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On October 14, 2025, CCLA Investment Management disclosed it had sold its entire position in NICE (NICE -1.26%) in an estimated $120.03 million transaction.

What Happened

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated October 14, 2025, CCLA Investment Management exited its holding in NICE by selling all 710,865 shares, with an estimated trade value of $120.03 million.

What Else to Know

CCLA Investment Management sold out of NICE, reducing its post-trade stake to zero; the position now represents 0% of 13F AUM.

Top holdings following the filing:

• NASDAQ:MSFT – $369.63 million (5.9% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• NASDAQ:GOOGL – $345.87 million (5.5% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• NASDAQ:AMZN – $269.0 million (4.3% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• NASDAQ:AVGO – $207.92 million (3.3% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• NYSE:V – $180.65 million (2.9% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025

As of October 13, 2025, shares of NICE were priced at $132.00, marking a 23.8% decrease over the year ended October 13, 2025. Over the same period, shares have underperformed the S&P 500 by 35.5 percentage points.

Company Overview

Company Snapshot

NICE Ltd. delivers AI-powered cloud software solutions designed to optimize customer experience and enhance compliance for enterprises and public sector organizations worldwide. The company leverages a broad portfolio of proprietary platforms and analytics tools to address complex business needs in digital transformation, financial crime prevention, and operational efficiency.

The company offers AI-driven cloud platforms for customer experience, financial crime prevention, analytics, and digital evidence management, including flagship products such as CXone, Enlighten, and X-Sight.

NICE Ltd. serves a global client base of enterprises, contact centers, financial institutions, and public safety agencies seeking advanced automation, compliance, and customer engagement solutions. It operates a subscription-based business model, generating revenue from cloud services, software licensing, and value-added solutions for enterprise and public sector clients.

Foolish Take

In a recent regulatory filing, CCLA Investment Management revealed that it has completely sold out of its ~$120 million position in NICE, an Israeli software company. This move comes following a tough period for NICE stock.

Over the last five years, the company’s stock has consistently underperformed the broader market. Shares have logged a total return of (44%) over this period, equating to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of (11%). This compares quite unfavorably to the S&P 500, which has generated a total return of 105% over the last five years, equating to a CAGR of 15%.

All that said, NICE’s stock performance doesn’t reflect its underlying fundamentals. Total revenue, net income, and free cash flow have all increased significantly over the last five years, indicating strength in the company’s business model, which relies on artificial intelligence (AI) to power applications serving contact centers, financial institutions, and public safety organizations. Moreover, the company recently announced plans to buy back up to $500 million worth of its outstanding shares, which could help put a floor under its share price.

While CCLA’s recent sale does indicate the deterioration of some institutional support, retail investors may want to take a look at NICE — an under-the-radar AI growth stock.

Glossary

13F reportable assets: Assets disclosed by institutional investment managers in quarterly SEC Form 13F filings.

AUM (Assets Under Management): The total market value of investments managed by a fund or investment firm on behalf of clients.

Quarterly average price: The average price of a security over a specific quarter, often used to estimate transaction values.

Post-trade stake: The number of shares or value held in a position after a trade is completed.

Flagship products: A company’s leading or most prominent products, often representing its brand or core offerings.

Cloud platforms: Online computing environments that provide scalable software and services over the internet.

Digital evidence management: Systems for storing, organizing, and analyzing electronic data used in investigations or compliance.

Financial crime prevention: Technologies and practices designed to detect and stop illegal financial activities, such as fraud or money laundering.

Compliance: Adhering to laws, regulations, and industry standards relevant to a business or sector.

TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.

Operational efficiency: The ability of a company to deliver products or services using minimal resources and costs.

The cantina on Tatooine in the first “Star Wars” film. A Greek taverna on a layover in Miami. A mermaid’s womb. Every friend I take to, or even ask about, Cento Raw Bar and its fantastical design has a knee-jerk one-liner at the ready.

The wildest new bar in Los Angeles

Walk into the West Adams space adjoined by an awning to Cento Pasta Bar — both conceived by chef Avner Levi — and the first sight of the curving walls will spin anyone’s mind. They look plastered with a mixture of stucco and meringue, smeared like a frosted cake in progress, that’s meant to evoke the shimmer and shifting light of a Mediterranean cave. A three-sided seafoam-green bar anchors the room, girded by tall white chairs with metal backs patterned in a snail’s spiral. Details fill every corner: rounded, sculptural pillars and pedestals; a blue-tile floor mosaic resembling a pond; pendant sconces in shapes that remind me of the “energy dome” hats worn by the band Devo in the 1980s.

A mosaic moment in the dining room of Cento Raw Bar.

(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)

The effect leans more toward trippy than transportive. As one stop during a night out for a drink and a stopgap plate of seafood or two, I’m into it.

Idiosyncrasy is welcome right now

Maybe in another era I would gawk once and move on. But in times like Los Angeles is living through, in a half-decade that has begat one trial and horror after another, the operators of new restaurants, particularly those in the highest-rent districts, tend to default to conservative choices. Menus full of comforts familiar to whatever cuisine is being served. Atmospheres easily described as “pleasant.” The decisions are so understandable, and given a particular neighborhood or desired audience perhaps it pays off economically. Familiarity is a priority to many diners. Hospitality workers deserve stable incomes.

Culturally, though? The restaurant pros who can’t stomach the status quo, who go regionally specific or deeply personal or brazenly imaginative, are the forces who inspire cities toward creative rebellion. Thinking about this, I found an article from 2011 by former Times critic S. Irene Virbila about the year’s restaurant openings. The nation was burrowing out of the Great Recession at the time, but the roster of emerging talents mentioned by Virbila would wind up shaping the 2010s as the decade that landed Los Angeles on the global culinary map: names like Bryant Ng, Josef Centeno, Nyesha Arrington, Michael Voltaggio, Steve Samson and Zach Pollack.

She also pointed out Ludo Lefebvre, who in 2011 was still in pop-up mode before launching his defining restaurants Trois Mec (felled by the pandemic) and Petit Trois. Maybe it’s a sign that this week Lefebvre came full-circle with a new occasional pop-up series he’s calling Éphémère.

Point is, we could use more extreme individualism in restaurants right now. I appreciate the obsessiveness from designer Brandon Miradi, who has the title of “creative director” at Cento Raw Bar and who counts Vespertine, Somni, the Bazaar at SLS Beverly Hills and Frieze Art Fair as previous projects. Note the spiraling ends of the silverware, matching the chairs, and the ways napkins too are rolled into a tight coil. He managed to find colored glassware in geometries that register at once as retro and postmodern.

Cento Raw Bar, the sibling cocktail and seafood bar to chef Avner Levi’s pasta restaurant, features an all-white interior.

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Maybe no surprise, but the TikTok-magnetic vibes keep the bar full of young, beautiful groups — Angelenos or visitors modeling their best L.A. looks, who can say. In June, about a month after the place opened, a friend and I were sitting at one of the low tables and she pointed over to the bar: The women seated in the high stools all came in wearing stilettos that were now dangling half off their feet. Panning this shoe moment could have been a montage sequence during a Carrie Bradshaw voiceover in an early season of “Sex and the City.”

What to eat and drink

Perhaps to fully center or to balance Miradi’s visual extravaganza, the food and drink options are quite straightforward. A few cocktails do wink right into the camera, among them a play on a Screwdriver made with SunnyD (which the menu calls “Sunny Delight,” the branding name I also remember from my Gen-X childhood). Most are mainstays: a classic escapist piña colada, a spicy margarita, an Aperol situation spiked with mezcal. The bartenders listen kindly when I request they stir my dry gin martini well.

A martini at the bar of Cento Raw Bar.

(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)

Seafood towers, served on undulating green-glass plates designed by Miradi, are stylish and modest in size and arrive as two levels for $83 or three levels for $97.

A buddy and I recently split the smaller one, neatly polishing off a handful of tiny, briny oysters along with scallops served in their shells, some bouncy shrimp and a couple meaty lobster claws. We had shown up to Pizzeria Sei without a reservation — because scoring one at a prime hour is maddening, and so I take my chances as a walk-in — and were told the wait was an hour and 15 minutes. Cento Raw Bar was a 12-minute drive away, ideal for one round of drinks and pre-dinner shellfish.

