money

A handful of companies — from Nvidia to Microsoft — have seen their market value soar from the billions of dollars in recent years into the trillions. In fact, Nvidia reached a major milestone this summer when it became the first company to surpass the level of $4 trillion. It’s important to note that nearly every player with a valuation of $1 trillion or more operates in the high-growth area of artificial intelligence (AI).

This technology has helped revenue roar higher at these companies, and considering the growth forecasts for the AI market, this trend should continue for quite some time. The stock I’m going to talk about here has already benefited in a big way from the AI boom, and according to the company’s forecasts, an enormous amount of growth lies ahead.

This player wowed the market this week with its predictions for growth, and the stock surged, adding $244 billion in market cap in just one trading session. My prediction is this AI leader won’t stop here; it will become the next to join the trillion-dollar club — and this could happen in the coming days. Let’s zoom in on this company that’s rocking the AI market.

Image source: Getty Images.

What’s the trillion-dollar club?

First, though, a quick note on the trillion-dollar club. It isn’t exactly an official club with a particular structure — instead, it’s a way investors and analysts often refer to companies that have reached the level of at least $1 trillion in market capitalization. As mentioned, most of these players, unsurprisingly, considering the strength of the AI boom, are in the technology industry.

The AI stock I’m talking about isn’t a young start-up that’s recently roared onto the scene. This player has been around for almost 50 years, progressively building out its expertise. It started out as a database management specialist, and today it offers cloud infrastructure and other related products and services, too — all of these elements, together, have created an AI powerhouse. The company? Oracle (ORCL 35.96%).

This tech player, in the latest quarter, saw cloud infrastructure revenue soar 55%, and remaining performance obligations — or contract value yet to be recognized — skyrocket 359% to $455 billion. On top of this, the company predicted cloud infrastructure revenue will increase 77% to $18 billion in this fiscal year, then will progress over the coming four years to the following levels: $32 billion, $73 billion, $114 billion, and $144 billion.

Several multibillion-dollar customers

Oracle expects to win several multibillion-dollar customers in the coming months to set it on the path toward those goals. Though Oracle faces competition from other cloud providers, the company sets itself apart thanks to its ability to leverage the strength of its database offering and AI — large language models can be put to work on customer-specific questions without compromising security or privacy. Oracle also offers great flexibility to customers, even the ability to leverage the Oracle database across any cloud.

Customers have rushed to Oracle for the training of AI workloads, and now the company sees potential for massive growth in AI inferencing. So, there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about Oracle right now, especially considering that analysts expect today’s billion-dollar AI market to reach into the trillions by the next decade. This signals AI isn’t just a short-term trend, but may be a lasting revolution.

My prediction

Now let’s take a look at my prediction. Oracle closed at about $328 on Sept. 10 after gaining more than 35% in one trading session. At this level, an 8.5% increase to $356 would push it to a $1 trillion market value — my prediction is this sort of movement, in light of Oracle’s solid growth outlook, could easily happen in a matter of days.

What does this mean for you as an investor? Oracle’s climb toward $1 trillion — or even past that level — is positive as it shows the investment community believes in this growth story. It also may increase the weighting of the stock in market cap-weighted indexes like the S&P 500. As a result, funds tracking the benchmark would have to boost their holding of Oracle accordingly.

A gain in market cap, though, isn’t a reason on its own for buying a stock. So, you wouldn’t want to pile into Oracle just because it reaches a certain level. But Oracle is a buy today because of the reason behind this market value movement — and that’s growth. So, whether Oracle enters the trillion-dollar club in the coming days or not, it makes a fantastic stock to buy and hold as this AI boom marches on.

Apple (AAPL -3.17%) shares dipped slightly on Tuesday as the tech giant unveiled its latest iPhones. The company behind the world’s most popular premium smartphone now has fresh hardware headed to stores later this month. Investors will be watching early demand closely, but one detail from the event deserves special attention: pricing. Apple raised the starting price of the iPhone 17 Pro to $1,099 in the U.S., $100 above last year’s Pro entry point.

Apple’s iPhone business has already regained momentum. In the quarter ending Jun. 28, Apple posted record fiscal third-quarter revenue, with double-digit growth in iPhone and an all-time high in services. Management also highlighted growth across every geographic segment and said the installed base of active devices hit a new high. Those are the right conditions heading into a price-supported product cycle.

Image source: Getty Images.

Recent results point to a healthier iPhone backdrop

Apple‘s fiscal third quarter showed the core engine is running well again. Total revenue rose to $94.0 billion, up 10% year over year, while iPhone revenue climbed 13% to $44.6 billion from $39.3 billion a year ago. Services revenue reached $27.4 billion, also a record for the June quarter. All of this pushed earnings per share for the quarter up 12% year over year. This mix shows iPhone still doing the heavy lifting while services keeps compounding on a larger base.

Apple CEO Tim Cook captured the tone in the company’s fiscal third-quarter release in late July: “Today Apple is proud to report a June quarter revenue record with double-digit growth in iPhone, Mac and services and growth around the world, in every geographic segment.” That comment, paired with an all-time-high installed base noted by the CFO, underscores the company’s momentum as new models arrive later this month.

Apple stock’s valuation reflects high expectations. As of Tuesday’s close, the stock traded around the mid-30s on a trailing price-to-earnings basis and sported a market cap near $3.5 trillion. Premium valuation multiples require sustained growth, so whether the iPhone lineup can support another leg higher matters for returns from here.

A Pro price bump and a new Air could lift iPhone revenue

The most consequential change this fall may be simple: Apple lifted the iPhone 17 Pro’s starting price to $1,099 from $999 for last year’s 16 Pro. Even before any unit growth, that change can nudge average selling prices higher, especially if Pro models continue to draw enthusiasts who want the iPhone models with the best cameras and performance. Apple also doubled the entry storage on 17 Pro to 256GB, which supports the higher entry price while still benefiting revenue recognition.

Additionally, Apple introduced iPhone Air — the thinnest iPhone yet — with a polished titanium frame and new Ceramic Shield 2 front and back that Apple says is more scratch- and crack-resistant than prior models. Priced below the Pro line at $999, Air offers a sleeker and tougher design that should appeal to mainstream upgraders who have waited. Together with iPhone 17, this broadens the ladder for buyers and may support both units and richer configurations. Preorders begin Friday, with availability next week.

