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The XRP (XRP 0.10%) cryptocurrency was created by a company called Ripple. It was designed as a bridge currency for the Ripple Payments network, which helps global banks send money across borders instantly, and with negligible costs.

Ripple was locked in a brutal five-year legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), until the regulator dropped the case in August as part of President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto agenda. This was a key reason XRP recently reached the highest price since 2018, and many investors are betting on further upside.

However, XRP is still dealing with a few other hurdles, which could keep a lid on additional gains from here. In fact, history suggests that the token might be heading significantly lower instead. Here’s where I predict it will be five years from now.

Image source: Getty Images.

XRP’s latest rally was fueled by regulatory relief

The world’s largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, is fully decentralized, meaning it can’t be controlled by any person, company, or government. There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin in circulation, and nobody can alter that number. XRP doesn’t share those attributes.

XRP has a total supply of 100 billion tokens, with 59.8 billion currently in circulation. Ripple controls the rest and gradually releases them as necessary to meet demand, which is what caught the attention of the SEC. The regulator sued Ripple in 2020, arguing that XRP should be classified as a financial security, just like shares and bonds which are also issued by companies.

This would have placed Ripple under a strict regulatory framework, potentially hampering its business model, so it’s no surprise that the lawsuit depressed XRP’s price for years.

However, a judge issued a ruling in August 2024 that favored Ripple. The SEC appealed the decision, but its plans changed when Trump took office earlier this year and appointed crypto-advocate Paul Atkins to run the agency. Under Atkins’ leadership, the SEC dropped its appeal against Ripple last month, putting an official end to the five-year battle.

Although the response from investors was positive, friendly regulation alone might not be enough to carry XRP higher over the long term.

XRP could be heading for another 90% collapse during the next five years

XRP plummeted by as much as 92% within a year after hitting its previous record high in January 2018. Five years later, in January 2023, it was still down by 90%. The token has already declined by more than 20% from its more recent peak, and I predict further downside is on the way.

Banks don’t have to use XRP to benefit from instant cross-border transactions through Ripple Payments, because the network also supports fiat currencies. Therefore, the network’s success won’t necessarily translate to a higher value for XRP over the long term.

Ripple also launched its own stablecoin called Ripple USD (RLUSD 0.02%) at the end of 2024. Since it’s pegged to the value of the U.S. dollar, it offers a new way to send money through Ripple Payments with practically zero volatility. The value of XRP can fluctuate significantly from day to day, so Ripple USD might be a better option for risk-averse banks, even if their holding periods are very brief.

Since stablecoins are fully backed by safe assets like cash and Treasury bonds, they tend to get preferential treatment from regulators compared to traditional cryptocurrencies. In fact, the U.S. government passed the Genius Act in June, which governs the use of stablecoins in the financial system. Clear rules typically give banks and consumers more confidence to adopt new financial technologies, especially when substantial amounts of money are at stake.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple suppressed the price of XRP after 2020. In other words, the token’s value is influenced by the issues facing its parent company, which is a pitfall of centralized cryptocurrencies. There is no guarantee that the U.S. government will maintain its crypto-friendly approach when the next administration takes office in 2028, which is a lingering risk for investors.

As a result, I predict that XRP will be substantially lower in five years. It might even decline by 90% from its recent peak, the same way it was down by 90% five years after setting its 2018 record high. That would translate to a price per token of just $0.36.

Everyone wants to invest in Nvidia. The computer chip giant now has a market cap of over $4 trillion, making it the largest company in the world. Other technology giants have been left in the dust, trailing the performance of Nvidia shares.

One underrated stock at the moment is Amazon (AMZN -3.07%). Over the last five years, Amazon’s stock is up just 57% compared to Nvidia’s 1,350% gain, with the former’s performance actually trailing the broad market indices such as the S&P 500, which is up 101%. This means this narrative may flip through 2030.

Here’s why investors are underrating Amazon as an artificial intelligence (AI) stock, and why it could be worth more than Nvidia five years from now in 2030.

An AI beneficiary, competing with Nvidia

Amazon is not thought of as a huge AI beneficiary. Or, at least, it doesn’t come to mind first when you think of AI stocks. The company’s cloud computing division — Amazon Web Services (AWS) — is growing slower than the competition from Alphabet and Microsoft. AWS revenue grew 17% year over year last quarter, while Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure both grew over 30%, gaining market share from Amazon.

However, I don’t think AWS should be thought of as an AI loser. It is the largest cloud computing partner of Anthropic, the fast-growing AI start-up. Anthropic has raised over $10 billion in funding for spending on AI workloads, a lot of which will go to AWS.

Anthropic’s revenue is growing rapidly, up from annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $1 billion to start 2025 to $5 billion in August, making it one of the fastest-growing companies in the world. For AWS, this likely means a huge boost in revenue from Anthropic, which will lead to accelerating revenue growth.

On top of a cloud computing partnership, AWS and Anthropic are working closely to build custom computer chips to compete with Nvidia. One of the largest costs to Amazon’s business is buying computer chips from Nvidia. To cut down on these costs, it is building its own line of chips called Trainium, which will be used to train and run Anthropic’s AI tools. This will not only hurt Nvidia’s sales if scaled up over the next five years, but will save on costs for AWS and lead to rising profitability.

Image source: Getty Images.

Efficiency in e-commerce

An area of Amazon’s business even more underrated when it comes to AI is e-commerce and digital media. Amazon has built up a vertically integrated e-commerce network, hosting its own delivery business, web platform, and fulfillment centers to connect buyers and sellers of online goods. Layered on top are its subscription services and advertising.

All these businesses can be helped with AI tools. For one, Amazon is utilizing AI generative content to help small businesses build advertisements to be played on Amazon’s website and its Prime Video service. Growing advertising revenue as a percentage of Amazon’s overall sales will help increase profit margins.

There are plenty of efficiency gains to be made by utilizing AI and robotics in warehouses, cutting down on the need for workers doing manual labor. Moonshot programs in self-driving could help cut down on costs for the delivery network over the long haul.

Today, Amazon’s North American retail operations (a division that houses everything except AWS) had a profit margin of just 7.5% over the last 12 months. These slim margins will start to reverse due to all the efficiencies and high-margin revenue getting layered into the e-commerce division, combined with solid revenue growth and earnings from e-commerce, which will keep soaring in the years to come.

AMZN EBIT (TTM) data by YCharts

Why Amazon can be larger than Nvidia

Looking at earnings before interest income and taxes (EBIT), Amazon and Nvidia are right around the same level. Nvidia’s EBIT is $96 billion, compared to Amazon’s $77 billion. Both figures have grown quickly over the last five years.

Nvidia won’t go bankrupt in the next five years, but its earnings growth may slow. The AI data center boom has been kind to the company’s profitability, and now competitors such as Amazon are trying to build their own chips. Pricing power may come down, and revenue could slow if the semiconductor market hits a cyclical downturn.

On the other side of the equation, Amazon’s EBIT growth will remain strong over the next five years. Revenue will keep chugging higher — especially when considering the Anthropic partnership — and consolidated profit margins will keep expanding. Amazon’s consolidated revenue was $670 billion over the last 12 months, while EBIT margin was just 11.5%. By 2030, revenue can grow to $1 trillion with a 15% EBIT margin, leading to $150 billion in consolidated earnings power for the business.

I believe that will be larger than Nvidia’s earnings in 2030, leading to Amazon surpassing Nvidia in market capitalization.

A BARGAIN hunter mother has shared a stern warning to parents about a viral buy from The Range.

Last year, mums and dads were racing to stores desperate to get their hands on the must-have buy that was sure to make the festive season even more special.

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And earlier this month, parents were left overjoyed to see that the purse-friendly product was now available to buy again.