On another occasion, I might skip the pricey tower and order a plate of hamachi crudo (dotted with stone fruit during the summer season) and a dip of smoked cod with bagel chips. I’ve found more substantial plates, such as ridged mafaldine tangled in lobster sauce, in need of spice and acid.

Fish dip topped with trout roe at Cento Raw Bar in West Adams.

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Desserts riffing on a Hostess cake or an ube cheesecake spangled with prismatic bits of flavored gelatins? Fun, but I’ve had my share of outlandish décor and cocktail nibbles — exactly what I came for.

4919 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 795-0330, cento.group

Also …

• Food editor Daniel Hernandez writes about Mexico City, the food lovers flocking to its energized restaurant scene … and the digital nomads who are also settling in, pricing out locals in some areas. As tensions boil, he asks, is it possible to still visit and be a mindful tourist?
• Daniel, a former longtime resident of Mexico City, also names 34 of the city’s best restaurants and bars that aren’t tourist traps.
• Speaking of Bryant Ng mentioned above, Jenn Harris checks out his new project, Jade Rabbit, a new fast-casual restaurant in Santa Monica where Ng re-imagines Chinese American food.
• Stephanie Breijo reports from West Hollywood on Darling, the new restaurant from legendary Southern chef Sean Brock, who is determined not to lean on his heritage in California. “In order to fully understand the taste of this place [L.A.], and that’s my goal, I can’t cook Southern,” Brock shares.
• Farewell, lunchroom pepperoni pizza? Daniel Miller lays out the details of the new state law aimed to ban some ultraprocessed foods from school meals.

Pfizer (PFE -0.34%) has a huge 6.3% dividend yield. That’s actually a lot lower than it was not too long ago, thanks to a large stock advance in recent days based on news. But Pfizer’s price rebound actually started in April. Is it time to jump in before more on Wall Street start buying Pfizer’s depressed stock?

Image source: Getty Images.

What does Pfizer do?

Pfizer is a pharmaceutical company. This is a highly complex business that involves huge costs. A company needs to find potential new drug candidates, which requires a material commitment to research staff and facilities. Promising drugs then need to be researched and developed. Then they need to go through the approval process. And finally, assuming the drugs are actually useful and safe, they need to be marketed.

There are massive costs all along the way in what is a very long process of bringing a drug to market. As such, drug makers are granted a temporary period in which they have the exclusive right to sell a newly developed drug. That can lead to huge profits, at least for a period of time. When a drug patent runs out, competitors can make generic versions of the drug, which usually leads to the revenue from the original drug falling drastically. That’s known as a patent cliff.

Drug companies are always working to develop new drugs to offset the income statement hit when patent cliffs come up. That’s the big-picture cycle that Pfizer is always in the middle of. And it has done a very good job of managing to survive and thrive over time. But new drugs and patent cliffs don’t always line up quite as well as hoped, so there can be material short-term turbulence in earnings.

PFE data by YCharts

What’s up with Pfizer’s big price drop?

Pfizer’s stock price is currently down over 50% from the peaks it hit in late 2021. That high water mark was a bit of an anomaly, as it coincided with the coronavirus pandemic. Wall Street extrapolated the vaccine opportunity from COVID-19 way too far into the future. When the world learned to live with the illness, Pfizer’s stock plunged.

On top of that, Pfizer is currently facing down a patent cliff, with drugs for oncology (Ibrance) and cardiovascular health (Eliquis and Vyndaqel) set to lose patent protections in 2027 and 2028. This is a notable issue and it won’t be simple to solve. In fact, after the company’s own weight loss drug flamed out.

However, Pfizer has just inked an acquisition to gain access to a new weight loss drug opportunity. The deal to buy Metsera (MTSR 0.19%) is expensive and fairly complex, involving an earnout provision. The upfront cost is $47.50 per Metsera share (roughly $4.9 billion), with three earnouts that could add $22.50 per share to the cost. That said, this deal quickly solves a problem for Pfizer.

Pfizer has also made quick work of dealing with increasing regulatory pressure. It was the first company to come to an agreement with the U.S. government around drug pricing. The “specific terms of the agreement remain confidential,” but Pfizer has agreed to make material capital investments in U.S.-based assets in an effort to avoid tariffs.

Both of these moves appear to have resulted in Wall Street taking a more positive view of Pfizer’s future. The tariff deal, specifically, led to a huge one-day gain in Pfizer’s stock. That said, there is still a lot of work to do before Pfizer’s business fortunes are on the mend. But the situation does appear to be brightening.

Has enough changed to make Pfizer a buy?

Pfizer’s payout ratio is quite high, hovering around 90%. And the board of directors has made the call to cut the dividend in the past, specifically in 2009 when Pfizer bought Wyeth. That cut and the lofty payout ratio make Pfizer a potentially risky choice for conservative income investors looking a reliable dividend, even though the stock’s yield is attractively high.

That said, as a turnaround investment, Pfizer looks a lot more attractive. As the drug company has done before, it is taking the steps necessary to survive and thrive over the long term. In fact, the stock has risen from a 52-week low around $22 to a recent price of roughly $27, which is a 20% increase.

Clearly, Wall Street is starting to see the silver lining in Pfizer’s clouds. And if the dividend survives the current headwinds, all the better. Just be careful if you go in counting on that dividend to survive.

“Do you know the only thing that gives me pleasure? It’s to see my dividends coming in.”

– John D. Rockefeller

Rockefeller was onto something there: Receiving quarterly dividend payments is one of the most satisfying things for anyone looking to reinvest for the power of compounding.

These two dividend stocks offer investors not only a long history of consistent dividends (and increases), they also both have strong economic moats to help ensure financial growth over the long haul. Here’s why these two deserve income investors’ consideration.

Getting back to its higher-margin roots

The Canadian National Railway (CNI 1.99%) is a powerful company, driving the economy by transporting more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America annually. It has nearly 20,000 miles of rail lines and related transportation services, connecting Canada’s East and West Coasts, and the Midwest, including a valuable route through Chicago and all the way to New Orleans.

What makes CN (as it’s known for short) a great dividend stock is an economic moat that’s based not only on its geographic reach but also on its extensive railroad infrastructure that’s nearly impossible to replicate. And it’s the primary and most significant rail operator for the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia, which contributes to its intermodal growth potential.

Those competitive advantages and its moat help the company continue to print cash, and in turn increase its dividend. The growth of both is obvious in the graph below.

CNI Free Cash Flow data by YCharts.

CN has closed the margin gap with competitors in recent years, after having led the industry in the early 2000s thanks to pioneering the practice of precision scheduled railroading (PSR). However, the father of PSR, Hunter Harrison, took his talents to competitors in 2009, and while his innovations still have their imprint on the business, the company needs to refocus on margins.

While that process develops, investors have a respectable dividend yield of 2.7% and a history of consistent increases.

A snack and beverage juggernaut

PepsiCo (PEP -0.24%) is a household name and global leader in snacks and beverages with brands including its namesake Pepsi, as well as Gatorade, Lay’s, Cheetos, and Doritos, among many others. The company dominates the global market for savory snacks and is the second-largest beverage provider, behind only Coca-Cola.

One factor in investors’ favor is the company’s diversification with exposure to carbonated soft drinks, water, sports and energy drinks, and convenience foods that generate roughly 55% of revenue. PepsiCo is truly global: International markets made up roughly 40% of both total sales and operating profits in 2024.

Image source: Getty Images.

This could prove to be a good time to pour a small investment into the company. The past few years of less than desirable growth — due to self-inflicted wounds and underinvesting in its marketing and brands — has left the stock trading lower over the past year. Management is working to reverse that and has steadied the top and bottom lines, so there should be room for improvement and a return to growth.

Not only does the demand for PepsiCo’s snacks and beverages remain resilient through economic cycles, but it also attracts investors with a healthy 4% dividend yield.

Are the stocks buys?

Over the past year, PepsiCo and CN have traded 17% and 19% lower, respectively. But a couple of missteps and headwinds won’t stop these two juggernauts for long because their competitive advantages are durable. PepsiCo is benefiting from the growth in its snack business and international expansion, while the Canadian National Railway is getting back to its roots and closing the margin gap with competitors, fueling its dividend in the future. Both warrant consideration for a small position for long-term investors looking for dividend income.