These product dynamics line up with the fundamentals Apple reported in late July: iPhone is growing again, services is setting records, and the installed base is larger than ever. A higher Pro entry price, a compelling non-Pro option in Air, and the usual mix of trade-in and carrier promotions could translate into higher iPhone revenue in fiscal 2026, potentially in the double digits, if Apple sustains healthy Pro demand and nudges more mainstream buyers to upgrade. The risks are clear, including price sensitivity at the high end, macro softness in key regions, and intense competition. But Apple’s scale, brand strength, and rapidly growing services business help cushion those pressures.

In short, Apple just made its most popular premium phones more valuable — and more expensive — while adding a new, tougher design at a slightly lower price point than Pro. If that combination drives strong Pro mix and steady upgrades, it can lift average selling prices and total iPhone revenue next year. With services already at record levels and the installed base expanding, that is a reasonable path for the stock to maintain a premium valuation over time, allowing the stock price to grow with earnings growth.

Investors can’t go wrong sticking with big tech giants. These companies have billions of users, billions in cash, and billions to invest in artificial intelligence (AI). This points to excellent return prospects for shareholders.

Here are two tech stocks that are no-brainer buys right now.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms‘ (META -1.74%) dominance with more than 3.4 billion people using Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other services every day makes it a low-risk investment. This large base of users drives substantial advertising revenue that funds investment in technology infrastructure, such as AI, to power new features and products for long-term growth.

The stock is up 30% year to date, outperforming the Nasdaq Composite‘s roughly 13% return, supported by strong revenue and profit growth. Revenue grew 22% year over year in the second quarter, with adjusted earnings per share surging 38%. Meta’s AI is making it easier to show people content that grabs their interest, and therefore, generate more ad revenue.

Meta’s profitable ad business provides plenty of resources to advance its technology advantage. The company plans to spend between $66 billion and $72 billion this year on infrastructure. This includes investments to expand its AI capacity, including its multigigawatt Prometheus and Hyperion data centers.

“Meta has all of the ingredients that are required to build leading models and deliver them to billions of people,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on the company’s Q2 earnings call.

The opportunities are so significant that Meta has no plans to pull back the reins on capital spending. In fact, Zuckerberg recently revealed at a White House meeting with President Donald Trump and other tech CEOs that Meta may spend $600 billion in the U.S. alone through 2028.

Analysts expect Meta’s earnings to grow 17% on an annualized basis over the next several years. Assuming the stock is still trading at its current forward price-to-earnings multiple of 27, the stock should continue to follow future earnings.

2. Alphabet (Google)

Alphabet‘s (GOOGL -0.15%) (GOOG -0.12%) Google is one of the most valuable online brands. Billions of people use Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, Search, and other Google services every day. These platforms provide growing ad revenue and profits that are fueling investments in data centers and AI that bolster the company’s long-term growth prospects.

Alphabet’s Gemini AI has been fundamental to growth this year. Gemini powers AI features across its services, including AI Mode and AI Overviews in Search. These features are leading to increases in user engagement, which is contributing to higher ad revenue. Google’s ad revenue grew 10% year over year last quarter to $71 billion, making up 76% of the company’s total.

Gemini is also fueling innovative tools for enterprises in Google Cloud, where it uses proprietary AI chips to deliver optimized performance for AI workloads. Google Cloud’s revenue grew 32% year over year last quarter, with a growing backlog of $106 billion. It signed the same number of $1 billion-plus deals in the first half of 2025 as all of 2024, indicating strong momentum.

The AI gold rush is causing Alphabet to raise its full-year guidance for capital spending. It now expects capital expenditures to reach approximately $85 billion in 2025, up from the previous estimate of $75 billion. It also plans to increase capital spending in 2026 due to strong customer demand and growth opportunities across the business.

Despite a sharp rise in recent months, the stock still looks reasonably valued trading at 24 times 2025 earnings estimates. With analysts expecting earnings to grow at an annualized rate of 15% in the coming years, investors should expect the stock to potentially double in value over the next five years.

Oracle (ORCL 35.96%) lit up after-hours trading on Sept. 9 after reporting a massive jump in its booked work tied to cloud infrastructure. The database giant turned cloud platform is benefiting directly from the artificial intelligence (AI) buildout, but in a way that provides unusually clear visibility into future revenue.

Nvidia (NVDA 3.91%) is still the face of AI infrastructure and continues to post eye-popping results. But the paths these two companies are on are different. Oracle’s growth is increasingly anchored by multiyear contracts that companies recognize as revenue over time, while Nvidia’s revenue depends on hardware shipments that ebb and flow with product transitions and customer ordering patterns. That’s why, from here, Oracle looks like the better buy.

Image source: Getty Images.

Oracle’s cloud business is exploding

Start with the backlog. Oracle’s remaining performance obligations (RPO) — a leading indicator of revenue tied to signed contracts–surged to $455 billion (yes, you read that figure correctly) in the quarter ended Aug. 31, up 359% year over year. Management said it signed “four multibillion-dollar contracts with three different customers” in the quarter, and expects RPO to exceed half a trillion dollars in the coming months. Cloud revenue rose 28% and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) revenue jumped 55%.

This isn’t a one-off headline. RPO was $138 billion just last quarter, so the step-function increase reflects a wave of very large, multi-year deals landing at once. That’s the kind of demand AI leaders want to see — and it turns into revenue progressively over time, which typically smooths results compared to one-time hardware shipments.

Oracle also raised the bar on its cloud infrastructure outlook. CEO Safra Catz previewed a plan to grow Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) revenue 77% this fiscal year to $18 billion and then scale it to $32 billion, $73 billion, $114 billion, and $144 billion over the subsequent four years–much of which is already embedded in RPO. The company highlighted blistering multicloud momentum as well: “MultiCloud database revenue from Amazon, Google and Microsoft grew at the incredible rate of 1,529% in Q1,” with 37 more data centers slated for delivery to hyperscaler partners (71 in total). Oracle even declared another $0.50 quarterly dividend, underscoring confidence and cash generation.

Nvidia’s AI engine is phenomenal, but more cyclical

Nvidia‘s latest results remain exceptional: In the quarter ended July 27, revenue rose 56% year over year to $46.7 billion, with data-center revenue up 56% to $41.1 billion. Blackwell revenue grew 17% sequentially, and the company guided next quarter’s revenue to about $54 billion. None of that is weak.