But one shopper has been left very disappointed with the Large Christmas Sleigh Hamper, which she claimed is “not worth the hype.” 

Eager to alert others about the “flimsy” purchase, Emma Smith took to social media to express her frustration with the £7.99 buy.

Posting on Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK, a private Facebook group with 2.6 million members, the savvy shopper uploaded snaps of the huge sleigh, which was once sold-out and can hold dozens of gifts and decorations.

Alongside her post, she shared a messaged to “everybody thinking of getting The Range viral large Christmas Sleigh Hamper.”

She fumed: “I would not waste your money.”

Sharing pictures of the damaged sleigh, she snapped: “The cardboard is very flimsy.”

As well as this, she claimed: “The sleigh has collapsed to the side.”

Clearly very frustrated with her purchase, which has been described as a “fun way to display gifts” and is hailed as “the gift that keeps on giving,” Emma added: “Definitely not worth the hype!”

Emma’s post has clearly shocked many, as it was posted just 13 hours ago, but has already racked up almost 200 likes and 239 comments.

Big divide

But social media users were left totally divided – while some were thankful for her thoughts, others had “no issues” with their Christmas Sleigh Hamper, which is bound to turn your home into a magical festive scene in seconds.

One person said: “Not buying again. I was crazy to get it from The Range. When you put it away it won’t fold back up. It’s cute but not worth it and very small.” 

Looks like it’s been forced together tbh. For the price, it looks amazing, warts and all

Facebook user

Another added: “Thank you, I was going to get one. So glad I saw this post.” 

A third commented: “Same happened to mine! Filled it with sweets and it couldn’t take the weight and the legs buckled!” 

However, at the same time, one shopper wrote: “I got these two years ago and this will be the third year I’ve used them. Mine are great. No issues with them.” 

A second chimed in: “I got two the other day and put them up and all fine.” 

Someone else beamed: “I got the large one from The Range last year and I’ll be using it again as I found it ok and didn’t have any problems with it.” 

Whilst one user observed: “Looks like it’s been forced together tbh. For the price, it looks amazing, warts and all.”

Definitely not worth the hype!

Emma Smith

However, to this, Emma wrote back and claimed: “It wasn’t forced. The cardboard is hard regardless so you’ve got to make sure it’s put in the slots properly.” 

Meanwhile, others praised a similar sleigh hamper from B&M.

One shopper shared: “B&M ones are better and cheaper!”

Another agreed: “Got mine from B&M, £5. Sturdy and solid.”

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LOVE a freebie? Don’t we all – but the best giveaways rarely last forever.

We’ve rounded up the very best offers and promotions that are due to run out before the end of 2025. Don’t ignore them: you could miss out on free Apple AirPods, a £400 laptop, cheap theatre tickets, and more video games than you could ever hope to play.

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FREE SAMSUNG LAPTOP

A tempting offer to claim a free £400 laptop from Samsung is due to expire this year.

Samsung launched the promotion back in August.

It gets you either a £399 14-inch Chromebook Go or a Samsung Galaxy Watch7 worth £239.

You can claim it if you’ve recently bought an eligible Samsung smartphone.

For a free laptop, you’d need to have bought:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
• Samsung Galaxy S25+
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

And for a free smartwatch, you’d need to have snapped up one of the following:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE
• Samsung Galaxy S25
• Samsung Galaxy S25 FE

The promotion is due to close down on October 2 this year.

And you need to submit your claim for the freebie within 30 days of making your purchase.

To claim the offer, just follow our guide here: Samsung free laptop promotion.

THREE+ FREEBIES

Earlier this year, Three revealed a generous batch of freebies along with the dates that they would expire.

They’re part of the Three+ rewards scheme, which is free to join. You just claim the freebies through the dedicated app.

And many of them are currently due to cut off at the end of the year.

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That includes 10% off theatre tickets, a cut-price English Heritage membership, and cheap airport parking.

They’re all decent perks, so don’t miss out on claiming them.

Here’s the full list of Three perks with a current expiry date of December 31, 2025:

• LOVEtheatre – 10% off tickets
• English Heritage – 25% off annual membership for 2x adults and up to 12 children = £36
• Tiqets – Get up to 45% off museums, theme parks, zoos and more, plus an extra 10% off with Three+
• Airparks – Up to 30% off airport parking
• Go Henry – two months free on financial education app for kids, plus £15 pocket money
• Banjo Robinson – free activity pack

It’s always possible that some of these perks could be extended, but there’s no guarantee.

FREE APPLE AIRPODS

Yes, really.

Apple is running a back-to-school promotion that expires next month.

And the offer nets you a free pair of Apple AirPods if you’ve bought a qualifying gadget.

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You just need to be a teacher, staff, student or parent.

And students are anyone who has gone on to college, university, or any other public or private tertiary education institution.

But beware: the deal runs out on October 21, 2025.

If you’ve bought a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro then you can claim:

• Apple AirPods Pro 3 (with £50 fee) – saving £169
• Apple AirPods 4 with ANC (free) – saving £169

If you’ve snapped up an iPad Air or iPad Pro, you can get:

• Apple AirPods 4 (free) – saving £119
• Apple AirPods Pro 3 (with £100 fee) – saving £119

And if you’ve bagged an iMac, the options are:

• Apple AirPods 4 with ANC (free) – saving £169
• Apple AirPods Pro 3 (with £50 fee) – saving £169

The main catch is that you can only do this once for the promotion period. Just don’t miss the offer window.

It’s also worth noting that Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are brand new, so they’re a good buy.

BONUS £100 FROM O2

If you’re planning to buy one of the new iPhone models recently announced by Apple, take a look at this O2 offer.

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It comes with a bonus £100 – but only until October 8, 2025.

If you buy the new iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone 17 Pro Max on a pay-monthly plan, you’ll get an extra £100 if you recycle your existing mobile.

That’s in addition to the regular trade-in value of your phone.

It’s a special promotion on the O2 Recycle scheme, and you can only claim the deal once.

You don’t get the money in cash – but it’ll be credited to your plan.

So effectively, it’s a £100 discount on the amount you would’ve plaid.

You can check out the full terms for the offer here.

AMAZON PRIME GAMES

There are loads of Amazon Prime freebies that will vanish before the year is out.

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Amazon runs a special scheme for Prime members called Prime Gaming.

Every month, Amazon will dish out a selection of free games that you can keep forever.

Usually the monthly haul is worth hundreds of pounds, so it’s not bad at all.

The games drop in waves every single Thursday, and by the end of the month, the full batch is available.

But the games are only available for a month before they vanish from Amazon’s freebie list.

So you need to claim them before they disappear.

If you’re savvy, you’ll collect them all. You can bag September’s lot, and then get the October, November, and December offerings too.

You’ll probably end up with more than £1,000 in games from a four-month run.

But if you miss any of them then you’ll be too late – they’re then gone for good.

So make sure you’re hot on checking for the freebies each month. You can find them here at the Prime Gaming website.

Just note that you’ll need to have an active Amazon Prime membership to claim the games.

All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.

Always do your own research before making any purchase.

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her lawyer-husband have a net worth of more than $6 million, according to a financial statement released Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Their only liability is a $60,000 mortgage on their Watergate apartment, valued at $1.3 million. Their total net worth as of June 1 was $6,195,770.

Of their joint holdings, $2,580,300 consisted of unlisted securities with retirement accounts valued at more than $2 million. Ginsburg also holds $100,000 worth of Treasury notes.

Ginsburg, 60, was a professor of law and an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union before she was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1980. Her husband, Martin, is a lawyer associated with the prominent Washington firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson. He also teaches at the Georgetown University Law Center.

Martin Ginsburg estimated the worth of his professional corporation at $550,000.

At least two Supreme Court justices are millionaires. In their 1992 financial disclosure statements, made public in May, Sandra Day O’Connor listed assets worth between $1.18 million and $3.27 million, while John Paul Stevens listed assets worth from $1.1 million to $2.47 million.

