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The Star
30-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
EA forecasts quarterly bookings below expectations on cautious gamer spending
FILE PHOTO: A smartphone with the Electronic Arts logo is seen in front of a displayed stock graph in this illustration taken September 16, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo (Reuters) -Electronic Arts forecast net bookings below Wall Street expectations on Tuesday, pressured by uncertain consumer spending on its core sports portfolio amid a challenging economic environment. Shares of the company fell more than 2% in extended trading. With shifting U.S. trade policies threatening to push inflation higher, gamers have become more cautious with discretionary spending. EA said the second-quarter bookings forecast includes a four percentage point year-over-year headwind , due to changes in recognizing returns from the Ultimate Edition of "FC 26", which will now be booked in the third quarter. Earlier this month, the videogame publisher launched "College Football 26", hoping to build on the success of last year's edition, which became one of the best-selling titles of 2024. However, analysts warned that growth comparisons for "College Football 26" may be challenging, given the breakout success of its predecessor, which revived the franchise after a more than 10-year hiatus. The company said it expects a more "normalized curve" for College Football sales, partially offset by the launch of "Madden NFL 26". EA last week unveiled the first trailer for "Battlefield 6, placing a big bet on the title to reinvigorate the franchise after the previous installment fell short of fan expectations. The title is set to launch in EA's current fiscal year with analysts expecting the game to sell millions of copies. EA forecast second-quarter bookings of between $1.80 billion and $1.90 billion, below analysts' expectations of $2.01 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. For the first quarter, EA reported bookings of $1.30 billion beating estimates of $1.29 billion. The Redwood city, California-based company reaffirmed its full-year bookings forecast. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zhaid)
The Star
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Why AmaZulu FC released 17 players: A calculated reset for the future
AmaZulu FC say their decision to release 17 players was a calculated reset to reverse a worrying decline and back head coach Arthur Zwane's vision to return the club to the top. Speaking at the launch of the 2025 KZN Premier's Cup this week, club spokesperson Philani Ndlela said the mass clear-out was not just a reaction to recent results, but a strategic move shaped by where the team wants to go. 'If you look at the last five seasons, the club finished inside the top eight three times and twice outside. We played one cup final, which we lost, and you can see that in the last five seasons we did not do as well as we expected – in as much as we got an opportunity to play in the CAF Champions League,' said Ndlela. 'But our graph kept going down instead of going up, so it was important for us to have a turnaround.' AmaZulu ended the 2024/25 Betway Premiership campaign in sixth place, securing a spot in the MTN8. While that finish could be seen as progress, Ndlela insisted it wasn't enough for a club with ambitions of lifting trophies. The arrival of Arthur Zwane last season — initially as co-coach alongside Vusumuzi Vilakazi — marked the beginning of that turnaround. Vilakazi has since departed, and Zwane has been trusted to lead a long-term project centred on youth and tactical evolution. 'When we saw coach Arthur Zwane bringing in new and fresh ideas in the team, it was important for us to go back to the drawing board to bring in younger players that are going to help us get back to the top,' Ndlela explained. Alongside Zwane, AmaZulu have bolstered their technical team by roping in Simo Dladla as an assistant coach.
The Print
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
RJD has an EBC dream in Bihar. It'll take more than tickets & tokenism
Based on an analysis of caste-wise candidate nominations by the RJD and JDU, and their respective victories in the 2020 Bihar assembly election, I argue that the RJD needs to move beyond political appointments for the mobilisation of such communities. It also needs to focus on exclusive policies intended to empower EBCs. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to break the scepticism of the EBCs. So far, though, EBCs have shown an aversion toward the RJD. Instead, they have gravitated toward the JDU, now in alliance with the BJP, which mobilised its election machinery in Bihar immediately after winning the Delhi assembly election. The question now arises whether the RJD will succeed in its efforts to attract EBCs through the appointment of Mandal. As Bihar gears up for the assembly elections later this year, the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal has appointed Mangani Lal Mandal as its new state president—the first time it has chosen someone who belongs to the Extremely Backward Classes, or EBCs, a voting bloc that comprises 113 castes and makes up 36 per cent of the state's population. Also Read: What's behind Modi govt's U-turn on caste census & how it targets Oppn ahead of crucial Bihar polls EBC aversion to RJD in 2020 polls Bihar is well known for caste-based political mobilisation. The caste background of candidates is an important indicator of how parties build their social coalitions. It also helps us to understand the support of different castes for various political parties. Let's take a look at the caste-wise candidate nominations and wins of the RJD and JDU in the 2020 Bihar assembly election. This analysis examines the caste composition of nominees and elected representatives from the RJD and JDU in the 2020 Bihar Assembly election, based on candidate data from media reports. The graph below shows that the RJD's highest number of candidates came from the Yadav community (58). After them, only three other groups—EBCs (19), Scheduled Castes (19), and Muslims (18)—had candidates in double digits. Seen as a whole, the RJD focused primarily on its traditional MY (Muslim-Yadav) base, followed by an attempt to bring in EBCs. However, its EBC candidates performed badly. Out of 19 nominated, only four won. In contrast, JDU's EBC candidates performed impressively. It nominated 17 EBC candidates, out of which 12 won. The party's overall ticket distribution was also not concentrated on any one social group. Seven social groups—Yadav (18), EBC (17), SC (16), Kurmi (15), Kushwaha (15), Muslim (11), and Bhumihar (10)—had candidates in double digits. It's worth noting, though, that the highest number of JDU candidates also came from the Yadavs. This nomination profile might be symbolic, but it also conveys a message that the party is not against the legitimate representation of any particular social group. Here, the RJD did not appear as above board, as it had nominated only one candidate from the Kurmi caste, which is the support base of the JDU. In short, the above comparative analysis reveals EBCs have largely steered clear of the RJD. Despite nominating a larger number of candidates from the group, only four of its 19 EBC candidates won, compared to 12 of JDU's 17. Also Read: ECI's voter verification drive in Bihar is tailor-made to keep Dalits, Muslims, EBCs out RJD's inadequate strategy It is often stated that Nitish Kumar has created a constituency of women, MBCs, and Mahadalits, and these social groups have gradually become a strong support base of the JDU. To break the social base of any political party, a rival typically deploys two strategies: ticket splitting and policy changes. The former means nominating candidates from those castes and communities, while the latter involves promising policies that benefit them. The RJD relied on the first strategy, nominating a high number of EBC candidates in the 2020 election. One may counter that the RJD also adopted the strategy of policy change by promising 10 lakh government jobs, from which EBCs would also potentially benefit. So why did EBCs not respond to such promises? One answer could be low educational attainment among EBCs and their limited ability to benefit from reservation policies. Across North Indian states, EBCs have demanded a sub-categorisation within OBC reservations, arguing that they are unable to compete with politically dominant OBC groups such as Yadavs and Kurmis. The BJP responded by appointing the Justice Rohini Committee to examine this demand. At the same time, welfare schemes introduced by the Narendra Modi government have also reached these communities. Because of its alliance with the BJP, the JDU has benefited from both strategies—ticket splitting and policy response—while opposition parties like the RJD have remained stuck on the former. This could partly explain the aversion of EBCs toward the RJD. In the upcoming election, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav is promising to extend the limit of reservation, along with the introduction of a domicile policy for government jobs. However, none of these policies are specifically targeted to address the grievances of EBCs. Unless the party does that, it would be a herculean task to break the aversion. To sum up, the RJD's attempt to expand its social coalition by adding EBCs to its MY base did not deliver encouraging results in the last election. Relying on ticket-splitting alone to mobilise these communities hasn't worked. The party now needs to explore mechanisms beyond candidate nomination. Offering specific welfare schemes could be one of them. Otherwise, it may just be staring at a repeat of 2020. Arvind Kumar is a visiting lecturer in Politics & International Relations at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. He tweets @arvind_kumar__. Views are personal. (Edited by Asavari Singh)
The Star
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Trading ideas: TNB, IHH, Paramount, Zetrix AI, LGMS, Handal, Econpile, Ho Wah, PMCK
KUALA LUMPUR: Here is a recap of the announcements that made headlines in Corporate Malaysia. Tenaga Nasional Bhd has resolved a technical issue that had affected the display of July's electricity usage graph on its myTNB mobile application. IHH Healthcare Bhd is looking to potential new markets in Indonesia and Vietnam, as the Malaysian hospital operator continues building scale to offset rising healthcare costs in the region. Paramount Property Development Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount Corporation Bhd has partnered with Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd for a homeownership campaign named "Traverse with Paramount", offering Asia Miles to its homebuyers. Zetrix AI Bhd, formerly known as MyEG Services Bhd , has increased the size of its sukuk Wakalah programme to RM2bn in nominal value, doubling the original RM1bn. Zetrix said the sukuk will primarily support the continued growth of its blockchain and AI initiatives. Cybersecurity serve provider LGMS Bhd is proposing to acquire a 27% stake in information technology company Antarex Holdings Sdn Bhd for RM22.7mn. Handal Energy Bhd said on the group is being sued by a firm controlled by its former managing director and substantial shareholder Sunildeep Singh Dhaliwal, over an alleged outstanding debt of RM3.1mn. Construction firm Econpile Holdings Bhd has secured a RM27mn contract for piling and pile cap works for two 37-storey serviced apartment blocks in Kelana Jaya, Selangor. Ho Wah Genting Bhd has redesignated executive director Lim Wee Kiat as its chief executive officer, effective July 7. Private healthcare provider PMCK Bhd made a steady debut on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia, opening half a sen or 2.3% higher than its IPO price of 22 sen.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Galaxy Digital (GLXY) Jumps 9.66% as Firm Poised for Expansion
We recently published . Galaxy Digital (NASDAQ:GLXY) is one of last week's top performers. Galaxy Digital grew its share prices by 9.66 percent on Monday to close at $21.9 as investors scooped up shares amid the broader market rally, while continuing to digest its successful raising of $175 million in fresh funds for its expansion plans. In a statement late last week, Galaxy Digital (NASDAQ:GLXY) said that the fundraising program called Galaxy Ventures Fund I (GVF I) was oversubscribed by $25 million following strong investor demand, having targeted only $150 million initially. According to the company, GVF I attracted a diverse group of limited partners, including institutional investors, family offices, and strategic digital asset businesses. The portfolio included startups, namely 1Money, Arch Lending, Ethena, M^0, Monad, Plume, Rail, Rain, RedotPay, Ubyx, and Yellow Card, among others. A portfolio manager pointing to a digital graph of emerging market assets. Proceeds from the offer will be used to invest in early-stage companies developing critical infrastructure and applications for the on-chain economy, as well as stablecoins, payments, and tokenization, among others. While we acknowledge the potential of GLXY as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
