Doubts About 7-Eleven US IPO Emerge After Couche-Tard Scraps Bid
Now that Couche-Tard has walked away, there's little reason for Seven & i to list 7-Eleven Inc. — one of its most prized businesses — because it no longer needs to fend off an unsolicited offer, according to investors and analysts interviewed by Bloomberg on Thursday. Bloomberg Intelligence estimates the 7-Eleven business could be valued at about $40 billion.
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Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chinese port achieves first-of-its-kind transfer that could revolutionize maritime trade: 'Significantly cheaper than land transport'
Chinese port achieves first-of-its-kind transfer that could revolutionize maritime trade: 'Significantly cheaper than land transport' A cargo transfer milestone has been reached at a Chinese port. But the haul wasn't typical products, but rather, air pollution. It's a fascinating achievement that could provide shipping with another revenue stream, astoundingly from ship exhaust, according to the Maritime Executive. Evergreen's 152,300-deadweight-ton Ever Top was retrofitted last year with tech to capture carbon dioxide from exhaust, lassoing nearly 80% of emissions with a nearly 100% purity. The stored fumes can then be sold at a profit for other uses, per ME and Interesting Engineering. The transfer happened on June 19 at the Port of Shanghai thanks to special onboard equipment, including absorption and regeneration modules, compression refrigeration, and storage. Past efforts that used trucks and tanks to offload the CO2 were more complicated. In Shanghai, a barge vessel called De Jin parked alongside Ever Top to complete the move, heralded by Chinese officials as a novel effort, ME reported. "For scaled operations, ship-to-ship transfer offers clear advantages. It is significantly cheaper than land transport and much more efficient," project manager Du Mingsai said in IE's story. The retrofit cost about $10 million. But reports indicated the expense can be more than recouped within two years by selling the stored carbon. ME said that experts estimated ships could make an amazing $8 million a year from selling tailpipe gases. Drax Group, a United Kingdom renewable energy company not involved with the project, listed numerous product uses for captured carbon. Sneakers, furniture, cleaner concrete, and even alternative metal were some of the ones noted. The push to capture carbon comes from efforts within the sector to reduce heat-trapping air pollution that is warming the atmosphere and oceans. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that around 91% of the excess heat produced on Earth is absorbed by the oceans. Coral bleaching, sea level rise, and other problems are linked to the warming waters, per the agency. The European Federation for Transport and Environment reported that the sector produces about 3% of global CO2 fumes, which is expected to grow by half by 2050 if "stringent measures are not taken." New-age sails, kites, and hydrogen fuel are some other options being harnessed to cut the use of dirty energy in maritime travel. But ME reported that the Ever Top retrofit costs less than a new vessel or an alternative fuel conversion. "From onboard storage to mobile transfer and reuse, the milestone gives Shanghai a full-chain ecosystem for maritime carbon capture. It also positions the city as a global model for cutting shipping emissions and sets a new benchmark for the industry's green transition," IE's Neetika Walter wrote. Do you worry about air pollution in your town? All the time Often Only sometimes Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. But not all of the headlines coming from the Far East seas are squeaky clean. CBS News reported that China is using so-called "dark" vessels to transfer dirty oil between ships as the country continues to buy the fossil fuel from heavily sanctioned Iran. The ships have disabled their transponders, making them tough to ID. China buys 90% of Iran's oil and calls the transactions legitimate, all according to CBS. Staying informed about key environmental issues can help you judge if efforts happening at home and around the world are legitimately meeting sustainability goals. Sometimes companies and countries tout big projects with little actual progress. Choosing cleaner travel options can also make a difference. Public transportation is a way to curb pollution. Every mile traveled via public means instead of driving cuts about a pound of heat-trapping fumes. The move can also save you serious cash in your transportation budget. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
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Best Stock to Buy Right Now: Carnival Corporation vs. Viking Holdings