Those disclosure statements excluded personal property and primary residences.

The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin hearings July 20 on Ginsburg’s nomination, and her confirmation appears to be assured.

Her response to a committee questionnaire indicated that she first heard from the White House about a possible nomination to the high court on June 11. The next day, she said, White House Counsel Bernard Nussbaum asked her to return to Washington from an out-of-town trip to Vermont on the first possible plane on Sunday morning, June 13.

After a preliminary interview by Nussbaum and others on her financial affairs, she said, she met President Clinton at 11:30 a.m.

“We had a conversation, with no other person present, that continued until 1:15 p.m.,” she said. She was questioned further by Nussbaum and others for several hours.

She said that Clinton telephoned her later that night. “Some time before midnight, the President told me of his intention to nominate me, and I accepted,” she said.

SAINSBURY’S has launched its “biggest ever” giveaway with up to £7,500 worth of Nectar points up for grabs.

This equates to a huge two million Nectar points being given away for a shop.

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The supermarket giant has teamed up with frozen foods brand Birds Eye to deliver the prizes, as well as special prices of products.

From now until October 7, shoppers can scan their Nectar card or app to enter the prize draw if they pick yup any Birds Eye product at a Sainsbury’s.

One winner will receive one million Nectar points, which are worth at least £5,000.

And two winners will get 500,000 points each, worth at least £2,500.

There are also some family dinner classics from Birds Eye that have been put on special Nectar prices.

Chicken Dippers can now be picked up for £2.50, and Fish Fingers for just £1.50.

This is possibly most Nectar points ever seen in the frozen aisle, making it a perfect time to stock up the freezer for the autumn.

Shoppers who scan any Birds Eye product with their Nectar card at Sainsbury’s will automatically be entered into the prize draw.

And every transaction counts for entries.

Winners will be draw at random and contacted within 28 days of the closing date.

Sainsbury’s has also recently been seen slashing the prices on dozens of its chocolates as part of an “amazing” offer.

Several Cadbury’s chocolates in the supermarket were slashed to under £1, with Twirl bites reaching just 97p.

The sale is lasting until Sunday, September 21 and is only being offered to Nectar card holders.

Sainsbury’s recently made a huge change to its Nectar loyalty schemes earlier in the year.

It made personalised ‘Your Nectar Prices‘ available for shoppers for the first time in July.

The scheme has allowed customers to earn points when they shop, which can be turned into money off vouchers.

Previously, the discounts were only available for online orders or through the Smart Shop app or handset in-store.

Now shoppers can enjoy these discounts at the tills by simply scanning their Nectar card.

Discounts are known to refresh every Friday, giving customers regular opportunities to save on essentials and discover new favourites.

Amazon (AMZN -1.20%) is one of the world’s most recognizable companies. Its e-commerce platform is responsible for delivering billions of dollars worth of goods every year in over 100 countries around the globe, and has led the e-commerce revolution. However, the e-commerce shift has largely played out, and with artificial intelligence (AI) investing dominating the market, it may seem like Amazon stock is out of favor.

But that’s not the case. Amazon is also heavily involved in the AI arms race and has another exciting division that’s driving impressive growth. The combination of a strong base business alongside a couple that are growing rapidly can lead to long-term outperformance, making Amazon an intriguing stock to buy now.

But what kind of growth can Amazon investors expect by 2030? Let’s find out.

Image source: Getty Images.

Two divisions are driving Amazon’s outsize profit growth

Amazon’s commerce divisions are well known, but there is a fact that’s not as widely known: This business isn’t as profitable as one might think. In Q2, Amazon’s North American commerce divisions generated $7.5 billion in operating profit on sales of $100 billion. However, most of that profit likely comes from one unlikely source: digital advertisements.

Amazon’s advertising services divisions have been rapidly growing behind the scenes, and are a large reason why Amazon’s operating profits have improved over the past few years. In Q2, ad services revenue rose 23% year over year, making it the fastest-growing division within Amazon. While Amazon doesn’t break out the individual operating margins per segment, this division likely has impressive margins. Another advertising-focused business, Meta Platforms, has consistently delivered operating profits between 30% and 45% over the last five years. That’s quite a bit higher than Amazon’s divisionwide operating margin of 7.5%, so it’s likely that the faster advertising service growth rate will continue to improve Amazon’s operating profits.

One division where Amazon breaks out the operating margin outside of commerce is Amazon Web Services (AWS), its cloud computing division. AWS is the world’s largest cloud provider, having experienced several years of impressive growth. It’s also benefiting from the AI arms race, as several clients lack the resources to build their own data centers for training and running AI models, so they rent them from AWS.

AWS’ operating margins are significantly better than those of its commerce siblings, as it reported an impressive 33% operating margin. That’s down from Q1’s 39% margin, but it makes sense considering how much money AWS is spending to build out increased computing capacity due to massive demand.

Cloud computing is expected to be a massive growth trend over the next few years, with Grand View Research estimating that the global cloud computing market will expand from $752 billion in 2024 to $2.39 trillion by 2030. That’s massive growth, and shows that AWS will continue to be a strong profit driver for Amazon over the next five years.

With two strong growth trends propelling Amazon’s profits higher, what will Amazon’s stock price be five years from now?

Amazon could be a $500 stock by 2030

In Q2, Amazon’s operating profits increased by 31%. This is a significantly slower rate of growth than it was previously, but with the outsize growth of highly profitable divisions like AWS and its ad services, I believe this is a sustainable growth rate through 2030. To account for some conservatism, we will use a 20% growth rate.

Data by YCharts.

If Amazon can continue growing its operating profits by 20% through 2030, that indicates $210 billion in operating profits by the end of 2030. That’s a 172% increase from today’s levels.

As long as Amazon’s valuation today is reasonable (it’s somewhat pricey at 32 times operating profits), its growth would be similar to its stock price growth. If we project Amazon to trade at 25 times operating profits, that would give the company a $5.3 trillion market cap, or a stock price of $492.

So, even with a lot of conservatism baked in (a lower growth rate than I think is possible and a decreased valuation), Amazon has the potential to be nearly a $500 stock by 2030. That’s more than a double in under six years, making it a great stock to buy now and hold over the next few years.

CLUB football is back for the Premier League this weekend after the international break.

After the last round of fixtures, a chaotic transfer deadline day followed as clubs splashed out £375million on new talent to take the overall spending for the window to over £3BILLION.

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And with that wave of new arrivals, including emergency loans, the conclusions of blockbuster sagas and shrewd deals, there will be several new faces for fans to watch.

SunSport has taken a look at stars who could make their debuts this weekend, including two club-record signings.

Kicking off the team in goal is new Manchester City star Gianluigi Donnarumma, who arrived on deadline day from Paris Saint-Germain for £26million.

New £18m Manchester United star Senne Lammens could have been selected just as easily, but they can let their goalkeeping do the talking during the Manchester Derby on Sunday.

Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie – signed on loan from Bayer Leverkusen with a £45m option to buy – put in a great display for Ecuador against Argentina and will partner £13m Bournemouth signing Veljko Milosavljevic and West Ham loanee Igor Julio in defence.

There are three more loanees to consider going forward: Tottenham’s Randal Kolo Muani, Nottingham Forest‘s Oleksandr Zinchenko and Aston Villa‘s Jadon Sancho, who all arrived in the twilight hours of the summer window.

Harvey Elliott followed Sancho to the struggling Villans from Liverpool on an initial loan with a £35m obligation to buy next summer.

The front three is where the majority of the star power and cost come into play.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m sale from Man Utd to Chelsea, was not a deadline day switch but was only announced after the Blues’ most recent game at Stamford Bridge – meaning he will be in line for his debut this weekend.