But look under the hood, and you see dynamics that can swing. Sequential compute revenue dipped 1% because of a $4.0 billion reduction in sales of H20 products, and there were no H20 sales to China in the quarter. Inventory climbed to $15.0 billion to support the next product ramp, and purchase commitments reached $45.8 billion as Nvidia lines up capacity for future cycles. This is what a world-class hardware franchise looks like — powerful, but still subject to product transitions, export rules, and hyperscaler ordering patterns.

That’s the key contrast. Oracle’s growth is increasingly contract-based and recognized over time, with RPO providing a multi-year line of sight. Nvidia’s growth, while extraordinary, is inherently linked to hardware cycles and customers’ deployment timing. For portfolio construction, those differences matter.

Pulling it together, Oracle offers investors a clearer runway tied to contractual obligations, accelerating multicloud distribution with the biggest platforms in tech, and a growing dividend — all while still being earlier in its AI cloud build-out than Nvidia is in AI silicon. Nvidia will likely continue to compound value, but the path can be choppier as architectures evolve and regional rules shift. For investors choosing one AI leader to buy today, Oracle’s visibility and mix of growth and durability make it the better buy.

By&nbspAP with Doloresz Katanich

Published on
11/09/2025 – 8:13 GMT+2

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Klarna stock opened at $52 (€45) a share on Wednesday, a 30% premium on the company’s $40 pricing. It took roughly three-and-a-half hours for the specialists on the floor of the NYSE to manually price the first batch of trades of the company. The shares rose as high as $57 before losing some momentum and ending at $45.82, up 14.6%.

More than 34 million shares worth approximately $1.37 billion (€1.17bn) were sold to investors, making it the largest IPO this year, according to Renaissance Capital. That’s notable because 2025 has been one of the busier years for companies going public.

Founded in 2005 as a payments company, Klarna entered the US buy-now-pay-later market in 2015 in partnership with department store operator Macy’s. Since then, Klarna has expanded to hundreds of thousands of merchants and embedded itself in internet browsers and digital wallets as an alternative to credit cards. The company recently announced a partnership with Walmart.

The company is trading under the symbol “KLAR”. While Klarna was founded in Sweden and is a popular payment service in Europe, company executives said they made the decision to go public in the US as a signal that Klarna’s future growth opportunities lay with the American shopper.

“It’s the largest consumer market in the world, and it’s the biggest credit card market in the world. It’s a tremendous opportunity, from our perspective,” said CEO and co-founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of the IPO.

Over the years and in multiple interviews, Siemiatkowski has made it clear that Klarna wants to steal away customers from the big credit card companies and sees credit cards as a high-interest, exploitative product that consumers rarely use correctly.

Klarna’s most popular product is what’s known as a “pay-in-4” plan, where a customer can split a purchase into four payments spread over six weeks. The company also offers a longer-term payment plan where it charges interest. The business model has caught on globally, particularly among consumers who are reluctant to use credit cards. The company said 111 million consumers worldwide have used Klarna.

The buy-now-pay-later market is booming

Klarna and other buy-now-pay-later companies have attracted increased public interest in recent years as the business model has caught on. State and federal regulators, as well as consumer groups, have expressed some degree of worry that consumers may overextend themselves financially on buy-now-pay-later loans just as much as they do with credit cards.

Siemiatkowski says the company is actively monitoring how consumers use their products, and the average balance of a Klarna user is less than $100 (€85.50). Because the company issues loans that are six weeks or less, Klarna argues it can more easily adjust its underwriting standards depending on economic conditions.

With Klarna going public, its co-founders are now billionaires. At Klarna’s IPO price of $40, Siemiatkowski’s 7% stake in the company is worth around $1bn (€850 million), while Victor Jacobsson, who left the company in 2012, owns an 8.4% stake in the company now worth $1.3bn (€1.11bn). Siemiatkowski said he did not sell shares as part of the IPO.

But with Klarna’s 20-year-long incubation period before going public, and several fundraising rounds, major parts of Silicon Valley are walking away with a handsome return for their patience. Sequoia Capital, the storied venture capital firm that was an early backer in the company, has accumulated a 21% ownership in Klarna worth roughly $3.15bn (€2.69bn). Silver Lake, another major VC firm, owns roughly 4.5% of the company.

Klarna reported second-quarter revenue of $823 million (€703.64mn) in August before going public and had an adjusted profit of $29m (€24.8mn). The delinquency rate on Klarna’s “pay-in-4” loans is 0.89% and on its longer-term loans for bigger purchases, the delinquency rate is 2.23%. Those figures are below the average 30-day delinquency rates on a credit card.

Klarna will now be the second-largest buy-now-pay-later company by market capitalisation behind Affirm. Shares of Affirm have surged more than 40% so far this year, putting the value of the company around $28bn (€23.94bn), helped by a belief among investors that buy-now-pay-later companies may take away market share from traditional banks and credit cards. Affirm fell slightly on Wednesday.

Klarna’s primary underwriters for the IPO were JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.

After turning in two straight years of triple-digit returns in 2023 and 2024, Bitcoin (BTC 2.30%) is on track in 2025 for its weakest performance since 2022. The world’s most popular cryptocurrency is down 6% over the past 30 days, and is only up 20% for the year as I write this.

So what’s going on? There are three possible reasons why Bitcoin is pulling back.

Reason No. 1: Overall macroeconomic weakness

For much of its history, Bitcoin has been uncorrelated with any major asset class. It could zig when other assets zagged. That made Bitcoin particularly attractive to investors. In just about any market conditions, Bitcoin could offer the potential for sky-high returns.

Image source: Getty Images.

But that may no longer be the case. In many ways, Bitcoin may be much more susceptible to overall macroeconomic conditions than once thought. In other words, Bitcoin will face much stiffer headwinds if jobs growth slows, if inflation further rears its head, or if tariffs lead to weaker overall growth. And that’s exactly what appears to be happening right now.

Bitcoin’s pullback makes sense if you consider how much attention it now garners from institutional investors. Just a few years ago, retail investors were driving the pace of Bitcoin adoption. But now it’s deep-pocketed institutional investors, and that likely explains the crypto market’s current obsession with potential Fed rate cuts. 

