Meta stock surges after Q2 results beat expectations despite heavy AI spending
The California-based company earned 18.34 billion dollars in the April-June period. That is up 36% from 13.47 billion dollars in the same period a year earlier.
Revenue jumped 22% to 47.52 billion dollars from 39.07 billion dollars.
Meta said it expects costs to increase as it spends billions on infrastructure and luring highly compensated employees as it works on its artificial intelligence ambitions.
It is forecasting 2025 expenses to be in the range of 114 billion dollars to 118 billion dollars, up 20% to 24% year-over-year.
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South Wales Guardian
7 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Ammanford Indian restaurant wins prestigious national award
My Indian on 19-21 Wind Street was named the winner at the 2025 Prestige Awards. The award comes after My Indian was named in the Top 100 Asian Restaurants in the United Kingdom, an accolade presented at The House of Lords, Westminster Palace by 2025 Apprentice finalist, Anisa Khan. The restaurant was named in the Top 100 Asian Restaurants in the UK. (Image: My Indian) A spokesperson for My Indian said: 'It's a high honour. We are very happy. It's a very big achievement. It's only been around a year since we first opened. 'We are a family-run restaurant, and it makes us feel extra proud to win this award together and be crowned the best Indian Restaurant of the Year. It's a great achievement. 'We are lost for words. Everyone has been highly supportive. We are so chuffed and excited. The support and feedback from the Ammanford community has been outstanding. 'It feels good to give back to the community. We are proud to represent Ammanford and Wales with this award. We work as a family, we live as a family, and we achieve as a family.' My Indian was previously awarded best Newcomer of the Year at the 2024 Asian Curry Awards after attending a ceremony held at Grosvenor Hotel in London. The restaurant has 29 reviews on Facebook and a recommendation ratio of 100%. A review from this month (July 2025) said: 'Beautiful food and amazing service. Staff are so friendly, kind and can't do enough for you. The food was absolutely delicious. Will definitely be going again!' Another review from last month (June 20250 added: 'Amazing and the family, are lovely and attentive and friendly. 'The food is outstanding, and the service is impeccable. I Thoroughly recommend dining in this establishment you certainly won't be disappointed. 'We were a party of 13, and food was served promptly even though they were busy. Highly recommend trying here, you won't be disappointed, it's fantastic.' My Indian also currently has 87 reviews on Tripadvisor and an average rating of 4.8 stars out of five. Apart from Tripadvisor and Facebook, the South Wales Guardian tried My Indian and wrote a review about the restaurant.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
High street card retailer with 160 branches to shut another store and launches closing down sale
We reveal how the retailer continues to struggle on the high street below CLOSING TIME High street card retailer with 160 branches to shut another store and launches closing down sale Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAJOR high street card retailer and well-known brand is shutting another store as a closing down sale is launched. Clintons is pulling down the shutters on its branch in the Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, Hartlepool, in a matter of weeks. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Clintons is closing a branch in Hartlepool later this month Credit: Getty An employee working for the retailer confirmed the branch will shut on August 16. The branch has also reportedly launched a closing down sale with up to 30% off stock. Shoppers and locals reacting to the closure on Facebook have branded Hartlepool a "ghost town". The closure comes after Clintons shut a string of shops across the UK. A branch shut in Keighley in June with stock reduced by up to 20%, while two others closed in Halifax and Andover in April. Clintons, now owned by Pillarbox Designs, the parent company of Cardzone, warned of further closures in April due to rising employer National Insurance contributions and the national minimum wage. The rate of employer NICs was hiked from 13.8% to 15% and the threshold at which they are paid lowered from £9,100 to £5,000 in April. The national minimum wage was also increased by up to £12.21 a hour. The warning came despite Clintons posting a return to profits in its latest results, with a pre-tax profit of £8million for the year ending June 29, 2024. A statement from the retailer in April said: "The high street continues to be unpredictable and the company is seeing reduced footfall in the stores year on year. Britain's retail apocalypse: why your favourite stores KEEP closing down "The company continues to monitor the performance of the existing estate and to close the poor performing stores, which, whilst impacting on turnover, should improve profitability moving forwards." Clintons currently operates over 160 stores in the UK but at one point boasted more than 1,000. In 2023, it announced plans to close 38 of its then 225 stores to the loss of over 300 jobs. Clintons was contacted for comment. Trouble on the high street It is no secret the high street has struggled in recent years, due to a combination of factors. Shoppers are buying online considerably more than they were before, while retailers have faced higher rental, wage and energy costs. Some big names have announced mass store closures in 2025, including Poundland, Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shop. The Centre for Retail Research says the sector has been going through a "permacrisis" since the 2008 financial crash. Figures from the Centre also show 34 retail companies operating multiple stores stopped trading in 2024, leading to the closure of 7,537 shops. Businesses have cautioned more closures are to be expected this year as well due to the hike to employer NICs and staff wages. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce showed that more than half of companies planned to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms also found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How to ensure your home sells fast