Newcastle star Nick Woltemade is the club’s record signing at £69m.

The 23-year-old German looked impressive during the Under-21 Euros this summer, while he scored 17 for Stuttgart last season.

But he – alongside fellow new Toon ace Yoane Wissa – will have big boots to fill following Alexander Isak‘s record-breaking £130m departure to Liverpool.

Isak’s saga dragged on all summer and was on and off and then on and off again, before possibly the move of the summer was finally put to bed on deadline day.

Elsewhere, there are the likes of Kevin, Fulham‘s own £35m record-breaking arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk, Jaydee Canvot at Crystal Palace and Brian Brobbey at Sunderland who could also make first appearances for their new clubs at the weekend.

Palantir Technologies shares have advanced 1,760% since the launch of its artificial intelligence platform in April 2023. Its market capitalization now stands at $369 billion as of September 8, which puts it among the 30 largest public companies in the world.

I think Shopify (SHOP -1.86%) and Uber Technologies (UBER 1.05%) can surpass Palantir’s current market capitalization within five years. Here’s what that means for shareholders:

• Shopify is worth $189 billion. Its market value must increase 96% to hit $370 billion, in which case the stock would return more than 14% annually over the next five years.
• Uber is worth $197 billion. Its market value must increase 88% to hit $370 billion, in which case the stock would return more than 13% annually over the next five years.

Importantly, the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.27%) has historically advanced roughly 10% per year, so my predictions almost certainly imply market-beating returns for Shopify and Uber shareholders. Here’s why I’m confident.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Shopify

Shopify reported excellent financial results in the second quarter, beating estimates on the top and bottom lines. Revenue increased 31% to $2.6 billion as growth accelerated across North American, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Non-GAAP net income increased 35% to $0.35 per diluted share.

The investment thesis for Shopify centers on its leadership in e-commerce software. Its platform helps merchants manage their businesses across physical and digital storefronts from a single dashboard. The company also provides adjacent solutions for payments, advertising, logistics, and cross-border commerce.

Shopify is focused on several strategic growth areas, including business-to-business (B2B) commerce, a category that is three times bigger than business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce and growing just as quickly. Forrester Research last year recognized Shopify as a leader in B2B commerce solutions, validating its push into the market. The company said B2B sales increased 101% in the second quarter.

Shopify is leaning into demand for artificial intelligence (AI). Shopify Magic is a suite of AI features that help merchants automate tasks like writing product descriptions, generating marketing content, and providing customer support. Additionally, the company earlier this year introduced an AI tool that builds entire online storefronts from a few keywords.

Wall Street expects Shopify’s earnings to increase at 34% annually during the next three to five years. That makes the current valuation of 81 times earnings look somewhat expensive. But if Shopify meets the consensus estimate, its price-to-earnings multiple could fall to 38 while its market value increased 100% to $378 billion by mid-2030. That means Shopify can surpass Palantir’s current market value within five years.

2. Uber Technologies

Uber reported encouraging financial results in the second quarter. beating the consensus estimate on the top line and matching the consensus estimate on the bottom line. Revenue increased 18% to $12.7 billion, an acceleration from 14% growth in the previous quarter, because of strength in the mobility and delivery segments. GAAP net income increased 34% to $0.63 per diluted share.

Uber may not be top of mind when investors think about artificial intelligence stocks, but the company uses AI to set prices, match drivers and riders, and optimize routes. Moreover, its position as the largest on-demand mobility and delivery platform in the world makes it an ideal partner for autonomous driving companies that want to commercialize robotaxi services.

Uber has partnered with 20 autonomous driving companies, including Alphabet‘s Waymo, Pony AI, and WeRide. Robotaxis are already available on its platform in four markets: Atlanta, Austin, and Phoenix in the United States; and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Uber expects about five more deployments in 2025, with more to follow in 2026.

Additionally, Uber in some cases is helping partner companies develop autonomous driving technology. “An underappreciated aspect of our strategy is just how central we are to the real-world AI revolution,” said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in prepared remarks. “The advanced AI systems that perceive, predict, and make split-second decisions on the road need enormous amounts of data, and Uber has the most relevant mobility ride-hail dataset in the world.”

Wall Street expects Uber’s earnings to increase at 22% annually over the next three to five years. That makes the current valuation of 16 times earnings look relatively cheap. And if Uber meets that consensus, its price-to-earnings ratio could fall to 12 while its market value increased 105% to $387 billion by mid-2030. That means Uber can surpass Palantir’s current market value within five years.

In recent months, the small East African coastal region of Somaliland has been making international headlines after several high-profile Republicans in the United States endorsed a bill to recognise it as an independent state.

The question of Somaliland’s independence from Somalia has long divided the region. While the territory declared its sovereignty in the 1990s, it is not recognised by Mogadishu or any other world government.

Recently, Republicans in the US House of Representatives, including Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Representative Pat Harrigan of North Carolina, and other key conservative heavyweights, have backed the push for recognition.

“All territorial claims by the Federal Republic of Somalia over the area known as Somaliland are invalid and without merit,” said the text of the bill introduced in June, calling for the US to recognise Somaliland “as a separate, independent country”.

At around the same time, media reports surfaced that said Israel had reached out to Somaliland as a possible location to resettle Palestinians it plans to expel from Gaza.

Human rights advocates from Somaliland have voiced concern that the forced resettlement of Palestinians could “render Somaliland complicit in the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza”, with worries that countries who previously sympathised with Somaliland may potentially “withdrawing their support”.

During a news conference at the White House in early August, US President Donald Trump addressed the issue. “We’re looking into that right now,” he said in response to a question about whether he supported recognition of Somaliland if it were to accept Palestinians. “Good question, actually, and another complex one, but we’re working on that right now,” he added, without giving a clear answer.

Less than a week later, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas penned a letter to Trump calling for Somaliland’s recognition. One of the key justifications stated in the letter by Cruz, who has received nearly $2m in funding from multiple pro-Israel lobby groups, including the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), was that Somaliland “sought to strengthen ties with Israel, and voiced support for the Abraham Accords.” The accords are a set of agreements normalising diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab states.

In response to Cruz’s letter, Somalia’s ambassador to the US released a statement warning that any infringement of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would empower armed groups and “destabilise the entire Horn of Africa region”.

Al Jazeera reached out to the ministers of foreign affairs and information of Somaliland for comment on the plan to forcibly relocate Palestinians and whether they were engaging in talks with the Israelis about this, but did not receive a response.

Somaliland has not commented on the forced relocation of Palestinians, but officials have openly stated that it welcomed US consideration for its recognition, with the spokesperson for the region’s presidency thanking US Senator Cruz for his advocacy and stating that “recognition of this established fact [Somaliland] is not a question of if, but when”.

Recognition plus armed groups: A recipe for disaster?

In Somaliland, a region with traditionally strong support for the Palestinian cause, many people are hopeful about one half of the plan and concerned about the other.

Those who spoke to Al Jazeera shared concerns about the ramifications and possible dangers that could arise from potential Israeli plans to force Palestinians to relocate to Somaliland.

Ahmed Dahir Saban, a 37-year-old high school teacher from the town of Hariirad in Awdal, a province in the far northwest bordering Djibouti, said Palestinians would always be accepted with open arms in Somaliland, but that any attempts to forcibly relocate them from Palestine would never be accepted. He cautioned the authorities in Somaliland about the deal.

“The people of Palestine cannot be forced from their blessed homeland. What the Americans and Israelis are doing is ethnic cleansing, and we in Somaliland want no part of it,” he said.

Ahmed said, aside from the move being morally wrong and inhumane, he believes it would “risk violence from [armed] groups” and have serious ramifications for the region.