Reason No. 2: Investors are diversifying into other crypto assets

While Bitcoin still accounts for nearly 60% of the entire market cap of the crypto market, it’s hard to ignore how much interest other niches of the crypto market are now attracting from investors. At one time, Bitcoin was the only game in town for institutional investors. But not any longer.

Take, for example, the rise of so-called digital asset treasury companies. These companies do only one thing: Raise money from outside investors, and then plow that money back into one specific crypto asset. This summer has already seen the appearance of Ethereum, Solana, and XRP treasury companies. All of that is money that could have flowed into Bitcoin.

Or, for example, take the sudden interest in stablecoins. Recently enacted legislation will likely lead to a boom in stablecoin investment. According to a recent report from Citigroup, the size of the stablecoin market could balloon to $3.7 trillion within just a few years. This, too, is money that could have gone into Bitcoin.

This diversification away from Bitcoin into other crypto assets is not a new phenomenon. This is the same pattern, in fact, that the crypto market saw during the previous bull market rally of 2020-21. Bitcoin surged first, followed by Ethereum, and then lower market cap altcoins. Finally, there was an explosion of speculative excess into meme coins and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Reason No. 3: The Bitcoin cycle is running its course

That leads us to potentially the most concerning reason for Bitcoin’s pullback: The four-year Bitcoin cycle is running to where it usually drops. If you’re a Bitcoin investor, that’s the last thing you want to hear, because it means Bitcoin’s recent pullback may be a portent of things to come later in 2025.

There are no guarantees in investing, but if history is any guide, the Bitcoin halving every four years is the catalyst for a massive run-up in price. So far there have been four halvings, and the post-halving period of price appreciation typically has lasted anywhere from 12 to 18 months, followed by a classic “blow-off top”– a steep, rapid rise followed by a steep, rapid drop. In that scenario, Bitcoin reaches a new high all-time high before eventually collapsing in value. In 2022, for example, Bitcoin declined by a gut-wrenching 64% after hitting a new all-time high in November 2021 following the May 2020 halving.

The problem, quite frankly, is that Bitcoin’s most recent halving event took place in April 2024. That means we are now 17 months into the period of expected to be rapid price appreciation. In a worst-case scenario, there might only be a few months left before Bitcoin has another blow-off top, and the whole cycle begins anew.

Certainly, there are plenty of signs of this blow-off top in progress. Billions of dollars are being invested in highly speculative digital assets, money-losing businesses are rapidly transforming into digital asset treasury companies, new crypto companies are rushing to go public before the crypto IPO window closes, and Wall Street is rushing to reassure investors that “this time it’s different.”

So, if you are thinking of investing in Bitcoin now, remember to do your due diligence and keep your investment small. There are several very concerning signs that Bitcoin’s summer pullback might be a red flag for a difficult and tumultuous final quarter of the year.

Cryptocurrencies can be confusing. So can exchange-traded funds (ETFs). And when you combine the two concepts into crypto-based ETFs, there are so many dark corners and financial enigmas to explore.

The mystery includes some of the most commonly used terms in crypto ETF headlines. You’ve seen a million breathless banners about inflows and outflows by now — but have you looked into what they actually mean? Adding more confusion to the situation, the inflow and outflow balance sometimes looks bullish when the crypto market is doing well, and bearish when cryptocurrencies don’t look too exciting.

So let’s break down the nuances of crypto ETF inflows and outflows — and why these metrics often oppose the broader cryptocurrency market’s mood.

Image source: Getty Images.

What are inflows and outflows, anyway?

First, let me explain what inflows and outflows are.

These ETF performance metrics don’t directly affect an investor’s returns. They are more closely related to measuring the quality and popularity of specific ETFs, usually compared to rival funds with similar investment goals.

I’m talking about the amount of money being added to a fund (with inflows) or taken out of the ETF (outflows). Growing or reducing the cash being invested in a fund may have an indirect effect on the underlying asset. It’s like tipping the scales while weighing bananas at the grocery store — the weighing process can affect the results. But for the most parts, the average ETF has minimal market-moving powers.

A tale of two Bitcoin ETFs

Here’s where I want to get specific. Two of the largest spot Bitcoin (BTC 2.30%) ETFs hold dramatically positions in the crypto-fund sector, and their differences will help me illustrate some fundamental concepts for you.

Say hello to the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT 2.02%) and the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC 2.06%) — two of the largest spot-price Bitcoin ETFs measured by the amount of assets under management (AUM). The iShares fund is the larger one, with $84.2 billion of AUM on Sept. 9. The Grayscale ETF’s AUM stops at $19.9 billion.

But it wasn’t always like that. Grayscale launched the Bitcoin Trust as a publicly traded, classic mutual fund in 2015. It then filed the paperwork to convert this fund into an ETF in October 2021, more than two years before the conversion took effect.

iShares was a later addition to the Bitcoin ETF market, starting the filings and cash funding in 2023. Fund manager BlackRock put this ETF on the market as soon as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allowed it on Jan. 11, 2024.

The great Bitcoin ETF migration

The Grayscale fund had been around for nearly a decade, when the SEC flipped the switch on proper Bitcoin ETFs, amassing $28.6 billion of investor assets by the ETF launch date. BlackRock’s iShares ETF started from nothing.

Then the inflows and outflows started.

Grayscale Bitcoin Trust’s AUM started to shrink right away, while the iShares fund grew its AUM at a remarkable speed. I’m including Bitcoin’s price trends in this chart, to demonstrate how closely a fund’s AUM can be related to the investment asset’s price changes over time — or not:

IBIT Total Assets Under Management data by YCharts

Fees may matter more than you think

The iShares fund’s AUM volume tends to rise when Bitcoin prices are up, and fall when the leading cryptocurrency is trending down. This makes sense, as Bitcoin’s price moves inspire bullish or bearish long-term expectation for the cryptocurrency — and its ETFs. It’s not a perfect 1:1 correlation, as investors sometimes embrace or reject certain ETFs for other reasons, but the bond is very tight.

The mathematical closeness of the Grayscale Bitcoin ETF’s AUM to Bitcoin’s price chart is looser, and the AUM value often trends down. This makes sense to me, because investors have plenty of reason to choose a different Bitcoin ETF these days.