BigBear.ai‘s (BBAI 4.16%) stock has been on a volatile ride on the market so far in 2025, but it still managed to clock impressive gains of 57% as of this writing. It’s worth noting that the stock is down 28.5% from the 52-week high it achieved in mid-February. For a company that is compared to Palantir Technologies thanks to their very similar business models, investors may now be wondering if the slide in BigBear.ai stock can be treated as a buying opportunity.

Let’s take a closer look at what BigBear.ai does and check if its prospects and valuation make it worth buying in the wake of its share price pullback.

Image source: Getty Images.

BigBear.ai stands to gain from a massive end-market opportunity

Just like Palantir, BigBear.ai is in the business of providing artificial intelligence (AI) software solutions to customers so that they can improve the efficiency of their operations and enhance productivity. It provides various kinds of tools related to data analytics, cybersecurity, enterprise IT solutions, digital twins, and digital identity.

The good part is that the demand for these AI software solutions is on track to grow rapidly. IDC projects that the AI software platforms market could generate a whopping $153 billion in revenue in 2028, up from $27.9 billion in 2023. The bad part is that BigBear.ai has been unable to make the most of this fast-growing opportunity.

The company’s recent results clearly indicate that it is missing the AI software opportunity. Its revenue was down by 18% on a year-over-year basis to $32.5 million. The gross margin shrank as well, which explains why its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) loss more than doubled to $8.5 million in Q2.

Of course, BigBear.ai reported a $380 million revenue backlog at the end of Q2 — up by 43% from the prior-year period — but it comes with a lot of caveats. The primary concern with BigBear.ai is that it gets the majority of its revenue from government contracts. That probably explains why a huge chunk of its revenue backlog is unfunded, or is up to customers’ discretion whether they want to purchase its services or not.

Just 4% of BigBear.ai’s backlog is funded, which refers to the remaining value of existing contracts that it has yet to fulfill. The remaining backlog is either unfunded or unexercised. So, despite reporting a healthy backlog, BigBear.ai doesn’t have solid revenue visibility going forward. Throw in the fact that BigBear.ai has reduced its full-year revenue forecast by 19%, and there is a good chance that the stock will remain under pressure until and unless there is a substantial turnaround in its fortunes.

The good part is that there have been some silver linings for BigBear.ai investors of late. The stock jumped recently on the news that it will support the U.S. Navy in a maritime exercise, giving investors hope that it could win more business. Additionally, BigBear.ai’s enhanced passenger processing (EPP) solution has been deployed at Nashville International Airport.

However, it remains to be seen if these developments are going to have a positive impact on the company’s financial performance.

Analysts aren’t upbeat about the stock’s prospects

BigBear.ai’s median 12-month share price target of $6 points toward a potential drop of 7% from current levels. That’s not surprising, as the company’s growth estimates have taken a big hit.

Data by YCharts.

Moreover, BigBear.ai stock isn’t exactly cheap right now. It trades at 12 times sales. That’s well above the Nasdaq Composite index’s price-to-sales ratio of 5. With the company’s sales set to decline in double digits this year as per its updated guidance, its rich valuation isn’t justifiable. All this tells us that this AI stock isn’t worth buying even after its recent pullback, which is why investors would do well to take a closer look at other names that are clocking healthy growth and are trading at attractive valuations.

A POPULAR UK supermarket has recalled two of its products over fears they could cause an E.coli outbreak.

Customers have been warned not to eat either of the products after it was discovered they may contain Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC).

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Fears have been sparked that the contaminated products could spark an outbreak of the potentially deadly disease.

Customers could suffer serious symptoms including diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea if they consume the product.

The Shiga toxin-producing E.coli could also cause haemolytic uremic syndrome – a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure and can be fatal.

Anyone who has purchased JS Classic Houmous and JS Lemon & Coriander Houmous is being warned not to eat them.

Customers who have bought the contaminated products are asked to return them to the point of sale urgently.

Full refunds will be handed out to customers who bring back the potentially harmful humus.

Sainsbury’s is putting up in store notices to explain the recall to customers.

A notice issued by the The Food Standards Agency reads: “Sainsbury’s has taken the precautionary step of recalling JS Classic Houmous and JS Lemon & Coriander Houmous because these products may contain Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC).

“If you have bought any of the above products do not eat them. Instead, return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund.”

The Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday released a report touting a decline in shootings by officers in 2024, even as officials acknowledged this year’s numbers show the trend reversing with a major uptick in incidents of deadly force.

LAPD officers opened fire on 29 people last year, compared with 34 in 2023 — a sign, the report’s authors maintained, that the department’s efforts to curb serious uses of force are having an effect.

Already in 2025, however, LAPD officers have surpassed the total number of shootings recorded last year, with police opening fire at least 31 times in less than nine months.

Teresa Sánchez-Gordon, who on Tuesday was announced as the Police Commission’s new president, said she was struck by the fact that during encounters with people exhibiting signs of mental illness last year, officers sometimes shot instead of first deploying weapons meant to incapacitate.

“Why can we not increase that … use of that less-lethal means?” asked Sánchez-Gordon.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told the commission that the use of Tasers and launchers that shoot hard foam projectiles was “foremost on everybody’s minds.”

But oftentimes, he said, encounters with people in crisis unfold so quickly and unpredictably that officers are left with little time to consider other tools. He noted that the vast majority of shootings stem from 911 calls, rather than “proactive policing,” which he said underscores “the reactive nature of these events.”

The timing of Tuesday’s report seemed incongruous amid mounting public anger over a recent rise in police shootings, including a continued pattern of officers killing people who appear to be in the midst of some behavioral crisis.

The report also noted a rising number of shootings last year in which officers mistakenly believe someone is armed, an increasingly common scenario that has also been cause for recent concern.

In July, LAPD officers fatally shot a man sitting inside a utility van on the city’s Eastside after, they said, he ignored repeated commands to drop what turned out to be a toy Airsoft gun, which resembled a real rifle. The dead man’s fiancee said he had dealt with mental health issues in the past.

In recent weeks, the commission has pushed McDonnell to do more to curb the number of shootings.

Last year, the Southeast, North Hollywood and Harbor patrol areas saw the biggest jumps in the number of police shootings, while 77th Street, Foothill, Rampart and Newton divisions recorded the biggest decreases.

The shootings cut across racial lines. Roughly 55% of those shot by officers were Latino, with Black and white people each accounting for around 21% of the incidents, with the remaining 3% involving Asians.

More than half of the officers who fired their weapons were Latino, which is roughly in line with the department’s racial makeup. A quarter of the officers were white, with Asian officers responsible for 11% of the shootings.

From 2023 to 2024, the number of officers injured in shootings rose from eight to 11, according to the report.

The rise in police shootings has been a regular point of contention for the police critics and social justice advocates who show up to speak at the commission’s weekly meetings.

On Tuesday, Melina Abdullah, a prominent civil rights leader who has long been critical of the department’s history of excessive force against communities of color, accused the commission of failing to take seriously its role as police shootings continue to rise.

“I don’t know how this oversight body is not overseeing and demanding something different,” she said.

The recent report found that officers fired nearly twice as many bullets last year as they did in 2020. On average, LAPD officers fired more than 10 rounds per shooting.

In addition to the decline in police shootings last year, the department’s report revealed that so-called non-categorical uses of force — LAPD speak for the deployment of a Taser or beanbag shotgun or incidents that result in serious but non-life-threatening injuries — dipped slightly to 1,451 from 1,503.

The decline came amid a drop in both crime and the number of people who came into contact with the LAPD in 2024.

There was also a significant decline in shootings of people with knives, swords and other edged weapons. Preventing those types of confrontations from turning deadly has been a point of emphasis by the department and the commission in recent years. In February, LAPD officers faced criticism after they shot and killed a transgender woman holding a knife at a Pacoima motel room after she called 911 to report that she had been kidnapped.

Much like with most crime statistics, experts caution against reading too much into year-over-year fluctuations. But department statistics show that despite the recent uptick, police shootings are still down considerable from their highs in the early 1990s and make up only a small fraction of all public encounters every year.