“Al-Shabab and Daesh [ISIL/ISIS] could carry out attacks throughout Somaliland if the authorities went through with accepting forcibly relocated Palestinians. Even here in Awdal, we wouldn’t be safe from the violence.”

Ahmed fears that if Somaliland accepts expelled Palestinians, the armed groups will exploit public anger against such a move to expand their sphere of influence and possible territorial control in the region.

Armed groups like al-Shabab maintain a presence in the Sanaag province, which is partially administered by the Somaliland government.

Analysts who spoke to Al Jazeera share similar concerns.

Jethro Norman, a senior researcher with the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), believes the US and Israel’s meddling in Somaliland under the pretext of relocating Palestinians would create significant opportunities for armed groups.

“Al-Shabab and IS-Somalia [ISIL Somalia] have consistently framed their struggle in terms of resisting foreign interference and protecting Somali sovereignty, but they’ve also spent years perfecting narratives about Western-backed dispossession and ‘Crusader-Zionist’ intrigue,” he remarked.

When Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, al-Shabab held protests in areas they govern in support of Palestine. Large crowds also came out in support of the Palestinian cause in rebel-controlled territory in Somalia.

“A Palestinian relocation programme, especially one perceived as externally imposed and aligned with Israeli wishes, would provide these [armed] groups with an unbelievably potent propaganda tool, allowing them to position themselves as defenders of both Somali unity and Palestinian dignity against what they could characterise as a cynical Western-Israeli scheme,” Norman told Al Jazeera.

Peace at what cost?

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 after the country descended into civil war. In the years since, the administration in the capital, Hargeisa, has been able to create a de facto state within Somalia’s borders. Schools, security and stability emerged, but Somaliland has yet to secure international recognition.

However, some of the decades-long gains have come at a cost to many who call Somaliland home.

Dissent and freedom of expression have come under fire in Somaliland. This has affected the press, civilians and marginalised communities alike, with media outlets raided and journalists arrested.

Members of the public are routinely arrested for having the Somali flag in an attempt to silence unionist voices, which make up a significant portion of the Somaliland populace.

More recently, entire communities have fallen victim to scorched-earth policies implemented by Hargeisa. Nowhere is this more visible than in the city of Las Anod in Sool province. For years, local clans complained of marginalisation by the centre, which led to a public uprising. Security forces responded by killing civilian protesters in December 2022. Somaliland authorities then laid siege to the city for nine months; hundreds of people were killed in the violence, almost 2,000 were injured, and 200,000 were displaced.

Somaliland eventually lost control of Las Anod and the vast majority of its eastern region – about one-third of the territory it claims – to pro-unionist communities who have recently formed the semiautonomous Northeast regional state.

As a result of the siege, rights groups such as Amnesty International released a damaging report in 2023 accusing Somaliland of indiscriminately shelling homes, schools, mosques, densely populated civilian neighbourhoods, and even hospitals in Las Anod, which is a war crime under international law.

The Somaliland administration became the only local actor in Somalia to be accused of war crimes since al-Shabab, which was accused of committing war crimes by Human Rights Watch in 2013.

But now talk of possible Israeli plans to forcibly relocate Palestinians has heightened fears of further violence in Somaliland.

“You can hear the whispers of something,” said Mohamed Awil Meygag in the city of Hargeisa. The 69-year-old witnessed how conflict devastated the region in the 1980s and fears another uncertain path for Somaliland.

Mohamed adamantly supports the recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, but is wary of reports about forcibly relocating Palestinians from Gaza. He also feels the authorities in Hargeisa have not been sufficiently transparent.

“When Americans talk about recognising Somaliland, they [Somaliland’s government] always welcome it, and it’s right, but when it’s about Palestinians being brought here by force and the role of Israel, you don’t get the same kind of response. They’re quiet,” he said.

“Relocating Palestinians forcefully here, no matter what is given in return, even if it’s recognition, is not worth it. We [Somaliland] will have the blood of fellow Muslims on our hands, and no Muslim should support such a thing,” Mohamed added.

“They [the US and Israel] don’t have good intentions and we cannot risk jeopardising our country.”

For analysts, the possible forced relocation plan is also just one part of broader international interests at play in the region.

“This so-called ‘relocation plan’ is part of a wider architecture of power that extends far beyond the interests of US and Somaliland officials,” noted Samar al-Bulushi, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, who said that more foreign alliances in the region could help fuel political instability.

Al Jazeera reached out to the US Department of State for comment. In response, they directed us to the government of Israel. Al Jazeera contacted the Israeli embassy in the US for comment on the plans to relocate Palestinians to Somaliland, but they did not respond to our queries.

Uncharted waters

Amid reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is in contact with at least four countries to explore the forced transfer of Palestinians, Israel’s Channel 12 reported recently that “progress has been made” in talks with Somaliland over the issue.

On September 2, US Representatives Chris Smith and John Moolenaar also wrote a letter to Secretary of State Marc Rubio, urging the removal of Somaliland from its travel advisory on Somalia, citing Hargeisa as a strategic partner in containing China, actively engaging and supporting US interests, as well as “growing ties with Israel through its solid support for the Abraham Accords”.

“The pro-Israel networks sit in the same Washington ecosystem as Red Sea security hawks and China sceptics, and you can see some sponsors explicitly pairing Somaliland recognition with closer Israeli ties and anti-China rhetoric. Ted Cruz’s August letter urging recognition is a clear example of that framing,” said analyst Norman.

However, if the Trump administration were to recognise Somaliland, it would lead to catastrophic ripple effects in Somalia and beyond its borders, he feels.

“It would risk turning a smoulder into open flame,” the DIIS researcher said.

For al-Bulushi, the deal that is reportedly on the table says more about the region’s lack of global power than its growing influence.

“The very act of entering into such a compact with the US and Israel speaks to the lingering power asymmetries between African leaders and global powers,” she said. “[It] symbolises a lack of independence on the part of Somaliland leaders – ironically at the very moment when they are seeking recognition as a sovereign state.”

Sept. 5 (UPI) — Tesla is preparing to offer Elon Musk a new pay and incentives plan that would give him more control, more shares and up to nearly $1 trillion in compensation.

Musk is already the world’s wealthiest person, and this new plan is worth about $975 billion.

In order to cash in on the full amount, Musk would have to multiply Tesla’s stock value by eight times over the next decade. All of his compensation would be in Tesla shares. Stockholders will vote on the package at a Nov. 6 annual shareholders’ meeting. Tesla also said in the filing Friday that it will ask shareholders to vote on whether to invest in Musk’s new xAI.

“Retaining and incentivizing Elon is fundamental to Tesla achieving these goals and becoming the most valuable company in history,” Robyn Denholm, chair of the Tesla board, and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, a director on the board, said in a letter to shareholders.

Musk’s net worth is more than $400 billion, according to Forbes. This compensation plan would add around $900 billion. If he raises Tesla’s stock value from $1.1 trillion to $8.5 trillion, it would be the highest compensation in history.

He would also have to stay at Tesla for 7.5 years to cash in his shares, and 10 years to get the full amount. He would also have to deploy 1 million autonomous taxis and humanoid robots, plus see a more than 24-fold increase in profits.

“If he performs, if he hits the super ambitious milestones that are in the plan then he gets equity — it’s 1% for each half a trillion dollars of market cap, plus operational milestones he has to hit in order to do that,” Denholm said on CNBC’s Squawk Box.

As companies around the world work to create electric cars, self-driving cars and robots, these milestones will be an enormous challenge.

Many shareholders are disillusioned with Musk over his recent performance. Tesla has seen profits slow in the past year as his behavior and his foray into politics hurt the company’s stock prices.

In January, a Delaware Chancery Court judge ruled against Musk’s 2018 compensation package and ordered him to return what he’d already earned from it.

