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Category: 3. Business

  • Here Are My Top 3 Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy in December

    Here Are My Top 3 Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy in December

    • Microsoft and Alphabet have resources that quantum computing pure-plays could only dream about.

    • Nvidia has launched a device that allows for a hybrid quantum computing approach.

    • 10 stocks we like better than Alphabet ›

    Quantum computing has gone through two boom-and-bust hype cycles in under a year, but that doesn’t mean the technology is irrelevant. Instead, I think investors are focused on the wrong quantum computing stocks. While many have invested in quantum computing pure plays like Rigetti Computing and IonQ, some of the safer bets are in companies like Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA).

    All three of these larger companies have established cash flows that don’t make quantum computing supremacy as dire as it is for the pure-play companies. As a result, they can take more measured approaches to this innovative technology, and I think it makes them much better buys overall.

    Image source: Getty Images.

    The pure-play companies must disclose nearly every breakthrough or business win they achieve to attract investors. This makes them prone to hype cycles, which can eventually cause the stocks to crash once the market’s appetite for risk decreases.

    Alphabet and Microsoft aren’t subject to the same hype risk, as they only announce massive milestone achievements for their quantum computing technology. Alphabet’s most recent announcement regarding quantum computing was more than a month ago, when it announced running the first verifiable algorithm on its quantum computer. This is a big deal, as it shows that Alphabet can prove that its quantum computer is providing an advantage over traditional computing.

    Microsoft has also been relatively quiet on the quantum computing front, with its last major announcement being in February when it promoted its Majorana 1 custom quantum computing chip. Microsoft claims to have created a unique state of matter for controlling the particles in this quantum computing chip, and believes that this technology will allow Microsoft to easily scale and solve enterprise-level problems without the need to iterate on architecture. That could be a huge advantage, but it’s impossible to know where Microsoft stands with this technology, as it doesn’t update investors on every breakthrough.

    With the level of funding Alphabet’s and Microsoft’s quantum computing businesses have, they are both no-brainer picks in the industry. The pure-play companies will have a tough time competing against the sheer size and resources of these two, and I think that makes them top quantum computing stocks to buy right now.

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  • China debuts new AI model for high-standard farmland protection

    China debuts new AI model for high-standard farmland protection

    A CAAS model shifts China’s farmland management from quantity preservation to quality-focused monitoring

    In a pilot program in Kunshan, east China’s Jiangsu Province, the model successfully created a closed-loop system by adjusting fertilization dynamically based on weather and crop growth cycles. PHOTO: PIXABAY

    China on Friday launched its first large artificial intelligence (AI) model dedicated to monitoring and protecting arable land, and it will serve as a new digital tool for the national strategy of storing grain in the land and in technology.

    Released by the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) on World Soil Day, the model aims to upgrade China’s farmland management from quantity-focused preservation to quality improvement — a task that traditional manual monitoring can no longer handle efficiently.

    Developed by a team led by Tang Huajun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the system integrates a central foundation model with dedicated “vertical models” designed for specific tasks such as field segmentation, crop classification and engineering quality inspection.

    Wu Wenbin, director general of the CAAS Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, said that the AI model goes beyond passive observation. It can diagnose soil health, predict trends and autonomously generate management plans, offering full-life-cycle management for high-standard farmland.

    Nationwide, there are more than 66.7 million hectares of high-standard farmland, where soil fertility has been well-preserved with technological advancements and scientific farm management.

    In a pilot program in Kunshan, east China’s Jiangsu Province, the model successfully created a closed-loop system by adjusting fertilization dynamically based on weather and crop growth cycles.

    Industry experts have said the launch provides a technical driver for the sustainable management of agricultural resources, the improvement of arable land quality and the development of high-quality farmland in China.

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  • Nvidia CEO says U.S. data centers take 3 years, but China ‘can build a hospital in a weekend’

    Nvidia CEO says U.S. data centers take 3 years, but China ‘can build a hospital in a weekend’

    Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said China has an AI infrastructure advantage over the U.S., namely in construction and energy.

