EU Pledges State Aid, Trade Tools to Boost Chemicals Industry
The European Commission announced a strategy on Tuesday that would involve identifying critical chemicals at risk from what the bloc's members deem unfair competition and setting up critical production sites to attract investment. Along with national governments, the bloc's regulatory arm has been under pressure from the industry to prevent plant closures, eliminate investment barriers and ease regulatory pressure.
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Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SoftBank and Trump may not be enough to save Intel
Intel's (INTC) stock got a boost on Tuesday after SoftBank Group announced Monday that it would take a $2 billion stake in the struggling chipmaker. Shares of Intel climbed more than 8% in midday trading. The news followed a Bloomberg report last week that the Trump administration is considering taking up to a 10% stake in the company. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed in a CNBC interview Tuesday that the investment would involve the US government converting Intel's grants from the Biden-era CHIPS and Science Act — worth $10.9 billion — into an equity stake aimed at stabilizing the company's US manufacturing business. Bessent did not confirm the size of the stake the government would take. Intel has fallen behind in an industry it once dominated. Its manufacturing division is bleeding cash, just as its legacy computer chip segment forfeits market share to rivals Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Qualcomm (QCOM) in the PC space. Intel is also woefully behind AMD and Nvidia (NVDA) in the AI race. The company's market capitalization of $111 billion is less than half of its value in 2021. And CEO Lip-Bu Tan has been forced to lay off 15% of the company's workforce and shelve plans to build plants in Europe. But the troubled chipmaker is the only large-scale US-based leading-edge chip manufacturer, giving it geopolitical significance as the nation looks to reshore semiconductor production. Intel's problems, however, may be too big for either SoftBank or the Trump administration to solve on their own. Intel in need of direction Deutsche Bank analyst Ross Seymore said news of the US potentially taking a stake in Intel, combined with the SoftBank investment, shows that "[Tan] is taking bold actions to solidify Intel's financial and strategic positioning during its ongoing difficult transformation process." Tan became CEO in March after Intel's board ousted former CEO Pat Gelsinger late last year. But others on Wall Street expressed skepticism that those investments would be enough to save Intel from its decline, which resulted from years of missteps. Loop Capital analyst Gary Mobley wrote in a recent note to clients that the support from SoftBank and, potentially, the US government may be "akin to a lifeline with no secure anchor at the other end," because while Intel may be "finding new buyers of its primary equity capital," that may not guarantee it can find customers for its manufacturing business. Gelsinger established Intel's third-party chip manufacturing business, otherwise known as its Foundry, in 2021 as a means of competing with rival TSMC, which produces chips for companies including Nvidia, Apple (AAPL), AMD, and others. But so far, its Foundry business has been a disappointment, struggling to secure customers. While Intel has said it reached agreements to build chips for Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT), the company is still its own largest manufacturing client. Intel's plan includes building chips based on newer technologies, including its 18A and upcoming 14A node design processes, part of Gelsinger's plan for five process nodes in four years. But 18A, which was initially supposed to roll out in the first half of 2025, is now slated to debut in 2026. Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon was similarly critical of Intel's cash infusion in his own investor note, writing, "We do not believe that Intel's capability gap has anything to do with money." Rasgon also questioned whether the US taking a stake in Intel would be enough to complete the company's domestic manufacturing expansions. "Intel was originally supposed to get these CHIPS Act funds for free; giving up 10% of the company for them seems worse," he wrote in a note to clients. "And if the goal is to help Intel build substantial US capacity, $10.9B really isn't enough." Moor Insights and Strategy founder and chief analyst Patrick Moorhead told Yahoo Finance that while SoftBank's $2 billion investment and the prospect of a potential US stake are good things, the company would require as much as $40 billion to build out its next-generation 14A technology. Still, getting the US government involved, at least in the short term, could prove to be a boon for the company. "My short-term answer is that the US government is a kingmaker, and they just made Intel the king, and they are going to wrap policy around that to make Intel foundry successful," Moorhead said. If the government sticks with Intel for the long haul, though, Moorhead said it could further complicate the company's development problems, leading to a lack of innovation, inefficiencies, and growing costs. "My hope is that Intel gets back on its feet, it turns itself into a reputable, leading-edge foundry, and the government sells the stake," he said. Laura Bratton is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Bluesky @ Email her at Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@ Follow him on X/Twitter at @DanielHowley. 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