Core & Main (CNM -23.40%) reported its fiscal second quarter ended Aug. 3, 2025, earnings on September 9, 2025, lowering full-year revenue and EBITDA guidance for fiscal 2025 due to unexpected residential market weakness but highlighted resilient municipal demand and progress on cost containment. Residential sales are now expected to decline by low double digits through the end of 2025, offset by strength in municipal and select non-residential segments, with SG&A initiatives and M&A synergies anticipated to yield greater benefits in fiscal 2026. The following insights synthesize management commentary on growth drivers, operating leverage, and strategic execution directly affecting Core & Main’s long-term investment outlook.

Municipal strength offsets Core & Main’s residential weakness

Municipal water infrastructure demand remains robust due to increased funding and a multi-year replacement cycle, providing resilience against cyclical residential softness. Management noted positive momentum in treatment plants and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) product lines, while municipalities benefit from improved rates and healthy local budgets.

“The municipal market remains strong with ample funding, and we’re seeing a lot of demand there too. Those are kind of the puts and takes on the top line with the revised guide.”
— Robyn Bradbury, CFO

This dynamic illustrates the company’s balanced end-market exposure and positions Core & Main to capture secular growth from public infrastructure investment even as near-term residential lot development decelerates.

Margin management actions to drive 2026 profitability

SG&A (selling, general, and administrative) expenses rose 13% year-over-year, with about half attributable to M&A and one-time costs, while controllable spend reduction efforts and synergy realization from prior acquisitions are ongoing. Specific inflation-driven areas, such as insurance and compensation, contributed significantly to cost headwinds, but targeted workforce management and cost-out actions have been implemented, with major benefits expected beyond 2025.

“Some of those inflation items were a lot higher than we were expecting, and that’s what we need to work to offset. We’ve got several million dollars of cost-out actions that have been executed in the first half of the year. I would say we’ve got a meaningful amount of actions that are in process that we’re working through.”
— Robyn Bradbury, CFO

Core & Main expands Canadian footprint to unlock new growth

The company completed a three-branch acquisition in Canada, building on its earlier entry into the market and setting a platform for both greenfield branch expansion and further local M&A. Each acquired Canadian branch carries an approximately $15 million revenue run rate, diversifying the company’s geographic revenue base and advancing its multi-lever growth strategy beyond the U.S. market.

“the acquisition we did in Canada was a three-branch acquisition with two locations around Toronto and another one in Ottawa. Those, I would say, those branches are typical kind of branch size for us in kind of the $15 million range. Really excited about that one. It really builds a great platform for us to grow from in Canada. That’s now the second acquisition we’ve completed there.”
— Mark Witkowski, President

This cross-border expansion signals increasing addressable market opportunity and serves as a meaningful long-term complement to Core & Main’s organic U.S. pipeline.

Looking Ahead

Residential sales for the full year are forecast to decline by low double digits through the end of 2025, with municipal and select non-residential segments maintaining positive momentum. Gross margin rate is expected to remain stable versus fiscal second quarter ended Aug. 3, 2025, levels for the remainder of fiscal 2025, while SG&A expenses are projected to decrease in the second half of fiscal 2025 due to cost actions, with the bulk of synergy and efficiency gains materializing in fiscal 2026. Management confirmed the recent Canadian acquisition is not included in current guidance and referenced a strong M&A pipeline as a continued strategic focus.

Investors haven’t been kind to Intuitive Surgical (ISRG 2.67%) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN 0.96%) this year. Both healthcare leaders have encountered company-specific issues that have led to sell-offs. Intuitive Surgical’s stock is down 15% this year, while Regeneron has shed 21% of its value.

However, there are excellent reasons to think both companies could rebound, and if that’s the case, now might be a wonderful time to purchase their shares on the dip. Here’s why I remain bullish on these medical companies.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Intuitive Surgical

Intuitive Surgical is facing at least two main issues. First, President Donald Trump’s tariffs could have a significant impact on the company’s financial results, potentially decreasing its earnings. Second, there is mounting competition in its niche. Intuitive Surgical develops and markets robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) devices. Its best-known one is the da Vinci system, which is cleared across a range of indications, from general surgery to urologic procedures, weight loss surgeries, and more.

However, medical device giant Medtronic is inching closer to launching its Hugo system in urologic procedures in the U.S. Do these challenges make Intuitive Surgical’s prospects unattractive? Not at all, in my view. Even with the impact of tariffs, the company’s financial results remain excellent. Second-quarter revenue grew by 21% year over year to $2.44 billion, despite a 1% hit from tariffs.

Also, although competition is intensifying, the RAS market remains deeply underpenetrated. Furthermore, Intuitive Surgical has a significant established lead in this field, having launched its da Vinci system in 2000. The company’s advantage doesn’t just come from its large installed base of 10,488 systems as of the second quarter. Real-world use of its crown jewel has proven its efficacy beyond what can be established in clinical trials, and it has also provided Intuitive Surgical with the data and insight to improve its device.

Last year, the company launched the fifth generation of its da Vinci system, which was well-received in the market. Intuitive Surgical also benefits from high switching costs associated with the price of its da Vinci systems, making it likely to retain most of its customers. The company will profit from increased demand for surgical procedures. Though it makes money from the sale of its devices, it makes even more revenue from instruments and accessories, which is tied to procedure volume.

That’s a long-term trend that could ride for a while, given the world’s aging population and increased demand for medical services. So, Intuitive Surgical might be down right now, but the stock remains attractive to long-term investors.

2. Regeneron

In the second quarter, Regeneron’s revenue increased by 4% year over year to $3.68 billion. While that may not seem impressive, it’s essential to put things into perspective. The drugmaker is facing competition, including from biosimilars for Eylea, a medicine used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration. However, it is mitigating the losses associated with that product, thanks to a new, high-dose formulation of it, whose sales should continue moving in the right direction as it earns some label expansions.

The rest of Regeneron’s lineup looks pretty strong. The company’s revenue from cancer medicine Libtayo is growing at a healthy clip, while its most important growth driver, eczema treatment Dupixent, remains as robust as ever. Regeneron shares global rights to Dupixent with Sanofi. The medicine has been performing well over the past year, thanks to new indications, including an important one in COPD. Dupixent’s sales in the second period (recorded by Sanofi) grew by 22% year over year to $4.34 billion.

Meanwhile, the medicine could earn even more label expansions in the future, seeing as it is still being tested across a range of potential indications. Libtayo could also earn a label expansion of its own in squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, Regeneron recently received approval for a new cancer medicine, Lynozyfic.

The company’s pipeline features several additional products that could enhance its lineup. So, despite the competition for Eylea, Regeneron has launched a new formulation of the medicine, which is helping it stay afloat. The company is also launching new products and expanding labels for existing growth drivers. The stock looks like a buy despite the headwinds it has encountered.

This has turned out to be a terrible year for C3.ai (AI -2.37%) investors so far, as shares of the pure-play enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) software solutions provider have dropped 50% in 2025 as of this writing. The stock had been gaining momentum in recent months but was hammered earlier in August following the release of its preliminary results.

C3.ai stock lost over a quarter of its value in a single day after the company announced its preliminary fiscal 2026 first-quarter results (for the three months ended July 31) on Aug. 9. Let’s see why investors pressed the panic button and find out if it is worth buying the stock following its big pullback.

Image source: Getty Images.

C3.ai’s alarming fiscal Q1 performance

C3.ai provides an AI software platform that allows enterprise and federal customers to build and deploy custom AI applications and AI agents. The company has been able to expand its customer base at a nice pace in recent quarters, indicating that it was on the right track to capitalize on the huge addressable opportunity in enterprise AI software.

That’s why C3.ai’s preliminary results shocked investors. The company says its revenue last quarter stood at just over $70 million, well below the guidance range of $100 million to $109 million. The non-GAAP (adjusted) loss from operations was just below $58 million, which was more than double its original expectation.

C3.ai reported $87 million in revenue in the year-ago period and its non-GAAP operating loss stood at $16.6 million. So, the company is definitely not going in the right direction despite operating in a thriving market. But you may be wondering why C3.ai’s growth trajectory — which had been gaining momentum — has collapsed all of a sudden.