    While the U.S. retains an edge on AI chips, he warned China can build large projects at staggering speeds.

    “If you want to build a data center here in the United States from breaking ground to standing up a AI supercomputer is probably about three years,” Huang told Center for Strategic and International Studies President John Hamre in late November. “They can build a hospital in a weekend.”

    The speed at which China can build infrastructure is just one of his concerns. He also worries about the countries’ comparative energy capacity to support the AI boom.

    China has “twice as much energy as we have as a nation, and our economy is larger than theirs. Makes no sense to me,” Huang said.

    He added that China’s energy capacity continues to grow “straight up”, while the U.S.’s remains relatively flat.

    Still, Huang maintained that Nvidia is “generations ahead” of China on AI chip technology to support the demand for the tech and semiconductor manufacturing process.

    But he warned against complacency on this front, adding that “anybody who thinks China can’t manufacture is missing a big idea.”

    Yet Huang is hopeful about Nvidia’s future, noting President Donald Trump’s push to reshore manufacturing jobs and spur AI investments.

    ‘Insatiable AI demand’

    Early last month, Huang made headlines by predicting China would win the AI race—a message he amended soon thereafter, saying the country was “nanoseconds behind America” in the race in a statement shared to his company’s X account.

    Nvidia is just one of the big tech companies pouring billions of dollars into a data center buildout in the U.S., which experts tell Fortune could amount to over $100 billion in the next year alone.

    Raul Martynek, the CEO of DataBank, a company that contracts with tech giants to construct data centers, said the average cost of a data center is $10 million to $15 million per megawatt (MW), and a typical data centers on the smaller side requires 40 MW.

    “In the U.S., we think there will be 5 to 7 gigawatts brought online in the coming year to support this seemingly insatiable AI demand,” Martynek said.

    This shakes out to $50 billion on the low end, and $105 billion on the high end.

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  • Apple Rocked by Executive Departures, With Chip Chief at Risk of Leaving Next – Bloomberg.com

    1. Apple Rocked by Executive Departures, With Chip Chief at Risk of Leaving Next  Bloomberg.com
    2. Apple Departures Point to Challenges for iPhone’s Dominance  The Wall Street Journal
    3. 7 Things To Know About Apple’s New General Counsel  Law360
    4. More than 10 top Apple executives have joined rivals in the past few months; What’s ‘behind’ the toughest talent ‘crisis’ iPhone maker is facing  Times of India
    5. New report sheds a bit more light on who at Apple has been departing for OpenAI  9to5Mac

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  • Taking Another Look at F&G Annuities & Life (FG)’s Valuation After Its Recent Share Price Rebound

    Taking Another Look at F&G Annuities & Life (FG)’s Valuation After Its Recent Share Price Rebound

    F&G Annuities & Life (FG) has quietly pushed about 13% higher over the past month, even though shares remain down sharply this year, a setup that often attracts value-focused investors.

    See our latest analysis for F&G Annuities & Life.

    That recent 1 month share price return of about 13% looks more like a relief rally than a full trend change, given the share price is still down sharply year to date. At the same time, the 3 year total shareholder return remains strongly positive, which hints that investors are cautiously revisiting the longer term growth story after a rough stretch.

    If this rebound has you rethinking your portfolio, it could be a good moment to explore fast growing stocks with high insider ownership as potential next candidates for fresh ideas.

    With shares still down heavily over the past year, yet trading only slightly below analyst targets but at a sizeable intrinsic discount, is F&G quietly undervalued, or is the market already pricing in its next phase of growth?

    On a price-to-earnings basis, F&G Annuities & Life trades at 10.2x, slightly below peers and the broader US Insurance industry, suggesting a modest valuation discount at the current 33.72 share price.

    The price-to-earnings multiple compares the company’s market value to its earnings and is a common way to gauge what investors are willing to pay for each dollar of profit in financial and insurance businesses.

    Given FG’s P E of 10.2x versus a 10.6x peer average and 12.8x for the broader US Insurance group, the market appears to be pricing its profitability somewhat conservatively, even as the business has moved into sustained profitability with higher net margins and what are assessed as high quality earnings.