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ibrahima Konate closer to STAYING at Liverpool
Liverpool have got a contract problem to solve with . The Frenchman is out of contract in 2026 - and the club have so far had little success in tying him down to a new deal. Having seen the 26-year-old establish himself as Virgil van Dijk's preferred partner in their 2024/25 Premier League-winning season, the Reds will be gutted to lose him on a free next year. 🚨2025/26 LFC x adidas range🚨 LFC x adidas Shop the away range TODAY LFC x adidas Shop the home range today! LFC x adidas Shop the goalkeeper range today LFC x adidas Shop the new adidas range today! That has led to speculation that we could see the France international on the move this summer instead - provided Liverpool's asking fee is met. Media reports have suggested that the club would settle for a deal for anything between £35m and £50m - although there are no guarantees that Richard Hughes would cash in. Madrid tell Alonso: No more signings One more season of Konate - regardless of his future intentions - may well be the most sensible option unless Marc Guehi can be brought on board during the current window. - with Los Blancos previously reported to be willing to buy Konate this summer. However it looks like Los Blancos' tune has changed. According to a new report in Defensa Central, president Florentino Perez and technical director Jose Angel Sanchez have informed coach Xabi Alonso that there will be NO more transfers this summer. Madrid bid for Konate ruled out It means a bid for Konate can be ruled out - taking one of the main suitors for Konate off the table. Liverpool went through practically all of last season with contract doubts over Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. While Trent turned his back on his hometown club and joined Madrid, Liverpool convinced Salah and Van Dijk to remain at the club for two more years. Indeed at one stage it appeared Salah was more out than in but Arne Slot's title-winning team is evidence enough for the Egyptian King that Liverpool are going places. © IMAGO Can Liverpool convince Konate to stay? And so while it might right now seem that Konate is on his way to Real Madrid as a replacement for either Antonio Rudiger or David Alaba in 2026, a lot can happen between now and January. By that stage he will be available to talk to overseas clubs about a free transfer - and no doubt Madrid will be in the mix. But if Liverpool get off to a great start - reaffirming their status as the best club in the Premier League - then Konate could ultimately be persuaded to stay. The move this summer now appears off the table - and Liverpool have a second chance to convince their stopper that his future lies on Merseyside.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Medtronic Stock Dropped Today
Key Points Medtronic beat on sales and earnings this morning. Management also upped its guidance for fiscal 2026 earnings. Sales and earnings are both growing by only single digits, and the stock costs 25 times earnings. 10 stocks we like better than Medtronic › Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) stock had declined 3.6% through 2:45 p.m. ET Tuesday despite beating forecasts for fiscal 2026 first-quarter earnings this morning. Heading into the report, analysts predicted Medtronic would earn $1.23 per share on under $8.4 billion in first-quarter revenue. In fact, earnings were $1.26 per share, and sales approached $8.6 billion. Medtronic Q1 earnings Sales at the Ireland-based maker of medical equipment grew 8% year over year, of which almost 5% was organic growth. Earnings, however, didn't. Medtronic's $0.81 per-share profit under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) was weaker than its adjusted number (its $1.26 headline figure). Earnings also increased only 1% year over year, far slower than sales growth. Is the stock a buy? The good news is that CEO Geoff Martha says revenue growth will probably accelerate in the second half of fiscal 2026. The bad news is that it also might not accelerate at all. Turning to guidance, the company forecasts 5% organic sales growth for the full year, a bit better than in the first quarter, but total revenue growth for the year of only 6.5% to 6.8%. And that's less than the 8% growth seen in the first quarter. Management says earnings will increase, and it's raising guidance to predict per-share profits between $5.60 and $5.66 this year. But these are only adjusted figures and represent only 4.5% earnings growth year over year -- which would be slower than sales growth and imply narrowing profit margins. The worst news of all for investors, though, is that Medtronic stock costs a rich 25 times trailing earnings today, and that's probably too much to pay for single-digit growth in both sales and earnings. Should you buy stock in Medtronic right now? Before you buy stock in Medtronic, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Medtronic 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 $671,466!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,115,633!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,076% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 184% 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 18, 2025 Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Medtronic and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $75 calls on Medtronic and short January 2026 $85 calls on Medtronic. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Medtronic Stock Dropped Today was originally published by The Motley Fool