You see, Grayscale charges beefy management fees for this fund. The iShares fund’s annual expense ratio stands at 0.25%, and was entirely canceled in the first few months as a marketing incentive. Grayscale is sticking to a 1.5% expense ratio.

What difference does a percentage point (well, 1.25%) make in this context? Actually plenty, especially for large-scale investors with a long time horizon.

Let’s say you’re a deep-pocketed institutional investor with $100,000 in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, perhaps started in the pre-ETF days. You’re paying Grayscale $1,500 a year for its fund management services. Then you move those finds to the iShares alternative, with an annual fee of $250 instead. You’ll have the same Bitcoin exposure either way, but Grayscale’s exorbitant fees can make a real difference in the long run.

So the iShares fund has seen 82% asset inflows over the last year, while Grayscale’s fund shrank by 17%. Their market performance was largely indistinguishable, with 140% to 141% total returns over this period.

In other words, the two funds offered very similar market performance, but investors backed away from Grayscale and adopted iShares as a clear favorite. With low fees, BlackRock’s financial backing, and the familiar iShares brand name, this fund is popular for good reasons.

And the asset flows can measure its popularity over time, or compare it to rival funds.

There are few things income investors like more than a meaty dividend raise. Argan (AGX 3.95%) declared one on Wednesday, and the market rewarded the construction company with a nearly 4% bump in its share price. That was significantly better than the 0.3% increase posted by the benchmark S&P 500 index.

A healthy boost

Most dividend raises are cautious, representing only incremental improvements over their predecessors. This sure isn’t the case with Argan’s latest hike. The company is increasing it by 33%, or more than $0.12 per share, to $0.50. The new dividend would yield just under 1% on Argan’s most recent closing stock price. It is to be paid on Oct. 31 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 23.

Image source: Getty Images.

This dividend raise is Argan’s third in as many years. The company is thriving, and wants to reflect this in the payout.

In its press release about the dividend, the company quoted CEO David Watson as saying that “The ongoing electrification of everything requires an uninterrupted supply of reliable, high-quality energy, and we believe we are well-positioned with our diverse capabilities, proven track record and long-standing customer base, to benefit from the current demand environment as the industry responds to the urgent need for reliable energy resources to strengthen the power grid.”

Second quarter not as prosperous as it looked

Argan’s second-quarter earnings, published last week, have clearly filled management with enthusiasm. For the period, revenue and, especially, GAAP net income grew on a year-over-year basis, and the company notched a very convincing beat on the bottom line. However, analysts tracking the stock had expected a higher top-line figure, while profitability was impacted by events that appear to be one-off occurrences.

Investors were energetically bullish about energy stock APA (APA 7.52%) on Wednesday. They were cheered by the company’s latest dividend declaration, not to mention an analyst’s price-target raise. These factors pushed APA stock well higher; it closed the day well in the black with a 7.5% improvement. That was several orders of magnitude higher than the S&P 500 index’s 0.3% advance.

A payout and a price-target raise

Just after market close on Tuesday, APA declared a new quarterly stockholder payout of $0.25 per share. This is to be dispensed on Nov. 21 to investors of record as of Oct. 22. This maintains one of the steadiest and most reliable dividend policies in the oil and gas industry. APA has paid the same $0.25 since early 2024; prior to that, it handed out $0.20. At the most recent closing stock price, this yields 4.3%.

Image source: Getty Images.

Separately, analyst John Freeman of Raymond James bumped his APA price target slightly higher to $0.28 per share from his preceding $0.26. He maintained his outperform (buy, in other words) recommendation as he did so.

Freeman’s move is based largely on APA’s second-quarter performance, according to reports. In the analyst’s opinion, the company demonstrated that its turnaround efforts are bearing fruit. He also waxed bullish about management’s increased guidance for cost savings this year (this was upsized from $130 million to $200 million), which should help boost the bottom line.

Second-quarter star

Investors were rightfully encouraged by APA’s results that quarter. Although it posted a top-line decrease on a year-over-year basis (largely attributable to lower prices), it managed to boost profitability. And the company convincingly beat the consensus analyst estimates for both headline metrics.

Methode Electronics(MEI 12.16%) reported fiscal 3Q2025 results on March 5, 2025, with sales of $239.9 million (down 8% year-over-year), an adjusted pretax loss of $7.3 million, and a return to $19.6 million in free cash flow (non-GAAP) despite significant auto program roll-offs. Management reaffirmed expectations of profitable organic sales growth in fiscal 2026, outlined improvements in operational execution, and described strategic shifts toward data centers and industrial markets. For reference, the company’s fiscal year ends on April 30, 2025.

Operational overhaul lowers breakeven for Methode Electronics

Adjusted operating loss improved by $1.6 million year-over-year despite a $19.6 million decline in sales, highlighting material cost reductions and productivity gains. Gross profit increased by $4 million year-over-year due to lower scrap and freight, while free cash flow (non-GAAP) reached $19.6 million amid persistent auto sector weakness and program roll-offs.

“Taking a step back, these results clearly demonstrate that the actions we have taken to improve operational execution have lowered the breakeven sales point for the company. This is a key achievement that will enable Methode to drive margin leverage on future sales growth. Improved execution also helped us return to positive free cash flow, which was $20 million in the quarter. The fact that we generated the same amount of cash from operating activities as the prior year despite $20 million less in sales is a clear indication of an organization whose operating efficiency has improved.”
— Jonathan DeGaynor, President and Chief Executive Officer

This operational transformation enables the company to convert incremental sales into profit more efficiently, increasing future margin potential as new programs scale.

Methode Electronics pivots to data center and industrial growth

Data center product sales represented 7% of total sales, up from a historical range of 3%–5%, and are forecast to reach 9% for the full year. Management appointed a new Chief Strategy Officer to accelerate expansion outside core automotive, specifically calling out power solutions and industrial lighting as near-term growth focuses.

“As we build our strategy, we’ll focus on megatrends, applying our core competencies in unique ways to develop high-value solutions for both current and adjacent markets. We don’t plan to solely be shaped by market forces and swings of our current product portfolio. Our initial focus will be to explore opportunities in non-transportation power solutions, industrial lighting and industrial user interface areas. These are all areas where we can use our capabilities and drive organic growth in the near term.”
— Jonathan DeGaynor, President and Chief Executive Officer

This strategic shift positions the company to pursue growth opportunities in data center infrastructure and industrial lighting, diversifying revenue streams beyond automotive.