Selling your home can be a headache - from finding a real estate agent, to listing the property, and finding somewhere else to live, many sellers may be wondering where to even start. The truth is - you don't need a degree or copious amounts of cash to prepare your home for the market. Joey Bordi, the senior designer and project manager for City Real Estate, a firm based in San Francisco, California , spoke exclusively with Daily Mail, revealing the easy and even free tips that sellers can do to get their home in tip-top shape. As a designer and project manager, Bordi (pictured) works with real estate agents to prep their listings to reach maximum value. He said one of the worst mistakes sellers can make is keeping their home hyper-personalized, making it impossible for a buyer to envision themselves there. 'Your home is your safe space and you should live in your home how you want to, but when you're going to sell it, it really needs to be palatable to the widest reach of buyers,' he said. Bordi advised keeping the home as empty as possible and sticking to a neutral color palette so that potential buyers can envision themselves living in the space. He gave the example of a green couch - someone may love the concept of a bold color for their sofa, but if a potential buyer hates green, that may be all they remember from the viewing. 'If it's a neutral palette - it's aspirational living,' Bordi explained. Keeping the décor simple so that buyers can picture their own style and furniture in the space can help them envision themselves living there. Personalized decorations, including family photos, kids' drawings, and unique styles, make potential buyers feel like they're walking into someone else's home instead of seeing their future home. 'Buyers don't want to feel like they're intruding on your family memories,' Bordi advised. 'Think model home, not a walk down memory lane.' Staying true to the bones Bordi cautioned that there isn't a one-size-fits-all for prepping your home, and sellers can best maximize their property's value by staying true to its architecture. Selecting a design that meshes well with the home's style makes it more cohesive. Modern finishes and designs may look amazing in a contemporary home, but can be an eyesore in an older house. Painting everything white may be the first instinct when making a home more versatile; however, it can hide certain homes that have unique character. 'If you have beautiful woodwork, paint the walls white, but don't paint the trims and the moldings,' Bordi said. 'We always leave those untouched and give that option to the new buyer.' The designer also warned against black finishes. It may seem like an easy way to update a space, but it can be a mistake. 'Black is a timeless finish. But I think it could go wrong really fast if it's done incorrectly,' Bordi said. 'Just because something's new and trendy, it might not work in your classic home or your hyper-modern home.' Sleek, modern styles have become a popular trend in interior design. Minimalist decorations, glossy furnishings, and sharp lines have recently risen to prominence. However, Bordi said the trend is on the decline and more sellers are opting not to decorate traditional spaces with hyper-modern furniture. He explained that the design is great for certain clients, but doesn't appeal to the masses. A space needs to invite potential buyers, and modern pieces may deter certain individuals from envisioning themselves in the space. More expensive isn't always better Bordi emphasized that opting for the more expensive improvement won't always pay off in the long run. He explained that picking materials for a home remodel should match the home's value. If the materials outvalue the home and the buyer doesn't like the renovation, it could end up being a waste of money for the seller. Bordi clarified that multi-million-dollar homes should have high-quality materials to match their worth, but modest homes don't need that level of investment. If a homeowner wants to renovate a home to live in it forever, Bordi advised going all out, but those who are planning to sell should purchase materials modestly. The designer revealed that two of the biggest mistakes he sees sellers make are focusing on the wrong areas and spending too much money. 'Kitchens and baths sell homes,' Bordi emphasized, adding that these areas should be the homeowner's primary focus when preparing their homes to sell at maximum value. Picking a realtor It may seem like the hard work is done once a home is in tip-top shape, but it's just getting started. Finding a realtor to put a home on the market is no easy feat. Bordi said that the first red flag homeowners should look for when choosing a realtor is a 'yes man'. He cautioned that the best agent will be honest about the improvements that need to be made instead of promising off the bat that the home will sell. Bordi also pushed homeowners to do their research and meet with multiple brokers and compare notes. If three experts say your kitchen needs a renovation, your kitchen needs a renovation, he said. Lastly, and perhaps most simply, he said to tap into your network, reach out to friends, colleagues, and family members for recommendations on the best agents.