Each of the 96 million shares received in the deal trades at just over $300. Musk would have to pay $23.34 for each of those shares, equal to the amount he was expected to pay when he was first awarded his 2018 compensation package. Tesla is appealing the ruling.

In early August, ​​Tesla’s board gave Musk a $29 billion pay package.

The new package was a “good faith” award designed to keep Musk at the helm of the company.

It would give him 96 million shares of the company that he could take after two years of service in a “senior leadership role” at Tesla. Musk hinted last month that he wanted more ownership at Tesla beyond his 13% stake to prevent his ouster by “activist” shareholders.

WIN a pair of tickets to see the iconic musical, Starlight Express! We have ten pairs up for grabs.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express is now playing in the specially designed Starlight Auditorium at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre.

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Audiences will be immersed inside a world of speed, song and storytelling as an incredible cast of 40 whizz around and above, performing some of musical theatre’s most beloved songs.

The theatre production setlist includes the classics AC/DC, Make Up My Heart, Light at the End of the Tunnel and of course Starlight Express.

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The songs are all played out as a child’s train set magically comes to life and the engines race to become the fastest in the world.

Rusty the steam train has little hope of winning until he is inspired by the legend of the ‘Starlight Express’.

Seen around the world by over 30 million people, Starlight Express is an electrifying experience for all ages.

The kids will love it and so will parents – we can guarantee an amazing time with all the family.

Competition is open to UK (exc NI) residents aged 18+ only. Competition ends at 23:59pm on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Winners will be notified within 28 days. Full T&Cs apply, see Sun Club.

An Antiques Roadshow expert was left stunned after inspecting a “never seen before” item

An Antiques Roadshow expert went “raving mad” for a never seen before item that was worth thousands.

The popular BBC show, filmed at Beaumaris Castle in Anglesey, North Wales, saw locals bring their antiques and fine arts for appraisal.

During the episode, jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn was shown a pendant and an aquamarine brooch crafted by Fabergé, the renowned jeweller from 1900.

The guest revealed that her friend owned the items and had asked her to bring them along for valuation.

“Well, I’m jolly glad she did because they’re very, very exciting things for me,” Geoffrey enthused, reports the Express.

The pendant featured someone’s initials encrusted with diamonds, set over a geocache ground – a machine-created sun ray effect.

Inside the pendant was an inscription in Cyrillic, loosely translated as, “Maybe it’s better not to wait.”

“Then it’s flooded with pink enamel and you can see through the enamel onto the geocache, which looks like a sunburst behind,” Geoffrey elaborated.

“I think we can possibly assume that this is somebody who could afford to go to Fabergé. Absolutely the highest level of elite.”

Meanwhile, the Siberian aquamarine brooch was encircled by diamonds, topped with a true lover’s knot.

“It’s a remarkably deep stone, and when you turn it up, you can see there’s a gallery beneath which is really quite extravagant, quite wide,” Geoffrey noted.

“The reason that it’s there is because the stone itself is actually very deep.”

The expert continued: “This is court jewellery at the highest possible level by Fabergé.”

Geoffrey then revealed that the pendant could fetch up to £10,000, while the brooch was worth a staggering £35,000 to £40,000.

“This one is an unusual prototype, never seen the like before, I’m going to say £10,000 for this one,” he said.

“And I’m going to go absolutely raving mad for this one, which is sort of predictable, and tell you that I think it ought to be worth £35,000 to £40,000.”

The assembled crowd let out a collective gasp, with the guest excitedly exclaiming: “Isn’t [my friend] going to be happy!”

She added: “My friend is out of the country, so she asked me to bring them. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to bits to hear about all that I shall tell her.”

Antiques Roadshow is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

Sept. 2 (UPI) — Australian police said Tuesday that a 41-year-old man has been arrested for stealing more than $160,000 worth of Lego, the largest single seizure of stolen goods by the Oceanic country’s retail theft task force.

The suspect, who was not identified, was arrested following a search of an address in Royal Park, a western suburb of Adelaide, that uncovered around 2,500 stolen items, including 1,700 unopened Lego sets.

“The size of the haul is significant and indicates the depth of the alleged offending,” Acting Assistant Commissioner John De Candia of the Metropolitan Operations Service with South Australia Police said in a statement.

“This type of theft is not victimless. Those who purchase cheap goods from online sites are unwittingly facilitating this crime and we would urge them to consider this.”

The arrest was conducted as part of Operation Measure, which was launched in March 2022 to address shop theft and recidivist offenders.

According to South Australia Police, the task force has linked nearly 6,000 retail thefts to persons of interest, including 2,425 arrests.

The state has experienced eight successive declines in reported shoplifting, which the police department attributes to the operation.

“Operation Measure will continue to target recidivist offenders we believe are responsible for the majority of the offending of this nature,” De Candia said.

You might not have heard of the idyllic lake surrounded by a forest, but it has been named the best walk in the country

North Wales is a hotspot for stunning walks and breathtaking vistas – and there’s one hidden haven that offers a tranquil atmosphere in a place you might not expect.

Located in the Snowdonia National Park, Llyn Elsi is an incredible, peaceful spot perfect for a walk. You’ll have to earn the views though, as it’s located amidst the mountains that this area is famed for.

The reward is without a doubt worth the effort, as the Llyn Elsi circular route has been deemed the best walk in the country according to online fashion retailer Damart. The “easy” two-hour stroll around the picturesque mountain reservoir within woodland provides vistas across to Snowdonia.

Situated above the picturesque village of Betws-y-Coed, Llyn Elsi is a lesser-known reservoir within Gwydyr Forest that emerged from two smaller bodies of water, Llyn Rhisgog and Llyn Enoc. In 1914, with consent from Lord Ancaster, a 20ft dam was constructed to supply water for Betws-y-Coed in Eryri National Park.

Despite this, the lake only has a maximum depth of nine metres. A path round the lake provides excellent views towards the mountain ranges of the Carneddau and the Glyderau, reports North Wales Live.

On the lake itself, a small island provides a breeding ground for its most notorious residents, black headed gulls, once blamed for polluting the local water supply. The spot is so secluded, journalist Liam Ryder came across it by accident during a holiday in the area.

He said: “Llyn Elsi is an incredible spot that my partner and I actually found by complete accident. When in holiday in North Wales, we set out with the aim of climbing Yr Wyddfa itself.

“But of course, a lack of planning on my behalf meant I’d overlooked the need to book the Snowdon train up the mountain. I’d also managed to get us in the complete wrong place thanks to a mixture of ignorance and naivety, so we settled with a shorter hike and make the most of an entirely avoidable situation.

“In some ways, it worked out for the best. While Snowdon remains on our bucket list as adults, we’ll never forget climbing and walking through the clearing to see Llyn Elsi and the surrounding peaks in all their glory.

“Despite visiting Eryri in the peak of the school summer holidays – which meant the weather while climbing was absolutely punishing – the place was deserted. It made for the most tranquil, peaceful experience of my life to date.”

Hikes typically starts from behind the Grade II-listed St Mary’s Church in the village, with a dog-friendly path that features benches and woodland streams. It’s a bridleway, so it’s suitable for cycling, although some parts can be steep.

The 6.5km (4 miles) circular walk to and from Betws y Coed has racked up 1.7 million Google searches and 63,073 Instagram hashtags. With a 4.4 rating on AllTrails, the route is considered “easy”, making it “ideal” for hiking and mountain biking.

Interest in artificial intelligence went parabolic following the release of ChatGPT in late 2022. Since then, Nvidia stock has advanced 1,090% to a market value of $4.2 trillion. And Palantir Technologies stock has climbed 2,340% to a market value of $370 billion. That means the companies are collectively worth $4.6 trillion.

I predict Meta Platforms (META -1.69%) will surpass that figure in no more than five years (i.e., before the end of 2030). The company is currently worth $1.9 trillion, which means its share price must increase by about 247% for its market value to reach $4.7 trillion. Here’s why I think that could happen.