Slower EV launches moderate 2025, but fiscal 2026 growth reaffirmed

Sales from electric vehicle (EV) programs, especially launch volumes with Stellantis, lagged previous guidance for fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026, prompting a reduction in sales expectations for fiscal 2025 below fiscal 2024 levels. Nonetheless, management reported no program cancellations, continued expansion with new EV launches for GM, and reaffirmed expectations of high single-digit organic growth in fiscal 2026 (excluding the sunsetting appliance business), even in flat end markets.

“The ramp-up of those programs as well as other launches has been slower than expected and impacted the quarter and our outlook, although pricing actions did provide some offset. Consequently, we now expect sales for our fiscal ’25 to be lower than fiscal ’24 rather than flat. Looking further out to fiscal ’26, we still expect more launches of EV programs for Stellantis, albeit at lower volumes. In addition, we will be launching a sizable busbar program for GM. This GM program was a takeover award that we disclosed in the first quarter, but we did not identify the customer. This fast-track program demonstrates the trust that GM has in Methode. It also further adds to the diversity of the OEMs that we are supplying for EV programs. That activity is expected to more than offset the final headwind from the GM T1 roll-off as well as a major appliance program that is going end of life in fiscal ’25. The overall net result is the continued expectation of organic sales growth in fiscal ’26. On a more granular basis, excluding the appliance business, which is noncore to us, we could potentially see high single-digit organic growth in fiscal ’26 with in an environment of flat end markets.”
— Jonathan DeGaynor, President and Chief Executive Officer

Despite short-term headwinds from delayed program ramps and weaker auto demand, the company maintains a credible pathway to resumed sales growth in fiscal 2026, supported by a diversified new program pipeline.

Looking Ahead

Management guides for fourth quarter sales of $240 million to $255 million and pretax income between negative $1 million and positive $3 million, with full-year fiscal 2025 sales guidance cut by $77 million at the midpoint. Fiscal 2026 is projected to deliver net sales above 2025 and “notably greater” positive pretax income in fiscal 2026. No explicit forecast is provided regarding stock buybacks or the impact of potential new U.S. tariffs, while operational discipline and program launches remain central to performance improvement.

On a day when artificial intelligence (AI) stocks were broadly moving higher, The Trade Desk (TTD -12.02%) was down double digits. The leading adtech company got dinged by news that Netflix had integrated with Amazon’s DSP. A downgrade from Morgan Stanley was also weighing on the stock.

As of 3:09 p.m. ET, the stock was down 12.1% on the news.

Image source: Getty Images.

The Trade Desk’s troubles continue

The Trade Desk has been the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500 this year as growth has slowed in the face of competition from Amazon and other platforms, so the news that Amazon and Netflix are teaming up only exacerbated existing concerns.

The partnership will allow advertisers using Amazon’s DSP to get direct access to Netflix’s ad inventory in several major markets around the world. The partnership will begin in the fourth quarter.

The deal has implications for The Trade Desk because it will make Amazon’s DSP more attractive for advertisers, especially as Netflix’s ad tier is rapidly growing. It also strengthens the so-called “walled gardens” that The Trade Desk is competing with, referring to complete ad ecosystems that big companies like Alphabet and Meta Platforms use. The alliance between Netflix and Amazon essentially represents two walled gardens teaming up.

Additionally, Morgan Stanley lowered its rating to equal weight from overweight and slashed its price target on the stock from $80 to $50. The investment bank said it was wrong about the durability of The Trade Desk’s growth and noted “mounting headwinds” this year.

Can The Trade Desk recover?

For years, The Trade Desk could do little wrong, and the stock marched higher as the adtech company delivered outstanding results quarter over quarter. However, The Trade Desk stock has tumbled in two of its last three earnings reports now as its growth is slowing, and management’s efforts to reassure investors have fallen flat.

Amazon may now be the company’s biggest rival in connected TV as it signed a deal with Roku earlier this year, and its DSP now works with every major streaming service.

Whether that leads to advertisers dropping the service remains to be seen, but it does seem to limit its growth opportunity. The Trade Desk is already integrated with Netflix, but the deal is still likely to put pressure on it.

The Trade Desk’s valuation has proven to be a vulnerability during the sell-off this year, and while the price is certainly more reasonable after this year’s sell-off, the company will have to prove that its growth rate won’t continue to compress.

Shares of gold miner AngloGold Ashanti (AU 5.02%) rallied 4.4% on Wednesday as of 2:06 p.m. ET. The gold mining stock got a lift as gold prices increased slightly toward the record highs reached briefly yesterday, while a Wall Street sell-side analyst increased his price target by a hefty amount.

Gold rises, and Wall Street boosts Ashanti’s price target

One can think of AngloGold and its mining peers as leveraged plays on the price of gold. Gold, which tends to gain when inflation increases and/or geopolitical tensions rise, has taken off this year for a number of reasons. These include prospects for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and geopolitical tensions arising after the disruptive tariff war kicked off on April 2, “Liberation Day.”

This week has had no shortage of geopolitical tensions, including Israel’s strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar, as well as the interception of Russian drones over the airspace of Poland — a NATO member. Additionally, this week’s Bureau of Labor Statistics’ downward revision of jobs growth over the 12 months ended in March likely increased the odds of a Federal Reserve rate cut this month, which could be inflationary. Gold hit a record high yesterday before retreating later in the day. However, the price of gold was on the move higher again today, albeit slightly.

So, while most gold miners were up today, AngloGold was especially buoyant as it received a price target increase from $56 to $73 from analysts at RBC Capital, relative to the $64.90 price as of this writing.

Image source: Getty Images.

Ashanti is a cash machine amid higher gold prices

As of today, Ashanti now trades at 17 times earnings, which doesn’t appear to be that expensive, despite its massive 179% year-to-date run.

However, investors should be aware that the main determining factor here is the price of gold, which is up 41.5% on the year. Gold mining stocks tend to move in multiples of the price of gold, as their costs are fixed.

So, when the price of gold goes up, pretty much all of that revenue falls to the bottom line. However, the reverse is also true; if the price of gold were to fall, AngloGold’s profits would fall by a greater amount, and its stock price likely would, too.

Shares of Bloom Energy (BE 12.51%) rocketed 18.5% higher on Wednesday as of 12:35 p.m. ET.