    Compared with the industry’s 12.8x, FG’s lower P E signals that investors are not assigning a premium multiple to its earnings, which could be seen as a valuation gap.

    See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown.

    Result: Price-to-Earnings of 10.2x (UNDERVALUED)

    However, risks remain, including potential earnings volatility from complex annuity products and any downturn in demand as higher rates reshape retirement planning behavior.

    Find out about the key risks to this F&G Annuities & Life narrative.

    Our DCF model points to a fair value of about 42.73 per share, implying FG trades roughly 21% below intrinsic value. That is a deeper discount than the modest P E gap. This raises the question: is the market too skeptical about its future cash flows?

    Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value.

    FG Discounted Cash Flow as at Dec 2025

    Simply Wall St performs a discounted cash flow (DCF) on every stock in the world every day (check out F&G Annuities & Life for example). We show the entire calculation in full. You can track the result in your watchlist or portfolio and be alerted when this changes, or use our stock screener to discover 906 undervalued stocks based on their cash flows. If you save a screener we even alert you when new companies match – so you never miss a potential opportunity.

    If you see the story differently or prefer to dig into the numbers yourself, you can build a personalized view in just a few minutes: Do it your way.

    A good starting point is our analysis highlighting 1 key reward investors are optimistic about regarding F&G Annuities & Life.

    FG might be compelling, but do not stop there. Use the Simply Wall St Screener to surface focused, high potential ideas before the crowd catches on.

    This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

    Companies discussed in this article include FG.

    Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com

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  • TBI-Free Conditioning Maintains Strong Outcomes in Pediatric and Young Adult B-Cell ALL

    TBI-Free Conditioning Maintains Strong Outcomes in Pediatric and Young Adult B-Cell ALL

    Eliminating total body irradiation (TBI) from conditioning regimens yielded efficacy outcomes comparable with established benchmarks for pediatric and young adult patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to results from the phase 2 EndRAD trial (NCT03509961). The findings, presented at the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition showed that TBI-free conditioning maintained disease control without compromising treatment response.

    The 2-year event-free survival (EFS) rate in the treatment arm was 76.3% (95% CI, 61.1%-86.1%), and the 2-year overall survival (OS) rate was 82.0% (95% CI, 67.1%-90.6%). These results showed that the primary end point of the trial of EFS was met.

    “Based upon this data, pediatric and young adult patients who are bone marrow next-generation sequencing (NGS)-minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative may consider non-TBI approaches as they choose therapy,” Hisham Abdel-Azim, MD, chief of Transplant and Cellular Therapy at Loma Linda University Health, said during the presentation.

    A total of 202 patients were enrolled in the trial. The treatment arm (n = 51) was designed to estimate survival after non-TBI myeloablative conditioning prior to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) for NGS-MRD-negative B-ALL. A total of 86% of patients were given busulfan, fludarabine, and thiopeta. Other comparable therapies included fludarabine, melphalan, and thiopeta (6%), and fludarabine, melphalan, clofarabine, and thiopeta (6%). In the observational arm (n = 151), patients were given myeloablative HCT and were not eligible for the treatment arm.

    Abdel-Azim stated he and his colleagues hypothesized that the 2-year EFS and OS rates in patients who are NGS MRD negative and receiving a non-TBI-based regimen would be around 75% and 80%, respectively. The study was conducted in 45 centers in North America between 2018 and 2025.

    Infants were not allowed in the treatment arm, and young children who were not eligible and received non-TBI treatment were included in the observational arm. Additionally, the observational arm included those who were flow-negative but NGS-positive who received TBI.

    In the treatment arm, patients were eligible for treatment if they were between 1 and 31 years old and had high-risk complete remission 1 (CR1) or CR2 status. Receipt of prior CAR T-cell therapy and blinatumomab (Blincyto) was allowed. Patients were excluded from the treatment arm but were eligible to enroll on the observational arm if they were less than 1 year old, CR2 with a history of central nervous system relapse, had T-cell ALL and mixed-phenotype acute leukemia, and had active CNS/extramedullary disease at HCT.