Image source: Getty Images.

Meta Platforms is a digital advertising giant with deep AI expertise

Meta Platforms owns three of the four most popular social media platforms as measured by monthly active users. That competitive advantage lets it collect consumer data on a tremendous scale, and that data helps brands target ad campaigns. As a result, Meta is the second-largest adtech company worldwide and is likely to gain market share, according to Morningstar.

Meta has already made strides in boosting engagement with artificial intelligence (AI). CEO Mark Zuckerberg told analysts on the second-quarter earnings call, “Advancements in our recommendation systems have improved quality so much that it has led to a 5% increase in time spent on Facebook and 6% on Instagram.” He also said that advertising conversion rates increased across both social media platforms, meaning more clicks and purchases.

Importantly, Meta is investing aggressively in AI infrastructure and aspires to automate the entire ad creation process by next year. The Wall Street Journal writes, “Using the ad tools Meta is developing, a brand could present an image of the product it wants to promote along with a budgetary goal, and AI would create the entire ad, including imagery, video, and text.”

Meta’s Orion smart glasses could be the next big consumer electronics product

Meta Platforms is the market leader in smart glasses, a nascent market where shipments more than tripled last year and are forecast to increase faster than 60% annually through 2029. And Meta is actually gaining market share. Its Ray-Ban smart glasses accounted for nearly three-quarters of shipments in the first half of 2025, up from 60% in 2024.

Counterpoint Research writes, “Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses redefine the smart glasses experience by integrating wearable AI while combining a stylish design with enhanced smart functionalities.” The company sees a large opportunity on the horizon. Zuckerberg believes smart glasses could replace smartphones as the personal computing form factor of choice within the next 15 years.

To capitalize, Meta announced Orion last year, smart glasses that incorporate augmented reality (AR) that overlays the physical world with holographic displays. The company will not commercialize the product for several years while it works to make the technology less expensive. However, smart glasses that blend AR and AI could be revolutionary, as they would enable wearers to search the internet, talk with friends, and watch media content without phones.

Apple rose to great heights following its introduction of the iPhone in 2007. If Zuckerberg is correct about smart glasses being the next big breakthrough in consumer electronics, Meta could become the Apple of the next decade, which means its market value could increase substantially in the years ahead.

Meta Platforms could be a $4.7 billion company by mid-2030

To summarize, Meta has a strong presence in digital advertising and a leadership position in smart glasses. Adtech spending is forecasted to grow at a rate of 14% annually through 2032, while smart glasses sales are projected to increase by more than 60% annually through 2029. In total, that gives Meta a reasonable shot at annual earnings growth of 20%+ in the next five years.

That outlook makes the current valuation of 26.7 times earnings seem quite reasonable. And if Meta does grow earnings at 20% annually over the next five years, its share price could increase by 149% without any change in the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. That would bring its market value to $4.7 trillion by mid-2030, surpassing the current combined market value of Nvidia and Palantir.

Dragons’ Den star Alessandro Savelli left the popular show empty-handed but ended up being worth £40million with his pasta company

Dragons’ Den star Alessandro Savelli left the show empty-handed but ended up being worth £40million. The star co-founded and is the CEO of the popular Pasta Evangelists – a fresh pasta brand which originally started as letter box posted food kits.

Following his appearance on the show, Alessandro’s company is set to open 100 new restaurants across the UK in the next few years, including in the Midlands, Scotland and in the south of England. In a recent chat with The Grocer, the CEO discussed the brand’s plans to expand.

He said they’re pumping £30million into new restaurants. “The demand for our fresh, beautifully cooked artisan pasta is growing,” he explained.

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“Our intention is to become the UK’s fastest-growing, casual dining hot spot and the hottest place to eat for pasta lovers of all ages.”

He continued: “The hospitality industry is going through tough times at the moment, but we are confident that our business model is robust and dynamic.

“And the proof of this is we have already bucked the trend with the confirmed opening of five more restaurants in the space of three months, and more to come.”

Alessandro and his business partner Finn Lagun took part in the show in 2018 asking for a £75,000 investment for a 2.5 per cent cut of the company. Their pitch was rejected, with Jenny Campbell saying Finn was ‘delusional’ and ‘a disaster’.

There were many people who were rejected on Dragons’ Den, including Anshu Ahuja – who entered the Den in an episode that aired, hoping to seek £100,000 for 3 percent of her business, DabbaDrop.

The founder and her business partner had built up their sustainable takeaway business, inspired by the dabbawala system of Mumbai, in 2018, and had valued the business at more than £3,000,000 just a few years later.

The entrepreneur was looking for investment from the likes of Peter Jones, Sara Davies, Touker Suleyman, Deborah Meaden, and Steven Bartlett to help upscale DabbaDrop and encourage its growth outside of London.

However, despite her inspirational ethics behind the sustainable product, and the fact that DabbaDrop had turned over more than £800,000 in its latest year, Anshu failed to convince the Dragons to invest.

Speaking about the show, she said: “We had done quite a lot of work going into Dragons’ Den and our own fundraising round, so the £4million valuation was independently valued, based on our £850,000 revenue and a lifetime value of the 1,500 subscribers at that point of nearly £400 per subscriber. At that point, we also had a 1,000-person waiting list, which is currently, even before airing, standing at 4,000 people.”

Anshu knew it was a “risk” to go on national TV and pitch her business, but was willing to take the leap as the team was fundraising for DabbaDrop at the time of being approached for the show.

They’d already received interest from more than 2,000 investors, had reached millions of views on an Instagram reel, and pledged more than £1,000,000.

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At the moment, just 11 publicly traded companies can claim a market capitalization above $1 trillion.

That elite trillion-dollar club includes tech juggernauts such as Nvidia (NVDA 1.65%), Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Broadcom, Taiwan Semiconductor, Tesla, along with Warren Buffett’s diversified conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway and oil giant Saudi Aramco.

Among them, Nvidia reigns supreme. With a market cap of roughly $4.4 trillion, it’s the most valuable company in the world.

Not only do I think Nvidia is positioned to maintain that crown, I also expect it to remain worth more than Tesla, Berkshire Hathaway, and ambitious AI player Palantir Technologies combined over the next five years, thanks in no small part to the transformative potential of its quantum computing business.

Quantum computing is the next frontier of AI

Quantum computing is widely regarded as the natural successor to classical computing. Traditional computers store and process information in binary formats — 0s and 1s. Quantum machines use qubits — units that can have values of 1 or 0, but also can exist in complex linear states that are combinations of 1 and 0 through a phenomenon known as superposition. 

In theory, this gives quantum computers the ability to rapidly tackle problems that would take today’s most advanced supercomputers prohibitive amounts of time to solve — from cracking high-level cryptography to drug discovery to climate modeling.

Although the quantum computing industry remains in its infancy, expectations are sky-high. Global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company projects that breakthroughs in quantum applications could generate trillions in economic value over the coming decades.

Image source: Getty Images.

How Nvidia is playing a critical role in the quantum era

A wave of smaller innovators is attempting to make headway in the quantum computing landscape, exploring avenues such as trapped-ion technology, annealing, and photonic qubits in a race to unlock the next generational breakthrough.

Nvidia, by contrast, isn’t positioning itself as a singular hardware architecture. What investors may not fully appreciate is that the company is already deeply embedded in the quantum ecosystem. Its graphics processing units (GPUs) are increasingly being used to run advanced simulations, particularly in hybrid systems that bridge quantum and classical computing.

Yet Nvidia’s true differentiator lies not in hardware but in software. The company’s CUDA computing platform, long the backbone of AI infrastructure, is now being adapted into CUDA-Q — a platform designed to support quantum applications on the next generation of processors.