There wasn’t any news specifically from Bloom today; however, last night’s bombshell guidance from Oracle (ORCL 33.94%) is likely boosting Bloom by association, given that Bloom inked an important data center partnership with Oracle in July.

Oracle announces AI hypergrowth, and it will need lots of energy

Bloom surged in July after it announced a landmark deal with Oracle on July 24. For reference, Bloom’s energy servers can transform natural gas or hydrogen into electricity without combustion, producing electricity from an abundant source like natural gas in a cleaner way to meet escalating electricity demand.

Bloom had served utilities and other power users in the past, but the July deal with Oracle was the first direct agreement with a cloud hyperscaler.

Therefore, when Oracle provided astonishing backlog growth in its cloud infrastructure (IaaS) business last night, that also improved the outlook for Bloom, which will likely play a role in providing electricity to those data centers. Oracle reported $455 billion in remaining performance obligation in its cloud IaaS business, up an astounding 359%. On the conference call with analysts, CEO Safra Catz noted she expects cloud infrastructure revenue to grow from $18 billion this year to a stunning $144 billion in fiscal 2030 — over just a matter of four years.

Needless to say, that much growth will require Oracle to build a lot more data centers, which will likely be served in part by Bloom’s energy servers.

Image source: Getty Images.

Bloom looks expensive, but AI growth is off the charts

After today’s rally, Bloom trades at 76.5 times next year’s earnings estimates. That’s very expensive for a low-margin hardware business, but Oracle’s multiyear guide appears to have lifted the prospects for Bloom’s growth over the 2027-2030 time frame.

So while Bloom’s valuation makes it risky at these levels, its artificial intelligence (AI)-related growth story keeps getting better.

Daktronics(DAKT 24.18%) reported fiscal first quarter ended August 2, 2025, results on September 10, 2025, delivering net income of $16.5 million and 35% year-over-year order growth, with backlog rising to $360 million and operating cash flow up 34% year-over-year. Key highlights included winning all three major league live event projects bid in the quarter, achieving record high school segment orders, and continued execution of a multi-year business and digital transformation. The following analysis examines Daktronics’ sustained gross margin expansion, robust capital deployment, and advancing transformation initiatives—each with concrete implications for long-term investors.

Gross margin expansion benefits from mix and operational leverage

While the quarter included a favorable revenue mix led by high-profit segments such as High School Park and Recreation (HSPR), margin gains were also supported by improved cost controls and volume-driven fixed cost absorption. Tariffs contributed a $6 million headwind compared to $1 million in fiscal Q1 2025.

“We did have a mixed benefit as I alluded to. So you know, going forward, it depends on the mix is gonna look like. And know, we’ll have to see about that. We did as Brad mentioned, continue to have better alignment between particularly, our manufacturing expenses and revenue production. That helped, and that’s, you know, where we intend to operate going forward. We had a small benefit this quarter. I shouldn’t say benefit. We had a benefit. We had a cost a year ago in the margin from some unusually high warranty expenses, which normalized this quarter. So it’s a little bit of that. But yeah, I mean, you know, what we saw in the quarter was a combination of kind of fixed cost leverage on revenue as well as the mix effect that I just mentioned.”
— Howard Atkins, Acting Chief Financial Officer

Sustained margin strength demonstrates that Daktronics’ ongoing operational initiatives are counteracting tariff headwinds and normalizing warranty costs.

Daktronics accelerates capital deployment and balance sheet strength

Fiscal first quarter-end cash of $137 million increased 7% year-over-year, even after $10.7 million in share repurchases at $16.43 per share; no debt was drawn against the company’s credit line. Operating cash flow surged to $26 million, while inventory-to-sales stood at 49% as management positions for strong order fulfillment ahead.

“We ended the first quarter with a cash balance of $137 million an increase of 7% from 2025 and that’s after taking into account $10.7 million worth of shares repurchased in the quarter and the conversion of the convertible note since last year. Our operating cash flow is $26 million up 34% on solid earnings and the completion of our initiative to better utilize spare inventory. Inventory to sales ratio is now at 49%. Inventory levels are likely to increase somewhat. Perhaps as we position for fulfillment of the high backlog. As mentioned, we repurchased $10.7 million worth of shares in the quarter at a volume-weighted average price of 16.43 We have had no borrowings, of course, under the company’s bank line of credit, and none are contemplated.”
— Howard Atkins, Acting Chief Financial Officer

Controlled capital allocation, demonstrated by growing cash and significant buybacks without increasing leverage, provides Daktronics with ample flexibility for continued strategic investment, opportunistic share repurchases, or selective M&A, enhancing long-term shareholder value.

Transformation plan drives operating progress and targets premium financial returns

Daktronics is executing a multi-year transformation blending value-based pricing, focused product innovation, and digital upgrades in operations and service. IT and product development spending reached $17.2 million, supporting efforts to advance corporate performance management, subscription platforms, and new product releases.

“We are targeting performance aligned with higher operating margins of 10% to 12% on average over time, operating in the top quartile ROIC target of 17% to 20%, and achieving a compound annual growth rate of seven to 10% by fiscal year 2028. Our plan is in place. We’re executing on it, and we have work to do. The team is committed to its success. We remain on track with the many, many objectives initiatives and most importantly, on track with our growth and margin objectives.”
— Howard Atkins, Acting Chief Financial Officer

Pursuit of top-quartile return on invested capital (ROIC) and double-digit margin targets—with clear investment in digital, SaaS, and new products—signals a probability of sustained value creation if execution stays on pace, directly supporting a long-term compound earnings growth thesis.

Looking Ahead

For fiscal 2026, management projects sustained robust demand across core segments and points to a sizable order backlog of $360 million as a revenue tailwind for future periods, while maintaining vigilance on tariff volatility and supply chain constraints. Transformation targets remain in place: achieving average operating margins of 10%-12%, ROIC of 17%-20%, and 7%-10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through fiscal 2028. No updated quantitative short-term guidance was provided this quarter.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken over the business world during the past couple of years. The stock market has followed as investors rush to take advantage of the new growth opportunities the technology has presented. At this point, it seems impossible to avoid a tech company that isn’t dealing with AI in some form or fashion.