AI Revenue (Quarterly) data by YCharts

C3.ai CEO Thomas Siebel points out that there are two reasons why this is the case. First, C3.ai’s organizational restructuring by bringing in new leadership has had a “disruptive effect.” Second, the CEO’s health issues kept him from taking part in the sales process, and Siebel points out his absence “may have had a greater impact” than anticipated on the company’s performance.

The company is now hunting for a new CEO. There is a good chance that this transition could weigh on its performance in the near term as it tries to navigate an organizational restructuring while the new leadership settles in. A number of new leaders have joined C3.ai of late and it may take some time for them to get used to the way the company works and deliver fruitful results.

What should investors do?

The near-term uncertainty makes C3.ai a risky bet right now. Of course, the company points out that it has “completely restructured the sales and services organization” and is trying to “return to accelerating growth and increased customer success,” but it would be better if investors wait for tangible signs of a turnaround.

The good part is that C3.ai announced a new contract with Brazil’s Eletrobras just recently, apart from launching new agentic AI solutions. These moves could help the company steady the ship in the future, but the reality right now is that analysts have significantly reduced their growth expectations.

AI Revenue Estimates for Current Fiscal Year data by YCharts

Moreover, the company’s expanding losses are another cause for concern. As such, investors would do well to stay away from C3.ai right now, though it may make sense to keep this AI stock on the watch list. C3.ai is serving a fast-growing AI software market that’s expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 25% through 2030, and any positive developments in its operations could bring the stock back into the good graces of investors.

Cava Group (CAVA 1.28%) and its customers know all about dips. The chain’s tzatziki, spicy hummus, Greek green goddess, and signature “crazy feta” are so popular that even some local grocers stock them in eight-ounce containers. Investors are also learning all about Cava dips.

Shares of the fast-growing operator of fast-casual restaurants specializing in Mediterranean cuisine have fallen sharply in recent months. Cava stock is down 62% since peaking in November. A feel-good rebuttal is that the stock has roughly tripled since going public at $22 two years ago, but that doesn’t help the investor who warmed up to the the Cava story late last year.

How did the stock get here? Will it continue to head lower? There’s a lot to cover here, but like its crazy feta, I also want to argue that it’s a tasty dip worth buying.

Mediterranean goes subterranean

Cava is a leader in fast casual, a potent subset of eateries bridging the gap between fast food and casual dining. It’s also riding high on consumers embracing the health benefits of savory Mediterranean diets. When Cava hit the market in the springtime of 2023, its prospectus spelled out the unique characteristics of its customer base as primarily well-off and young. Household income was north of $150,000 for 37% of its patrons (and above $100,000 for 59% of its base). Cava also noted that 28% of its visitors are between 25 and 34 years old. Female-identifying guests accounted for 55% of its visitors.

Backed by heady expansion and stellar comps, Cava became a new industry darling for investors. As the pandemic-era recovery found more companies calling employees back to in-office work, Cava would become even more popular as a hotspot for workday lunches or picking up food on the way home from work. The affluent nature of its fans made it less likely to fall into a funk if the economy should falter.

The stock’s initial ascent was fueled by its improving fundamentals. It turned profitable in its first quarter as a public company, and continues to pad its bottom-line results. Revenue growth would accelerate in 2023 as well as 2024. The chain has been feeling a bit more mortal lately. Year-over-year revenue growth has decelerated for three straight quarters. Same-restaurant sales are also slowing. Let’s size up where Cava stands now, and if its deflated share price during the slowdown makes it a compelling buy here.

Image source: Cava Group.

Stepping on the scale

There are two sides to Cava’s latest quarter. Compared to most restaurants that slumped with sluggish sales, negative comps, and bottom-line hits through the second quarter of this year, Cava’s report two weeks ago was a breath of fresh feta. Revenue rose 20% to $278.2 million, up an even tastier 63% compared to where it was two springtimes earlier. It ended the quarter with 398 locations, a nearly 17% increase over the past year. Comps were up 2.1%. This is well below its previous store-level leaps, but a rare positive showing in a quarter of industry negativity. Chipotle Mexican Grill — the gold standard in fast casual — saw its second-quarter revenue inch just 3% higher with a 4% decline in comps.

Slowing growth isn’t a good look, but it does move the bar higher. Average sales volume for a Cava store over the past 52 weeks is now $2.9 million, up from $2.7 million a week earlier. Cava’s reported net income of $18.4 million was lower than it was a year earlier, but it was 10% higher on an adjusted basis. The chain’s adjusted net income margin contracted during the quarter, but its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) moved higher. It wasn’t a great report, but most eateries would’ve loved to put out numbers like that in this challenging climate.

It’s true that 20% top-line growth is nearly half the 39% jump that it posted back in November of last year when its stock hit an all-time high. Growth has been cut in half. Why shouldn’t the stock’s market value be cut by more than half? It’s not a fair judgment for Cava.

The chain is still posting double-digit revenue growth and positive comps at a time when many of its peers are struggling. It’s not a failure risk. There is no long-term debt on its balance sheet, just the long-term lease obligations of its growing company-operated empire.

Cava’s trading at an enterprise value that is 7.2 times its trailing revenue. This is higher than Chipotle’s multiple of 5.2, but it’s a historical discount for a company that is now proven with more than $1 billion in sales over the past 12 months. If you think Chipotle’s P/E ratio is rich at 38, you won’t be relieved to see Cava trading for 58 times its trailing inflated profitability. However, companies deserve a premium when they are operating at a higher level than their peers. There is still a long runway for growth. It still expects to top 1,000 locations by 2032, a 150% burst in the next seven years. Scalability will boost profitability under a kinder climate.

Cava may not seem textbook cheap, but it doesn’t mean that it will get cheaper. Buying quality at a discount — and that’s where Cava finds itself right now — could be the right move for opportunistic investors.

Enterprises are using artificial intelligence (AI) at an increasing rate, which is creating a new attack surface for hackers to exploit. AI-powered attacks are also on the rise, which calls for highly sophisticated cybersecurity solutions.

Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike lead the cybersecurity industry, but they aren’t the only vendors experiencing a surge in demand for their products. Tenable (TENB -1.50%) is a specialist in vulnerability management, helping enterprises thwart the very threats posed by AI.

With a market capitalization of just $3.7 billion, Tenable is still a tiny player in the cybersecurity space. However, the company’s operating results for the recent second quarter of 2025 (ended June 30) revealed accelerating revenue growth, an uplift in guidance, and a record number of high-spending customers.

Tenable stock remains 49% below its 2022 record high, but here’s why it’s time for investors to pay attention to this up-and-coming cybersecurity powerhouse.

Image source: Getty Images.

A vulnerability management specialist

Tenable owns Nessus, which is the cybersecurity industry’s most accurate and most widely deployed vulnerability management platform. It proactively scans devices, networks, and operating systems to identify potential weak points, so they can be patched before malicious actors exploit them.

But Nessus has become an onramp to Tenable’s growing portfolio of other advanced cybersecurity products. The company has consolidated many of them to create a comprehensive exposure management platform called Tenable One, which protects cloud networks, employee identities, endpoints, infrastructure, and more.

Tenable has the world’s largest repository of exposure data, which allows Tenable One to proactively surface and mitigate threats better than any other platform of its kind.

The company also offers a product called AI Exposure, which helps enterprises secure their AI software, AI platforms, and AI agents. It gives managers visibility into how employees are using AI across the organization, and it allows them to build guardrails to reduce risk. This is especially useful when employees are plugging sensitive internal data into large language models (LLMs) from third-party developers.

Accelerating revenue growth and increased guidance

Tenable generated $247.3 million in revenue during the second quarter of 2025, which was comfortably above management’s forecast of $241 million to $243 million. It represented a year-over-year increase of 12%, which marked an acceleration from the 11% growth the company delivered in the first quarter.

The strong result was driven by high-spending enterprises. Tenable had a record 2,118 customers with at least $100,000 in annual contract value during the second quarter, which highlights how important advanced cybersecurity solutions are becoming to large organizations.

Tenable’s recent momentum might be a sign of things to come, because management adjusted its 2025 full-year revenue guidance to $984 million (at the midpoint of the range), which was an increase of $9 million from its previous forecast three months ago.