By building this bridge between hardware and software, Nvidia is positioning itself as an indispensable layer for scaling quantum development, regardless of which architectures and approaches succeed and reach critical scale. This strategy gives the company asymmetric exposure to AI’s next trillion-dollar opportunity, reinforcing its potential for continued valuation expansion over the long term.

Why Berkshire, Tesla, and Palantir could lag through 2030

Against this backdrop, it’s worth examining the valuation profiles of the three companies that I don’t expect even combined to surpass Nvidia in the next five years.

• Berkshire Hathaway: As a mature and diversified conglomerate, Berkshire is now widely regarded as a steady compounding machine rather than a disruptive, growth-oriented force reshaping industries. Investors typically refrain from assigning premium multiples to businesses of this type. While it certainly has upside potential and the opportunity to generate respectable returns over the next five years, Berkshire’s valuation profile lacks the explosive appeal of Nvidia.
• Tesla: Tesla already carries a frothy valuation fueled by investor enthusiasm for its AI-driven ambitions — most notably its plans for a robotaxi fleet and its humanoid robot, Optimus. The challenge, however, is that the scalability of these initiatives remains unproven. Both the autonomous vehicle and robotics markets are highly competitive, and Tesla risks a sharp valuation reset if investors begin to lose patience with the company’s execution or management’s ability to deliver on its aggressive timelines.
• Palantir: Palantir has successfully branded itself as a mission-critical enterprise software provider, uniquely positioned to capture the flow of AI investment as it moves downstream from infrastructure to applications. Still, challenges remain. The company faces formidable competition from Microsoft, fast-growing unicorn Databricks, and specialized players like BigBear.ai and C3.ai. Palantir’s investment profile over the next several years looks vulnerable. With its valuations already stretching beyond their historical norms, any news that shows a misalignment between investors’ lofty expectations and the reality of Palantir’s growth fundamentals could send the stock plummeting.

In 2030, Berkshire will likely remain a durable pillar of investment stability. Meanwhile, Tesla and Palantir may dazzle intermittently, but if they cannot keep pace with the dynamics of their respective competitive landscapes, investors’ enthusiasm for them could wane.

On the other hand, by the start of the next decade, Nvidia could occupy a key position at the intersection of AI and quantum computing. With the potential to become a core player in that hardware and software ecosystem, Nvidia represents the ultimate technology stack of the quantum era. If it succeeds there, that would allow it to justify a valuation that could easily eclipse many of today’s industry leaders combined.

THE final batch of £1 coins featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait will enter circulation for the last time – and they could be worth a pretty penny.

More than 23million of the coins are being released today, Wednesday August 20 by the Royal Mint has said.

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That means you could spot one in your change in the coming weeks.

These pieces will be the final ones bearing Elizabeth II’s portrait to enter circulation.

Plus, the Royal Mint said these coins dated 2022, are the rarest £1 coins in active circulation.

If you are keen to spot the coin, there are a few details you can spot.

The front, or heads side, of the coin features a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth and the date 2022.

While the reverse, or tails side, features an image of a crown with an English rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh leek and Northern Irish shamrock.

The coin joins a raft of other rare £1 pieces, including the 2011 Edinburgh City coin that has sold for 95 times its face value.

These coins have a mintage of just 935,000, making it a rare find.

Back in June, the coin sold for £23 on eBay after 21 bids.

The coin was part of a series depicting the four capital cities of the UK and is the only £1 coin with a mintage below one million.

In comparison, a recent bidder paid £7.53 for one of the coins after fighting off bids from five others.

But coins are only worth what sellers are willing to pay for them.

So another piece may sell for a higher or lower price later down the line.

It comes as the official maker of UK coins is also set to release 7.5 million new King Charles III £1 coins.

The 50p and £1 are the only denominations with Charles’s portrait to have entered circulation so far.

The King’s £1 coins feature an intricate bee design on the reverse and are part of the Definitive collection, inspired by the flora and fauna of the British Isles.

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: “This release represents a pivotal moment in British coinage history.

“As we release more of the King Charles III £1 coins into circulation alongside the final coins of Queen Elizabeth II, we’re witnessing the physical representation of our monarchy’s transition.”

She added: “This dual release creates an exceptional opportunity for both seasoned numismatists and those new to coin collecting.”

“Finding these new coins in your change could spark a rewarding hobby that connects you with the heritage, history and craftsmanship behind British currency.”

And that is not the only rare coin that collectors are keen to get their hands on.

The Kew Gardens 50p recently fetched £205 on eBay after 29 buyers battled it out for the piece.

Other rare coins to keep an eye out for are the Atlantic Salmon 50p,

How to spot rare coins and banknotes

Rare coins and notes hiding down the back of your sofa could sell for hundreds of pounds.

If you are lucky enough to find a rare £10 note you might be able to sell it for multiple times its face value.

You can spot rare notes by keeping an eye out for the serial numbers.

These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the value £10 in the corner of the note.

Also, if you have a serial number on your note that is quite quirky, you could cash in thousands.

For example, one seller bagged £3,600 after spotting a specific serial number relating to the year Jane Austen was born on one of their notes.

You can check if your notes are worth anything on eBay, just tick “completed and sold items” and filter by the highest value.

This will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for some notes.

But bear in mind that yours is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

This is also the case for coins, you can determine how rare your coin is by looking a the latest scarcity index.

ADVENT calendar season is approaching faster than you think.

The best options sell out at lightning speed every year, and Fortnum & Mason has released its luxurious Advent calendar worth a staggering £1,149.

Fortnum’s Beauty Advent Calendar, £265 (worth £1,149)

The beauty Advent calendar costs £265, and is filled with premium brands including Jo Malone, Clive Christian and Sol de Janeiro.

No one does luxury quite like Fortnum & Mason, and the iconic Advent calendar comes with 26 beauty treats – 23 of which are full-size.

Shoppers will find a variety of high-end products behind the doors, including fragrances, candles and make-up.

There’s plenty inside for skincare fans too, like the Wildsmith Active Super Eye Serum that’s worth £100 alone.

Beauty fans will also be treated to four fragrances, including a 30ml Gallivant London perfume worth £70.

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Three 10ml perfumes are inside, Fortnum’s 1707 Lilas Eau de Parfum, which costs £235 for a 50ml, a Topaze Eau de Parfum with a Gold Atomiser, and a Clive Christian Town & Country Perfume that would be £400 for a 50ml bottle.

Sol de Janeiro’s viral Bum Bum Body Cream is included for those looking to add a touch of luxury to their body care routine, along with a 100ml version of Aromatherapy Associates’ Revive Body Oil (worth £60).

There’s also a selection of stunning keepsakes including two Ortigia soaps in tins – which could even be passed on as Christmas gifts.

The 26 products are all stored inside the luxe-looking packaging, which opens up to reveal the pull-out draws with gold numbers.

Fortnum & Mason’s Advent calendar is one of the more expensive on the market, but its sky-high value of £1,149 means shoppers are saving £849 compared to purchasing the items individually.

Beauty Advent calendars have started to launch in recent weeks, and we’re expecting plenty more drops within the next month.

Shoppers have already been taking to TikTok to give a first-look at the 2025 Advents.

The Sun Shopping team will also be putting some of the bestsellers to the test, and you can read our thoughts on last year’s versions, including our Charlotte Tilbury Advent calendar review.

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Fortnum’s Beauty Advent Calendar, £265 (worth £1,149)

Beauty Advent calendars fly off the virtual shelves every year, so if you have your eye on one, it’s worth snapping it up as soon as possible before it sells out.

Fortnum & Mason’s 2025 Beauty Advent Calendar has sold out in previous years.

While it’s available to shop now, the website states that deliveries won’t be made until after 22 September.

The collection of premium products will make the ultimate gift for any beauty fan, or as a treat for yourself.