    In the treatment arm, the median age was 13.5 years (range, 2.3-30.5), and 51% of patients were male. Additionally, 37% had HLA-matched sibling donors, 35% had mismatched/unrelated haploidentical donors, 20% had matched unrelated donors, and 8% had unrelated cord blood donors. Bone marrow graft was given in 71% of patients, peripheral blood stem cell graft was given to 21% of patients, and 8% received an unrelated cord blood graft. Additionally, at HCT, 49% of patients had CR1 and 51% had CR2.

    “OS and EFS in our phase 2 non-TBI treatment arm for NGS MRD-negative B-ALL matched our hypothesis and were comparable with outcomes of patients who are MRD-negative receiving TBI in previous studies,” Abdel-Azim concluded.

    Abdel-Azim disclosures: Kite, consultancy; Novartis, consultancy; Adaptive, consultancy and research funding; Vertex, consultancy; and Johnson and Johnson, consultancy.

    Reference

    Abdel-Azim H, Quigg T, Kapoor N, et al. High event-free (EFS) and overall survival (OS) after non-total body irradiation (TBI) conditioning and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in next-generation-sequencing minimal residual disease (NGS-MRD) negative B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL): Results from the EndRAD trial (PTCTC ONC1701). Blood. 2025;146(suppl 1):163. doi:10.1182/blood-2025-163

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  • MRD May Predict Survival in Induction Chemotherapy AML Trials

    MRD May Predict Survival in Induction Chemotherapy AML Trials

    Measurable residual disease (MRD) following induction chemotherapy may robustly predict overall survival (OS) among patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to findings from a pooled analysis study presented in a press briefing at the 2025 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition (ASH).

    Pooled data on 1858 patients undergoing treatment across 7 randomized trials showed that the achievement of MRD negativity correlated with a risk of death that was twice as low vs patients who had MRD-positive status (P <.0001). This association between MRD and OS occurred regardless of age, genetics, and treatment arm; outcomes were consistent across trials and the use of multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) or qPCR for NPM1 in the evaluation of MRD. Overall, the data showed a strong patient-level link between survival and MRD status.

    Across the evaluable trials, MRD responses showed a strong correlation with OS benefit (R2 = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.56-1.00). As far as trial-level surrogacy was concerned, presenting author Jesse Tettero, MD, PhD, noted that the confidence interval for this finding fell below what is typically used in the FDA framework.

    “The lower bound of the confidence interval was 0.56. The FDA requires the lower bound to be above 0.60, so there is some caution to be noted when interpreting these data,” Tettero, a postdoctoral associate at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) Cancer Research Center in Washington, DC, and a visiting hematology fellow at Amsterdam University Medical Center in the Netherlands, said in the presentation.

    However, findings showed an even stronger relationship between MRD responses and survival among patients who did not undergo a transplant (R2 = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.94-1.00). Tettero described how such agreement was rare for oncologic end points.

    “We could identify effective therapies [with MRD] earlier than OS; that could be a benefit of 4 to 5 years. It therefore enables potential accelerated approval…only if the FDA truly regards MRD as a surrogate end point,” Tettero said. “When supported, it could lead to smarter and faster trials for [patients with] AML.”

    Despite the advent of new treatment modalities such as FLT3 and IDH inhibitors, Tettero stated that AML remains a difficult-to-cure disease, as most patients will relapse following treatment. Additionally, he noted how the longer follow-up associated with OS end points in clinical trials may delay progress for therapeutic advances. Given that MRD is already used as a surrogate marker for approval in other blood cancers like acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma, Tettero and colleagues aimed to determine whether MRD could represent an earlier predictor of survival in AML.

    As part of the largest collaboration to evaluate MRD as a surrogate end point in AML, investigators collected patient-level data from 7 randomized trials. These studies included 4 from European cooperative groups: the German-Austrian AML Study Group (AMLSG), the Dutch-Belgian Hemato-Oncology Cooperative Group and Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (HOVON-SAKK), Study Alliance Leukemia (SAL), and the UK National Cancer Research Institute (UK-NCRI). The study compared MRD status with long-term OS based on FDA expectations.