Management also made further progress at the bottom line during the second quarter. The company suffered a small loss on a GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) basis, but after excluding one-off and non-cash expenses like stock-based compensation, the company generated an adjusted (non-GAAP) profit of $41.4 million. That figure was up by almost 9% compared to the year-ago period.

Tenable’s ability to deliver accelerating revenue growth without sacrificing profitability is a sign of strong organic demand for its products.

Tenable stock looks attractive at the current level

The 49% decline in Tenable stock since 2022, combined with the company’s consistent revenue growth, has pushed its price-to-sales (P/S) ratio down to just 3.9. That is a substantial discount to the valuations of industry leaders like Palo Alto and CrowdStrike:

CRWD PS Ratio data by YCharts

Palo Alto and CrowdStrike operate much larger businesses than Tenable, and they are also delivering faster revenue growth. However, considering Tenable’s momentum right now, I think the valuation gap deserves to be much narrower. Plus, Tenable values its addressable market at $50 billion in the exposure management space alone, and the company’s current revenue suggests it has barely scratched the surface of that opportunity.

As a result, Tenable could be a great long-term buy for investors who are looking to add a cybersecurity stock to their portfolio.

Programmatic advertising specialist The Trade Desk (TTD 1.70%) is having a terrible 2025 so far. The year went from bad to worse for investors after the company released its second quarter results on Aug. 7.

The Trade Desk stock was hammered as the company’s guidance indicated a slowdown in its growth. Though The Trade Desk has been integrating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into its programmatic advertising platform, it seems like the stiff competition from bigger players in the advertising industry is hampering its ability to sustain healthy growth levels.

Let’s look at the reasons why The Trade Desk has dropped an alarming 55% year to date, and determine whether that drop represents an opportunity to buy the stock in anticipation of a potential turnaround.

Image source: Getty Images

Execution issues and competitive pressures are weighing on The Trade Desk

The Trade Desk started 2025 on a negative note. The stock was clobbered after releasing its full-year 2024 results in February when sales execution issues led the company to miss its revenue target. The company’s May quarterly report helped it win back investor confidence as Q1 revenue was up by 25% year over year and well ahead of consensus expectations.

However, inconsistency reared its ugly head once again in Q2. Revenue growth slowed to 19%, and earnings increased just a few cents to $0.39 per share. In the same quarter last year, The Trade Desk had reported much stronger revenue growth of 26%.

The guidance, however, is what really spooked the market. Management expects revenue growth in the current quarter to further decelerate to 14% for a total of $717 million. The adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) forecast of $277 million would be an improvement of just 8% year over year.

It is easy to see why this slowdown has investors worried. The Trade Desk’s competitors in the digital advertising market have been reporting solid growth. Amazon, primarily known for its e-commerce and cloud computing offerings, reported a healthy 23% year-over-year increase in its advertising business last quarter to $15.7 billion.

The tech giant struck a deal with streaming provider Roku to expand its footprint in the connected TV advertising space in the U.S., gaining access to 80 million households. Connected TV is one of the key areas that’s driving growth for The Trade Desk, so Amazon’s big move in this market is definitely a cause for concern.

On the other hand, social media giant Meta Platforms‘ focus on deploying AI tools is helping it win a bigger share of advertisers’ wallets. Meta’s tools are driving strong returns for advertisers, and the company has also been able to boost user engagement through AI-recommended content.

As a result, Meta’s revenue increased 22% last quarter. It is worth noting that both Meta and Amazon are significantly larger companies than The Trade Desk, and they are achieving healthy growth levels while The Trade Desk is witnessing a slowdown. This doesn’t bode well for the company, especially given its valuation.

Why investors could be in for more pain

Analysts are forecasting an improvement of just 8% in The Trade Desk’s earnings this year to $1.79 per share. The company is expected to return to double-digit growth in 2026.

Data by YCharts.

However, The Trade Desk is trading at 66 times trailing earnings, which is double the average price-to-earnings ratio of the Nasdaq-100 index. Buying The Trade Desk stock at this expensive multiple doesn’t look like a smart thing to do right now. The slowing revenue growth is going to negatively impact the bottom line as well, so it remains to be seen if the company is capable of matching Wall Street’s earnings expectations going forward.

That’s why investors would do well to focus on other tech stocks that are clocking faster growth rates while trading at more reasonable valuations, as The Trade Desk is likely to remain under pressure going forward.

Ridership across Metro’s transit system plunged in June after federal immigration authorities conducted dramatic raids across Los Angeles County, sowing fear among many rail and bus riders.

Last month, the transit agency’s passenger numbers on buses continued to dip, although the reasons are not fully clear.

Ridership on rail crept up roughly 6.5% in July after a decrease of more than 3.7 million boardings across the rail and bus system the month before. Bus ridership accounted for the bulk of the June hit, with a ridership drop of more than 3.1 million from May. In July, bus boardings continued to decrease slightly by nearly 2%.

While it’s possible that concerns over safety have persisted as immigration raids continued to play out in the Los Angeles region, a drop in bus ridership from June to July in years past has not been uncommon, according to Metro data. A review of the number of boardings from 2018 shows routine dips in bus ridership during the summer months.

The agency said “there is a seasonal pattern to ridership and historically bus ridership is lower in July than June when schools and colleges are not in regular session and people are more likely to take time off from work.”

June saw a roughly 13.5% decline from the month before — the lowest June on record since 2022, when boardings had begun to climb again after the pandemic.

The reduction in passengers was not felt along every rail line and bus route. Metro chief executive Stephanie Wiggins noted during a board of directors meeting last month that the K Line saw a 140% surge in weekday ridership in June and a roughly 200% increase in weekend ridership after the opening of the LAX/Metro Transit Center.

Metro has struggled with ridership in recent years, first when the pandemic shuttered transit and then when a spate of violence on rail and buses shook trust in the system. Those numbers started to rebound this year and before June’s drop, had reached 90% of pre-pandemic counts.

But financial challenges have continued. Metro, which recently approved a $9.4 billion budget, faces a deficit of more than $2.3 billion through 2030. And federal funding for its major Olympics and Paralympics transportation plan to lease thousands of buses remains in flux. Maintaining ridership growth is critical for the the agency.

More than 60% of Metro bus riders and roughly 50% of its rail riders are Latino, according to a 2023 Metro survey. The decline in June’s ridership was due in part to growing concerns that transit riders would be swept up in immigration raids. Those fears were magnified when a widely shared video showed several residents apprehended at a bus stop in Pasadena.

Three of the men who were arrested at the stop by federal agents are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Trump administration. They spoke earlier this month at a news conference in favor of the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals decision to uphold a temporary restraining order against the immigration stops and arrests.

Pedro Vasquez Perdomo, a day laborer, said he was taken by unidentified men while waiting at the bus stop to go to work like he did every day. He said that he was placed in a small space without access to a bathroom or adequate food, water and medicine. Vasquez Perdomo said the experience “changed my life forever” and called for “justice.”

Closures at stations during the raids and D Line construction beneath Wilshire Boulevard also affected June’s numbers, according to Metro officials.

Artists are formed by the spaces they spend time in — and in the case of countless Los Angeles artists, writers and musicians, that place was the city’s oldest restaurant and bar, Cole’s French Dip, which is slated to close on Aug. 2.

Founded in 1908 by Harry Cole in downtown’s historic Pacific Electric building, then the city’s primary railway transit hub, the legendary public house is credited with inventing the French dip sandwich after its chef dipped bread in au jus to soften it for a patron who had trouble chewing. (Note: Philippe the Original in Chinatown takes issue with this story, claiming full credit for the juicy culinary delight.)

The possibility of an apocryphal legend aside, Cole’s went on to become one of the very best bars in the area, attracting a solidly blue-collar crowd over the years, including the notoriously ribald, drunken poet Charles Bukowski. The restroom even sported a placard that read, “Charles Bukowski pissed here,” an unflinchingly literal claim to fame frequently mentioned in self-guided tours of literary L.A. (Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood has a less off-color plaque at its bar in reference to Jim Morrison, who allegedly relieved himself on the spot without heading for the urinals.)

