearly $120,000. Yet, even after this magnificent run, Nvidia is showing no signs of slowing down. Indeed, the company just notched another fantastic quarterly report (for the three months ending on April 30, 2025), beating expectations for both revenue and earnings. Highlights included: Revenue of $44.1 billion, up 69% from a year earlier. Net income of $18.8 billion, up 26% year over year. Share repurchases totaling $14.1 billion during the quarter. While the report was a stunning success for the company, there was one fly in the ointment: Nvidia's gross margin fell from 78% to 61% over the last year. However, management attributed most of the drop to a write-off due to export restrictions to China. In effect, Nvidia's AI chips are so powerful that the U.S. government restricted their delivery to geopolitical rivals like China. Consequently, Nvidia couldn't deliver products that were earmarked for sale to the Chinese market and was forced to write off the inventory this quarter. Going forward, management noted that gross margin should rebound back into the 70% to 75% range later this year. At any rate, Nvidia continues to show why it is riding the AI wave as well as -- if not better than -- any other company. Its AI chips remain the go-to product for AI developers. Demand remains strong, and the company continues to deliver the red-hot growth that has powered its stock to an eye-popping market cap of more than $3 trillion. For investors looking for an AI stock with staying power, Nvidia is a name to consider. Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now? Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nvidia 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 $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to171%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 May 19, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Jake Lerch has positions in Amazon and Nvidia. Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Will Healy has positions in Qualcomm. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Apple, Goldman Sachs Group, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Globe and Mail
28 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
1 No-Brainer S&P 500 Vanguard ETF to Buy Right Now for Less Than $1,000
The S&P 500 index is, without a doubt, the most closely watched stock market barometer on the planet. It contains some 500 large and profitable businesses listed on U.S. stock exchanges. Combined, they represent about 80% of the entire stock market capitalization. Investors who want exposure to the index don't need to look far to find a compelling exchange-traded fund (ETF) to add to their portfolio. In fact, there's one that deserves some attention. Here's why the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) is a no-brainer buy for someone who might have less than $1,000 of money to put to work in the stock market. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » Instant diversification for your portfolio As mentioned, this ETF contains 500 stocks, so investors gain exposure to all sectors of the economy -- from information technology and financials to materials and real estate. This means there is a diverse range of businesses and industries included in the portfolio. At the end of the day, this ETF can be viewed as a bet on the ongoing ingenuity of the American economy and some of the hottest trends -- and this includes artificial intelligence (AI). Some of the ETF's top positions are in companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia, all of which are focused on AI-related initiatives to fortify their competitive positions. The ETF's sponsor, Vanguard, is one of the most highly regarded asset management firms in the industry. It's been around since 1975. As of the end of last year, it had eclipsed $10 trillion in assets under management, which goes to show you the amount of trust that so many investors (and so much capital) have in the business. The numbers are hard to ignore Warren Buffett, who has an unbelievable track record handling capital allocation and running Berkshire Hathaway, suggests that a low-cost ETF like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF is the best investment option for most people out there. It's hard to beat an expense ratio of just 0.03%. That's pennies compared to the exorbitant fees you see active fund managers charge. A typical hedge fund charges its clients both a management fee and a performance fee. This can significantly eat away at returns over time. Even so, a good chunk of these so-called experts struggles to outperform the S&P 500 over long stretches of time. Because the S&P 500 has put up better returns than its historical average of 10% per year, it's no wonder the professionals are having a hard time. Just in the past decade, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has generated a total return of 232%, which would've turned a $1,000 initial investment into $3,300 today. It's all about mindset Even though the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has produced such a great return, it doesn't necessarily mean that investors have achieved that same performance in their own portfolios. It's easy to fall victim to our emotions, with the goal of successfully trying to time the market, forcing us to trade too frequently, resulting in more damage being done. This is why it's critical to fixate on the next decade and beyond with your investments instead of the next month or year. The stock market rewards those who are patient and disciplined, even in the face of extreme bouts of volatility, like what we experienced earlier in 2025. It's impossible to say whether or not the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF will repeat its past decade's performance between now and 2035. However, I'm sure that long-term investors will end up with a very favorable result. Should you invest $1,000 in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF right now? Before you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF 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 $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to171%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 May 19, 2025 Neil Patel has positions in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