    Eligible studies were those that randomly assigned patients to experimental or placebo treatments in combination with standard intensive induction chemotherapy, with at least 20 patients on each arm and the inclusion of MRD subgroups.

    Regarding study limitations, Tettero stated that the analysis only related to trials assessing intensive therapy in the EU, as less intensive regimens such as venetoclax (Venclexta) plus hypomethylating agents (VEN-HMA) were not represented, and the confidence intervals for trial-led surrogacy were wide, as the lower bound was below the 0.6 threshold typically used in regulatory framework. Additionally, the study did not fully standardize the use of MRD assays across clinical trials, which may have correlated with data heterogeneity. According to Tettero, several relevant MRD datasets were also inaccessible for the analysis.

    Looking towards the future, Tettero and colleagues aim to expand analyses that account for modern, non-intensive treatment backbones and regimens like VEN-HMA and FLT3 or IDH inhibitors. The investigators also look to achieve global harmonization of MRD testing across these treatment modalities while promoting data sharing on an international level to expand the number of eligible trials.

    Disclosures: Tettero had no relevant relationships to disclose.

    Reference

    Tettero J, Eric S, Freeman S, et al. Validation of measurable residual disease as a surrogate endpoint in acute myeloid leukemia: a HARMONY Alliance study of European randomized trials. Blood. 2025;146(supplement 1):343. doi:10.1182/blood-2025-343

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  • Careers at S&P Global Energy

    When you work at S&P Global Energy, the world’s leading energy information provider, you get the best of a small company and a Fortune 500 corporation. With more than 5000 employees in more than 60 offices spanning five continents, S&P Global Energy has a highly diverse workforce, a global perspective, and a “business casual” culture. As a subsidiary of S&P Global, S&P Global Energy offers employees a competitive compensation program, a comprehensive benefits package, and a broad spectrum of professional development opportunities. As an employee of S&P Global Energy, you are part of an organization with a long-standing legacy of journalistic independence and integrity, and a steadfast commitment to providing the markets with the highest quality, most timely and reliable information.

    While S&P Global Energy employs staff in functions that range from marketing and conference planning to finance and project management, S&P Global Energy most frequently recruits in the two core areas that drive its business growth: Editorial, which is responsible for generating the content provided to S&P Global Energy clients, and Sales, which initiates and develops relationships with our broad base of clientele in the energy and metals markets.

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  • Platts China Lithium Price Assessment

    Platts DDP China Lithium Assessments by S&P Global Energy are based on market information, including, but not limited to, firm bids and offers, and trades reported to the editor up to the close of business each day. Our assessments reflect responsibly sourced material, which sellers should be able to demonstrate in line with standard industry practice, upon buyers’ request. 

    S&P Global Energy collects data from market participants across the full supply chain, allowing us to produce a balanced assessment of price by engaging with suppliers, traders and consumers of all size and scale. 

    S&P Global Energy coverage of the lithium carbonate and hydroxide market is led by a global team across multiple offices: Singapore, Sao Paulo, Houston and London. Platts reporters in these regional hubs cover the key supply and consumption locations for lithium.

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  • Platts US Hot Rolled Coil Metals Price Assessments

    The MOC assessment process is suited for all levels of market liquidity. It gives priority to the most specific, transparent, and actionable data. It enables markets to react more quickly to changes, as data can be viewed by market participants in real-time through the publication of “heards in the market.”

    Heard

    Platts Steel, HRC/US: Transaction at $1,900/st for 1,000 st from an integrated producer: Midwest service center

    Timestamping

    By assessing at a specific time – for US ferrous assessments, that means data is collected until 3:30 pm Eastern – the Platts MOC process is designed to reflect values up to the end of the pricing window.

    Standardized specifications

    Data is normalized back to standard quality, volume, the timing of delivery, terms, and other parameters to ensure like-for-like comparisons.

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