Key Points Carnival and Viking are both leaders in the cruise industry but have different niches. Viking just had its IPO in June and has been on a tear ever since. Carnival has a higher debt load but a much lower valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Carnival Corp. › The cruise industry is an interesting one from a stock market perspective. During the pandemic, these companies had to take on a huge amount of debt and sell equity, diluting their shareholders, to raise cash and ride out COVID-19. But in the post-pandemic world, the cruise industry has been incredibly strong, initially due to "revenge" travel and the need for experiences. But even after inflation and interest rates spiked in 2022, the cruise industry held up very well, showing perhaps a longer-term growth trend. Cruising is also a more efficient form of travel than staying in hotels, which have gotten more expensive. Despite the strong recent results, these companies are still digging themselves out of their debt holes, which could lead to further upside as they pay down debt and de-lever their balance sheets. Two leaders in the space are Carnival (NYSE: CCL), the oldest publicly traded cruise stock, having been on the stock market since 1987, and Viking Holdings (NYSE: VIK), the newest public cruise stock, having just had its initial public offering (IPO) in June. Which is the better buy today for those looking to play the continued recovery of cruise stocks? The experienced veteran or new kid on the block? Both companies are hitting it out of the park There appears to be great strength across the cruise industry, with both companies posting terrific recent numbers. Off of a very strong 2024, Carnival grew revenue 9.5% last quarter, but with a massive inflection in profitability as adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings per share more than tripled. Not only that, Carnival CEO Josh Weinstein noted that Carnival had already achieved its 2026 SEA Change operational and financial targets it had set for itself two years ago, 18 months ahead of schedule. Those targets included operational goals around sustainability, the important profit-centered metrics of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) per available lower berth day (ALBD), and return on invested capital (ROIC). As of the second quarter of 2025, EBITDA per ALBD had grown 52%, and ROIC had more than doubled to 12.5% over just the past two years. That's really impressive, owing to Carnival's pricing actions, capacity restraint, and a focus on costs. But Carnival isn't the only cruise company reporting impressive results. In its first quarter, Viking impressed investors with revenue growth of 24.9% on the back of a 7.1% increase in net yields and a 14.9% increase in capacity. Net yields are essentially the direct profits per customer, equaling net revenues per available passenger cruise day minus the costs of travel commissions, transportation, and onboard costs. Viking's management also forecasted good times ahead, noting that it was basically sold out for 2025, and 37% of capacity was already booked for 2026 -- ahead of where the company was with forward bookings at this point last year. But Viking's debt picture looks much better than Carnival's So, both companies appear to be on a good path operationally. But for the foreseeable future, these companies will be devoting most or all of their profits to paying down their COVID-era debt. On that front, Viking appears to be in a much better position. Today, its debt sits at 2.0 times its trailing EBITDA as of March 31, while Carnival's debt-to-EBITDA ratio sat at a higher 3.7 times as of May 31. It's not entirely clear why Viking came out of the pandemic with a lower debt load than Carnival. It could be that since Viking was a private company before 2020, it hadn't taken on the leverage to repurchase stock as aggressively as Carnival had done as a public company in the years leading up to the pandemic. It could also have something to do with each company's business model. Carnival is largely in the business of ocean cruises all over the world across a number of brands. Viking is largely engaged in river cruises, mostly in Europe, and focuses on older cruise enthusiasts, who tend to be less economically sensitive. Viking also has ocean cruises, but those ships totaled only about 12% of its capacity last quarter. But Viking's valuation has already taken off On the back of strong results, both stocks have done well in recent months. However, Viking has done extraordinarily well, with the stock having appreciated 150% from its June $24 IPO price to $60 as of this writing. Carnival has also had a strong recent run, with the stock up nearly 23% on the year. Still, Viking's run has caused its valuation to soar much higher than Carnival's, with a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio and forward enterprise value-to-EBITDA (EV-to-EBITDA) ratio of 24.5 and 16.9, respectively. Meanwhile, Carnival is much cheaper, trading at a forward P/E ratio of 15.3. And while Carnival does sport a higher debt load, even its forward EV-to-EBITDA ratio, which accounts for debt, is much lower, at 8.8 times this year's EBITDA estimates. Getting what you pay for As it stands now, it appears that investors are paying fairly for what they're getting. Viking's less-risky business model and lower debt load have led to a much higher valuation. And since it's in a better balance sheet position, it's also able to expand capacity faster than Carnival, as evidenced by last quarter's growth rates. Meanwhile, Carnival looks cheaper on all metrics, significantly so, but it also has a debt load nearly twice that of Viking's relative to each company's EBITDA. And because it has to pay down its debt, management isn't expanding capacity as fast as it probably would otherwise. Thus, each stock could still be a buy if you believe in the continued strength of the cruise industry. Viking may be the better play for growth-oriented investors, with its near-25% growth rate and relatively lower risk. But for value investors, Carnival may be the better play here, as its lower valuation could get a rerating as the company continues to pay down its sizable COVID-era debt load, which would de-risk its story. Do the experts think Carnival Corp. is a buy right now? The Motley Fool's expert analyst team, drawing on years of investing experience and deep analysis of thousands of stocks, leverages our proprietary Moneyball AI investing database to uncover top opportunities. They've just revealed their to buy now — did Carnival Corp. make the list? When our Stock Advisor analyst team has a stock recommendation, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor's total average return is up 1,070% vs. just 184% for the S&P — that is beating the market by 885.55%!