I like to think of Bukowski with a beer and a shot of whiskey in front of him, scribbling away on a napkin at the bar in Cole’s. I’ve done the same over the years, having discovered the bar in 1999 when I first moved to Los Angeles. Downtown was not on the up-and-up in those days, and Cole’s had fallen on hard times but was still beloved.

Cole’s French Dip in 1996.

(Con Keyes / Los Angeles Times)

My rock band played a few shows in its back room, and I fell in love with what was at the time a true dive bar — a place where the occasional unhoused patron spent his Social Security check alongside a smattering of unknown, paint-spattered artists who stopped by from nearby studios. I remember meeting a musician there one night who invited me and a friend to his 6th Street loft and showed me literally thousands of records stacked like a maze throughout the space, so high that you couldn’t see over them, so many that I wondered if he had space to sleep.

Cole’s was that kind of bar — a refuge for artists and misfits, a place that didn’t care what your story was as long as you had a good one.

The last time I went to Cole’s before downtown bar magnate Cedd Moses (artist Ed Moses’ son) bought it and restored it to its early 20th century glory, a rat ran over my foot as I sat at a torn, tufted banquette. I love a good dive (my husband proposed to me at the now-shuttered Brown Jug in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District), but that was a bridge too far, even for me.

Moses has long had a deep affinity for dive bars and, in the aughts, went about transforming and resurrecting a number of spaces in downtown L.A., including Cole’s, in ways that stayed true to their historic integrity. His 213 Nightlife Group (now called Pouring With Heart), was integral to downtown’s prepandemic boom.

That downtown is once again suffering from the kind of trouble and malaise that beset it in the ’80s and ’90s should be cause for great concern. On the bright side, it’s times like these when artists can again afford to move in. Maybe they can rally to save Cole’s.

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, warning you that there is now often a line to get into Cole’s, but encouraging you to go anyway. Paying your respects to the classic institution is worth the wait. Bring a good book and a sketch pad.

Best bets: On our radar this week

Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.”

(Andrew Cooper / Miramax Films)

‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’
Quentin Tarantino presents rare screenings of the complete version of his four-hour martial arts epic that brought together “Vol. 1” and “Vol. 2,” with additional flourishes. Uma Thurman stars as the Bride in a quest for revenge against the title character (David Carradine) and his band of assassins (Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael Madsen). Added flair: It’s the filmmaker’s personal 35 mm print screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006, so it has French subtitles.
Friday-Tuesday, Thursday-July 28. Vista Theater, 4473 Sunset Drive. vistatheaterhollywood.com

Artemisia Gentileschi in Naples
Curator Davide Gasparotto discussses the Italian artist’s work from the period she spent in Naples beginning in 1630. Gentileschi quickly became one of the most in-demand painters in the region, and Gasparotto illustrates the large-scale works, including the newly restored “Hercules and Omphale,” she completed during this time.
2 p.m. Saturday. J. Paul Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. getty.edu

George Strait performing in 2021.

(Jack Plunkett / Invision / AP)

George Strait
Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town join the country legend on this stadium tour in support of his latest album, “Cowboys and Dreamers.”
5:45 p.m. Saturday. SoFi Stadium, 1001 S. Stadium Drive, Inglewood. sofistadium.com

TaikoProject
The L.A.-based taiko drumming group marks its 25th anniversary with a one-night-only concert featuring its innovative percussion work, plus guests including the Grammy-winning Latinx group Quetzal and multi-instrument soloist Sumie Kaneko, performing vocals, on the koto and the shamisen.
7 p.m. Saturday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. musiccenter.org

‘Bye Bye Tiberias’
Filmmaker Lina Soualem portrays four generations of Arab women, including her mother, actor Hiam Abbass, who carry the burden of history within them and deal with an evolving meaning of home. Preceded by a 1988 short, “Measures of Distance,” in which filmmaker Mona Hatoum combines letters from her mother in war-torn Beirut with layered images and voice to question stereotypes of Arab womanhood. Both films are part of the UCLA Film and Television Archive’s series “(Dis)placement: Fluctuations of Home.”
7:30 p.m. Saturday. Billy Wilder Theater, UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. hammer.ucla.edu

DeJuan Chirstopher and Kacie Rogers in the play “Berta, Berta.”

(Makela Yepez Photography)

‘Berta, Berta’
Andi Chapman directs the West Coast premiere of Angelica Chéri’s love story about a Black man seeking redemption in 1920s Mississippi. DeJuan Christopher and Kacie Rogers (“Furlough’s Paradise” at the Geffen) star.
July 19-Aug. 25; 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays; 4 p.m. Sundays. The Echo Theater Company. Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. echotheatercompany.com

Catherine Hurlin as Giselle and Daniel Camargo as Albrecht in an American Ballet Theatre production of “Giselle.”

(Rosalie O’Connor)

Giselle
American Ballet Theatre dances this romantic tale set in the Rhineland forests where betrayal, revenge and forgiveness play out. With the Pacific Symphony.
7:30 p.m. Thursday and July 25; 2 and 7:30 p.m. July 26; 1 p.m. July 27. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org

The SoCal scene

Conductor Thomas Sondergard, left, applauds solo pianist Kirill Gerstein on opening night of the L.A Phil at the Hollywood Bowl on July 8, 2025.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Philharmonic opened its 103rd season at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this month, and all was not well, writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed, noting low attendance, the cancellation of highly anticipated shows featuring Gustavo Dudamel with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and a general edginess that has taken root in the city since the intensive ICE raids began.

“‘A Beautiful Noise’ is a jukebox musical that understands the assignment,” begins Times theater critic Charles McNulty’s review of the show playing at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through July 27. Anyone familiar with McNulty’s taste knows this is high praise coming from a critic who often doesn’t take a shine to the genre. This musical gets a pass because it exists simply to pay tribute to Neil Diamond’s beloved catalog with “glorious” singing of “American pop gold.” Former American Idol winner Nick Fradiani delivers a “thrilling vocal performance,” McNulty notes.

The New Hollywood String Quartet celebrated its 25th anniversary with a four-day festival at the Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall, and Swed was there to capture the scene. The festivities conjured the magic of the legendary studio musicians who first formed the quartet in the late 1930s. Classical music fans and lovers of cinematic scores didn’t always see eye to eye, but it was Hollywood that “produced the first notable American string quartet,” Swed writes.

McNulty also reviewed two shows in Theatricum Botanicum’s outdoor season: “The Seagull: Malibu” and “Strife,” both of which are reimagined in the American past. Ellen Geer directed the former, setting Chekhov’s play in the beach city of Malibu during the 1970s. Geer co-directs John Galsworthy’s 1909 social drama alongside Willow Geer — moving the action from the border of England and Wales to Pennsylvania in the 1890s. The plays are ambitious, if uneven, writes McNulty.

Culture news

Attendees surround the stage area where singer-musician Abraham Alexander is performing with his band at KCRW’s summer nights event at the Hammer Museum.

(Kailyn Brown / Los Angeles Times)

The Hammer Museum is back with its annual summer concert series, which is free as always. There are two upcoming shows: Very Be Careful with Healing Gems and DJ Eléanora, July 31; and Open Mike Eagle with Jordan Patterson and J.Rocc, Aug. 19.

Ann Philbin, former director and current director emeritus of the Hammer Museum at UCLA, was named this year’s Getty Prize recipient. She chose to donate its accompanying, pay-it-forward $500,000 grant to NPR and its Los Angeles member stations, KCRW and LAist.

The “Jesus Christ Superstar” casting news keeping coming. Earlier this week, it was announced that Josh Gad will play King Herod and Phillipa Soo will play Mary Magdalene in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical, staged at the Hollywood Bowl in early August and starring Cynthia Erivo as Jesus and Adam Lambert as Judas.

The Carpenter Center announced its 2025–2026 season, including an evening with Sandra Bernhard and Mandy Patinkin in concert; a cabaret series that opens with Melissa Errico performing Barbra Streisand’s songbook; a dance series featuring Alonzo King LINES Ballet; a “Wow!” series that includes the Peking Acrobats; and a Sunday afternoon concert series with a special tribute to the songs of John Lennon and Harry Nilsson.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

Hot cheese bread and meat pies? Count me in!

Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran’s leader is an “easy target,” sending jitters through risk markets such as cryptocurrencies on Tuesday.