CBC
42 minutes ago
- CBC
Quebec premier calls new Trump tariff threats on steel and aluminum 'completely unjustified'
Quebec Premier François Legault is calling U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff threat on Canadian steel and aluminum producers "completely unjustified." He made the remark in a post on X, after Trump announced his intention to double the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50 per cent next Wednesday. "If he goes ahead with this tariff increase, it will harm our economy, as well as the American economy," Legault wrote in French. Legault added the situation was being closely monitored as they await to see the details of the executive order. In the meantime, "assistance programs continue to be available to businesses in need," he said. Both the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) and United Steel Workers Canada condemned the increase in U.S steel tariffs. "We're already in a dire situation with the 25 per cent tariffs imposed on us in March, so an additional 25 per cent will be catastrophic for our industry," François Desmarais, the CSPA's vice-president of trade and industry affairs, told CBC in an interview. Meg Gingrich, assistant to the national director for the United Steel Workers, agreed, saying the move could deliver a "potentially devastating blow" to the industry. Gingrich and Desmarais pointed to hundreds of layoffs across the country as a result of the current tariffs and Desmarais noted a "massive drop" in steel shipments to the United States. Desmarais said in April there were 30 per cent less shipments compared to the same time last year. "You have to keep in mind that over 50 per cent of Canadian steel production is sold in the United States," he said, adding he worries Canadian producers will be shut out of the market if Trump makes good on the proposed increase. Both organizations are calling on the federal government to take strong action and reinstate counter tariffs immediately, but some are hoping for a more measured response. WATCH | International trade lawyer weighs in on Trump's threat: Trump says he will double tariffs on steel and aluminum 2 days ago Duration 1:29:02 U.S. President Donald Trump said he will double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50 per cent next Wednesday. Hanomansing Tonight spoke with an international trade lawyer about the announcement. Response needs to be targeted "We understand that we need to have a political answer to the situation," said Julie White, CEO of the Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec — a business association whose mission is to promote the growth of the Quebec manufacturing sector. She said, however, that any response needs to be targeted and take into account how it will impact different sectors. White explained that producers of steel and aluminum are in a different situation than the manufacturers who transform those products. "If it's inputs on the production that are affected by counter tariffs it's going to up the prices of production a lot and there's going to be an impact on businesses in their costs," she said. "Are they going to be able to keep producing? Are they going to be able to keep all their workers in place?" White says the uncertainty from the threat of tariffs has hurt manufacturers and exporters in Quebec more than the tariffs themselves, with those taxes leading to lost contracts and investments being delayed. "At the beginning a lot of people were afraid of the situation, but we've seen that even if Donald Trump has said a lot of things, not all of them happen," she said, adding it's important to take a step back, think longer term and try to find new opportunities. As an example, White said, the federal government is set to increase its defence spending, so "how are some manufacturers going to shift their production to make sure they respond to those new contracts?" Counter tariffs not the only solution Both Desmarais and Gingrich agree that counter tariffs are only part of the solution. Addressing issues surrounding the sectors' competitiveness and ensuring the integrity of the market in Canada are paramount. That, according to Gingrich, would require stemming the flow of unfairly traded steel and aluminum into our borders and could perhaps be achieved with a surtax on countries that don't play by the same rules. She explained how some steel producers affected by American tariffs are looking for new markets to unload their production. There's a risk of the Canadian market being flooded and undercut by products that are made for cheap abroad through practices such as overproduction, poor labour and environmental standards as well as currency manipulation, Gingrich said. Desmarais added another solution to boost the sector would be for governments to require domestic products be used for infrastructure projects.