Not all companies dealing with AI are created equal, though. Many may use the technology but lack the long-term appeal. If you have $3,000 available to invest, the following three AI stocks are worth buying and holding for the long term. They have proven business models and stand to gain a lot from the emerging technology.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

On the outskirts, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM 4.58%) — also known as TSMC — may not seem like an AI company, but it’s just as important to advancing the technology as virtually any other participant. TSMC is a semiconductor (chip) foundry that manufactures chips for a wide range of applications, including smartphones, electric vehicles, game consoles, TVs, and graphics processing units (GPUs). The latter is why it’s important to AI.

TSMC’s AI role comes down to manufacturing the critical chips that go inside the data centers that train AI models. It has around a 70% market share in the global foundry industry, but when it comes to the advanced AI chips, it’s virtually a monopoly. This new demand is largely why its high-performance computing (HPC) segment accounted for 60% of its total revenue in the second quarter.

TSMC is the start of the AI pipeline. Without it, companies like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices wouldn’t be able to ship their AI chips at their current scale. TSMC expects AI-related revenue to double this year.

TSM Revenue (Quarterly) data by YCharts.

AI aside, TSMC’s role in the tech ecosystem has made it indispensable. It’s not as if there aren’t other semiconductor foundries; they just don’t compare to TSMC’s effectiveness and scale. This position makes it a company that should be successful for quite some time.

2. Alphabet

Google’s parent company Alphabet (GOOG 0.41%) (GOOGL 0.34%) is also a key piece to the AI ecosystem, especially when it comes to research. It’s responsible for key breakthroughs that have advanced the technology to where it is today.

Alphabet’s Google Cloud also continues to grow impressively. In the second quarter, its revenue increased 32% year over year to $13.6 billion, leading all of Alphabet’s segments. Having a strong in-house cloud platform allows the company to power and scale its own AI models.

It’s not just for in-house use, either. It’s a service that many companies can rely on, including Meta Platforms, which just signed a six-year, $10 billion deal to make Google Cloud its main AI infrastructure provider. The co-signing by Meta shows that even Alphabet’s big-name peers (and competitors) trust its capabilities.

It also helps that Alphabet’s stock seems to be valued cheaply right now. It’s trading around 23.4 times expected earnings over the next 12 months, which is the lowest of the “Magnificent Seven” stocks, by far. If you’re buying and holding onto the stock for the long term, this will likely work out well in your favor.

TSLA PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts.

3. Microsoft

Some tech companies excel at one thing, while others do a few things pretty well. Microsoft (MSFT 0.74%) is one of the handful that does a lot of things extremely well. It has its hands in many industries and is a top player in virtually all of them.

Similar to Alphabet, Microsoft has a cloud platform (Azure) that allows it to be a key piece of AI infrastructure. It also has a long-term partnership with ChatGPT’s creator OpenAI, which gives it direct and early access to industry-leading AI technology.

This is a key advantage for Microsoft because it allows it to integrate the technology into its ecosystem of products and services. Microsoft has Office software (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.), Windows operating systems, GitHub, and many other platforms, and all of these stand to gain from AI integration.

Microsoft already has a stronghold on enterprise software, which should only increase its value proposition as these products and services become more efficient. If you’re going to be in the tech world for the long term, it helps to have corporate customers because they spend more, tend to have longer contracts, and are less likely to cut back on services whenever the economy isn’t ideal.

Microsoft is a staple in the business world that thousands of companies rely on for their daily operations. If I had to pick one Magnificent Seven stock to hold onto for life, it would be Microsoft.

Some investors thought Roku (ROKU -2.56%) was a pure hero of the coronavirus lockdown era. The media-streaming technology expert’s stock soared in 2020, stalled in 2021, and took a long, consistent swan dive over the next couple of years.

Image source: Getty Images.

It was fair to call Roku’s stock overvalued in 2021, but the company’s growth story never ended. In fact, I think Roku has many more high-growth chapters to share over the next several years, and the stock looks wildly undervalued these days.

And I only need one simple chart to illustrate this concept. As you can see in the graph below, Roku’s revenues are still experiencing explosive revenue growth:

ROKU Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts

Roku plays the long game

Sure, you see an abnormal bump around the COVID-19 era. Roku saw a few quarters of unsustainable user and revenue increases there, followed by a whiplash-inducing slowdown in the inflation-based market panic of 2023. Roku’s top-line sales growth hit the brakes pretty hard at that point.

Some of that was a clear-eyed and voluntary long-term growth strategy. You see, Roku saw a user-grabbing opportunity in the inflation-fighting crash. Consumers were more price-sensitive than ever and most of Roku’s streaming platform rivals were staving off inflation-based costs by raising prices. Yep, those companies contributed to the very inflation problem they were battling.

Not Roku. The company held service and hardware prices steady throughout the golden lockdown years and the following penny-pinching crash. As a result, the active user count rose from 70 million at the end of 2022 to 80 million a year later and 90 million in Q4 2024.

Atop this expanding user base, Roku is building a massive long-term business. Revenues quickly picked up speed after the 2023 pause, as seen in that handy chart. In July’s Q2 2025 report, free cash flow rose 23% year over year while adjusted EBITDA jumped 76%. And these are still the early innings of a long growth game.

For years, I kept my emergency fund in the same savings account I opened in high school. It was convenient. I didn’t have to think about it. But when I finally looked at what I was earning in interest, I wanted to kick myself.

Here’s the mistake: Leaving money in a traditional big-bank savings account that pays practically nothing.

The difference in dollars

Let’s do the math with $20,000 in savings:

• A typical big-bank account pays around 0.01% APY. Over five years, that balance would earn you about $10 total.
• Move that same $20,000 to a high-yield savings account paying 4.00% APY, and you’d earn about $4,330 in interest over five years.
• That’s a gap of more than $4,300, just for clicking a few buttons.

Double that balance to $40,000, and you’re looking at nearly $8,700 in lost interest over the same period.

This isn’t about taking risks, it’s about not leaving money on the table.

Why people stick with bad accounts

The number one reason people stick with bad accounts is laziness. It feels easier to leave things where they are. Banks know this, and they’re counting on your indifference. But the truth is, switching to a high-yield savings account takes less than 10 minutes, and plenty of online banks have $0 minimums.

Where your money should go instead

With an HYSA, your money stays safe, liquid, and actually earns a return. It’s the simplest upgrade you can make to put your savings to work.