“We don’t want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” He added. Trump also called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

The market has reacted negatively to the news. Bitcoin is down 1.7% at $105,000, Ethereum is down 2.2% at $2,500, and the total cryptocurrency market cap has dropped 1.3%. Some altcoins, such as Virtuals Protocol, IP, and Pudgy Penguins, are down over 7%.

However, seasoned investors are well aware that dips caused by geopolitical escalations often recover quickly. Put differently, the current low prices could mark a lucrative trading opportunity for investors. But what are the best coins to buy on the dip?

Snorter

That’s why the crypto trader bot sector is growing fast – and it’s why Snorter might be the best coin to buy on the dip. It’s a powerful Telegram-based trading bot that offers automated token sniping, copy trading, dynamic stop-losses, and rug-pull detection.

It supports Solana, Ethereum, BSC, Base, and Polygon, so you won’t miss an opportunity no matter where it launches.

The project is undergoing a presale and has raised $1 million in its opening three weeks.

This early success suggests genuine market interest, which could ultimately lead to long-term gains. Visit Snorter.

Bitcoin Hyper

Bitcoin Hyper is the new Bitcoin layer 2 blockchain built using the Solana Virtual Machine. Bitcoin’s security and Solana’s speed and programmability – that’s Bitcoin Hyper.

One of the most popular crypto sectors is meme coins, but Bitcoin’s meme coin ecosystem is relatively thin, especially considering its $2 trillion market cap. Bitcoin Hyper offers smart contract functionality and a seamless developer environment – alongside low fees and high speeds – hoping to cultivate a new meme coin ecosystem on Bitcoin.

The project also features a staking mechanism, which currently offers a 554% APY. However, this will decrease as the staking pool grows.

Bitcoin Hyper is also undergoing a presale and has raised $1.3 million so far.

With a strong use case, clear market interest, and lucrative staking rewards, it’d be no surprise if $HYPER skyrockets after hitting exchanges. Visit Bitcoin Hyper.

Fartcoin

Fartcoin is a Solana-based meme coin that launched on Pump.fun in Q4 of 2024 and quickly went viral. It peaked in January 2025, and then, after a deep selloff in line with the market-wide crash, it has risen once again.

It now trades at $1.10 with a $1.1 billion market capitalization and a $245 million 24-hour trading volume.

The project soared approximately 7x from its March lows to its local peak in April, massively outpacing most other meme coins.

Since its inception, Fartcoin has consistently outpaced the market average when conditions are bullish. So with prices currently on a dip, this could prove an opportune time to buy.

AB

AB is in an interesting spot. While most cryptocurrencies have dipped this week, AB is up 37%.

The project focuses on blockchain interoperability. It enables users to transfer assets between Ethereum, Solana, and other networks using the AB Connect protocol, and it also features a sidechain for the Internet of Things (IoT) and a main network for decentralized applications.

Like Bitcoin Hyper, its focus on cross-chain interoperability helps it stand out, and this has even caught the eye of Binance.

On June 7, AB was listed on Binance Alpha, a Binance Wallet feature that enables easy buying. This created a liquidity boon for AB, but the real benefit may still be to come. That’s because Binance says that projects listed on Binance Alpha are shortlisted to receive a listing on the main Binance exchange.

 

Best Wallet Token

Best Wallet Token is a new cryptocurrency that’s gaining popularity. As its name suggests, it powers a crypto wallet.

The wallet is called Best Wallet, and it boasts over 500,000 users. It stands out for its wide range of features and multi-chain support, allowing users to store cryptocurrencies from Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Cardano, Solana, and many more networks.

Some of Best Wallet’s features include a cross-chain DEX, a presale aggregator, a derivatives exchange, a staking aggregator, and an NFT gallery.

Users can get more out of the wallet by holding $BEST. It unlocks trading fee discounts, higher staking yields, governance rights, and access to promotions on partner projects.

It’s undergoing a presale and has raised over $13 million.

Best Wallet’s features go well beyond those of competitors like MetaMask and Phantom, yet they’re worth billions of dollars. In other words, $BEST has explosive potential. Visit Best Wallet Token.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

Published on
03/06/2025 – 15:44 GMT+2

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Major European steel giants saw their share prices falter on Tuesday afternoon, as investors continue to weigh the impact of US President Donald Trump’s plan to double steel and aluminium tariffs from 25% to 50%, with the latter set to take effect from 4 June. 

The announcement has escalated trade tensions and drawn significant criticism from worldwide trade partners. Trump, meanwhile, claims the move will make the US steel industry even stronger. 

He said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social: “Our steel and aluminum industries are coming back like never before. This will be yet another BIG jolt of great news for our wonderful steel and aluminum workers. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

German steel company Thyssenkrupp’s share price declined 0.5% on Tuesday afternoon on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Salzgitter AG’s share price also declined on the exchange, by 0.4%.

Following the trend, ArcelorMittal SA’s stock dipped 1.1% on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange on Tuesday afternoon, while Austrian steel company Voestalpine AG’s share price declined 0.8% on the Vienna Stock Exchange. 

On the other side of the Atlantic, however, major US steel companies such as Cleveland-Cliffs, Nucor, and Steel Dynamics saw their share prices surge on Monday. 

Cleveland-Cliffs’ share price closed 23.2% higher, whereas Nucor’s share price jumped 10.1%. Steel Dynamics’ share price also closed higher, up 10.3% on Monday. 

US businesses risk significant harm due to tariffs

The unpredictability of recent US tariffs continues to pose considerable risks to US businesses, despite Trump’s reassurances that tariffs will benefit the economy. This is mainly because several US companies with international operations could be forced to scramble to find alternative foreign suppliers and customers.

It is also remains unclear how long steel and aluminium tariffs could stay at the 50% level proposed, as Trump continues to negotiate other tariffs with various countries. 

Felix Tintelnot, professor of economics at Duke University, told TIME: “We’re talking about expansion of capacity of heavy industry that comes with significant upfront investments, and no business leader should take heavy upfront investments if they don’t believe that the same policy [will be] there two, three, or four years from now.

“Regardless of whether you’re in favour [of] or against these tariffs, you don’t want the President to just set tax rates arbitrarily, sort of by Executive Order all the time,” he added.

Tintelnot also highlighted that increasing the price of aluminium, which is a very common input material in several sectors such as automotive and construction, would, in turn, hurt those industries, even if there may be some advantages to the domestic US steel and aluminium sectors.

Despite slowdown, data points to reliance of Chinese economy in the face of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

China’s industrial output and retail sales growth have slowed amid trade tensions with the United States.

Factory output grew 6.1 percent year-on-year in April, down from a 7.7 percent rise in March, data released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday.

While down compared with the previous month, the figure beat analysts’ expectations.

Analysts polled by the Reuters and Bloomberg news agencies had respectively forecast growth of 5.5 percent and 5.7 percent.

Retail sales grew 5.1 percent year-on-year, slower than the 5.9 percent growth recorded in March and below analysts’ forecasts.

Fixed-asset investment, which includes property and infrastructure investment, rose 4 percent.

Unemployment fell slightly, from 5.2 percent to 5.1 percent.

The latest data is likely to bolster hopes of China’s economy remaining resilient in the face of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, after gross domestic product expanded a better-than-expected 5.4 percent in the January-March period.

The National Bureau of Statistics said the economy maintained “new and positive development momentum” due to Beijing’s economic policies, despite the “increasing impact of external shocks”.

“However, we should be aware that there are still many unstable and uncertain factors in external environment, and the foundation for sustained economic recovery needs to be further consolidated,” the statistics agency said in a statement.

The economic figures are the first to be released since Washington and Beijing last week agreed to dramatically reduce tariffs on each other’s goods for 90 days.

Under the deal reached in Geneva, the US lowered its tariff on Chinese goods from 145 percent to 30 percent, while China slashed its rate from 125 percent to 10 percent.

“The risk is that tariffs remain in place for a long time, and eventually, we see production offshored,” Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING, said in a note on Monday.

“But amid tariff unpredictability, not just for China but across the world, few companies will be rushing to commit resources to set up offshore manufacturing facilities. This could mean that a decent portion of China’s manufacturing and exports will be less impacted than originally feared.”