* Imagine if you were a Stock Advisor member when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $668,155!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,106,071!* The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. 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 13, 2025 Billy Duberstein and/or his clients have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Carnival Corp. and Viking. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Best Stock to Buy Right Now: Carnival Corporation vs. Viking Holdings was originally published by The Motley Fool
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
This Summer's Next Trend? Stationery, Says Yiwugo
YIWU, China, Aug. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- the official website of the Yiwu Commodity Market, is the largest commodity wholesale market in the world. Big data from Yiwugo shows that, as of August 12, 2025, demand in the 'office and study supplies' sector had been on a steady rise, climbing to 14th place among all categories. Traditionally a stable segment of the consumer goods market, stationery has seen a notable surge in the past 30 days, driven by the approaching back-to-school season in both China and overseas. Many Yiwugo merchants report a buying wave for office essentials and cartoon-themed stationery. Jiangsu Dehuang Stationery Co., Ltd., with nearly 30 years of experience, boasts industry-leading design, R&D, and manufacturing capabilities. Over the years, it has established itself as a trusted supplier to both domestic and international brands. According to owner Wang Xiaohua, the company collaborates with renowned names such as Germany's Staedtler, Faber-Castell, and Pelikan, along with France's Maped and several leading Chinese brands. Its product line includes correction tools, sticky notes, and art crayons. Since early summer, demand from European customers for art-related products has soared, with average monthly purchases nearing RMB 1 million. The French market, in particular, has experienced a notable upswing, fueled by a wave of new customers introduced through Yiwugo. Major general merchandise chains in Japan, Europe, and the U.S. have expressed strong satisfaction with Dehuang's sticky notes, citing their exceptional paper durability, absence of fluorescent agent reactions, and outstanding adhesive stability—qualities that have translated into substantial annual orders. Wang noted that Dehuang's commitment to quality begins with the careful selection of premium raw materials and extends to the acquisition of both domestic and international certifications. Each year, the company undergoes rigorous brand-partner audits on plant design, technology, and supply capabilities. For instance, the production of correction fluid requires not only eco-friendly materials but also exceptional sealing performance. Factoring in production and transportation cycles, manufacturing a single bottle of Dehuang correction fluid costs about 1.5 times more than typical market alternatives—yet its shelf life is five to six times longer. This is a key reason for the company's consistently high customer retention rate. Unlike Dehuang, which has spent three decades building its reputation on quality, Yuanchang Stationery has distinguished itself through its distinctive design. According to proprietor Wu Chenjie, many customers have been sourcing office supplies via Yiwugo recently, with cartoon-themed staplers emerging as bestsellers. Models shaped like pandas, airplanes, and propellers have seen particularly strong demand. One European client, who initially ordered only a few hundred units of each model, quickly multiplied their orders severalfold after successful trial runs—yet demand still outpaced supply. Today, whenever Yuanchang introduces a new product, this client immediately places large orders; just this month, they purchased another shipment of cartoon staplers. As Wu pointed out, since 2023 Yuanchang has partnered with multiple design agencies to blend charm with functionality. The first major success from these collaborations—the panda stapler series—has become an overseas bestseller, now shipping more than 50,000 units each month. In recent months, Disney-themed stationery sets have been especially popular in Southeast Asia. After securing Disney licensing, Yuanchang has curated stationery collections tailored to different markets, with monthly orders reaching around 500,000 units. Currently, Yuanchang is busy fulfilling orders from a German retail chain. Through Yiwugo, the company has connected with a growing network of high-quality customers. Wu explained that their R&D team draws on both domestic and international feedback collected via the platform to refine their products, enhancing not only quality but also their playful appeal. Thanks to Yiwugo's outreach and promotion, an increasing number of premium Chinese brands—such as Dehuang—are gaining wider recognition in global markets, enabling outstanding domestic products to shine both at home and abroad. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE
