Category: 3. Business

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• Earlier this week, ARK Invest purchased over US$30.9 million worth of Block Inc. shares across three exchange-traded funds, including ARKK, ARKW, and ARKF, highlighting continued interest among institutional investors.

• This investment comes as Block accelerates its rollout of integrated bitcoin solutions for merchants, further cementing its role at the intersection of digital payments and cryptocurrency adoption.

• We’ll explore how ARK Invest’s expanded position in Block underscores confidence in the company’s advancing crypto and payments ecosystem.

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To own Block shares, you need to believe in the long-term relevance of its two-sided payments and banking ecosystem, built around Cash App and Square, especially as digital finance and bitcoin adoption expand. ARK Invest’s sizable US$30.9 million purchase showcases institutional optimism but does not materially change the core risk: Block’s earnings remain highly sensitive to bitcoin-related revenue fluctuations and ongoing competitive threats in peer-to-peer payments, which may be amplified or mitigated in the near term by broader crypto trends.

The most relevant recent announcement is the rollout of Square’s new integrated bitcoin payments solution for merchants, making it easier for businesses to seamlessly accept, hold, and convert bitcoin through Square’s point-of-sale system. This initiative directly aligns with Block’s push to deepen cryptocurrency integration, one of its central growth catalysts, by strengthening its merchant platform and reinforcing its role as a bridge between digital asset adoption and real-world payments.

But while interest in bitcoin solutions is growing, investors should pay careful attention to the risk that…

Read the full narrative on Block (it’s free!)

Block’s outlook anticipates $32.8 billion in revenue and $2.4 billion in earnings by 2028. This is based on a projected 11.3% annual revenue growth rate, but earnings are forecast to decrease by $0.6 billion from the current $3.0 billion.

Uncover how Block’s forecasts yield a $88.40 fair value, a 16% upside to its current price.

Seventeen members of the Simply Wall St Community estimate Block’s fair value between US$60.37 and US$104, showing a wide range of outlooks. With Block’s ongoing integration of bitcoin payments for merchants, this diversity hints at how opinions can differ around the business’s exposure to crypto volatility, open these alternative perspectives to understand what could drive future results.

Explore 17 other fair value estimates on Block – why the stock might be worth as much as 37% more than the current price!

Disagree with existing narratives? Create your own in under 3 minutes – extraordinary investment returns rarely come from following the herd.

Early movers are already taking notice. See the stocks they’re targeting before they’ve flown the coop:

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 XYZ.

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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Warren Buffett offloaded stocks for the third consecutive year, as the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway enters his final months at the sprawling conglomerate he built over more than six decades.

Berkshire Hathaway disclosed on Saturday that it had sold another $6.1bn of common stock in the three months to September 30. Buffett has seen more opportunities in selling than buying equities for the past three years, with stock prices rising precipitously across several sectors.

The conglomerate’s cash reserves also continued to climb and reached a record for the quarter, with $382bn flowing in from a business that spans insurance, manufacturing, utilities and one of North America’s biggest railways. Berkshire once again did not buy back any shares during the quarter.

The group’s share price has lagged the benchmark S&P 500 index since Buffett announced plans to step down as chief executive at the end of this year. He will be succeeded by Greg Abel, who is head of Berkshire’s non-insurance businesses, in January.

This is a developing story

Thanksgiving was once a holiday Britons knew only from American films, but a growing appetite for US cuisine, from Southern-style comfort food to pumpkin pie, is driving a rise in UK celebrations.

Retailers and restaurants are reporting increased sales and bookings in the run-up to the American holiday, boosted by British enthusiasm for US flavours and a rising number of American expats now living in the UK.

At Pipers farm in Devon, sales of turkeys and related Thanksgiving products rose 38% in the fortnight leading up to Thanksgiving last year compared with the two weeks before. The farm said it had expanded its range of sides and turkey sizes this year to meet what it expects will be even higher demand.

Data from the online retailer Ocado shows searches for Thanksgiving have jumped 440% year on year, while pumpkin spice is up more than 550%. Ocado’s sales data also indicates American food has grown in popularity among shoppers: sales of Herr’s buffalo blue cheese curls are up 410% year on year, and Newman’s Own ranch dressing by more than 202%.

Research commissioned by the firm found 42% of gen Z and millennials say they have attended a Thanksgiving meal in the UK, and 16% plan to attend or host the holiday for the first time this November. More than half (53%) believe US holidays such as Thanksgiving and American-style Halloweens are becoming bigger fixtures in the British calendar.

Dan Elton, the chief customer officer at Ocado Retail, said: “We’re seeing this love of American food culture translating into what people are buying … from ranch dressing and marshmallows, to mac and cheese.”

According to the market research company Mintel, interest in American-style food has risen sharply in the past two years, particularly among younger consumers. More than half of British adults (58%) have ordered or are interested in ordering southern US dishes such as Louisiana gumbo. That figure has grown from 52% in early 2024 to 67% by mid-2025, peaking at 81% among gen Z – those born approximately between 1997 and 2012. In the same period, one in five Britons visited an American-style restaurant, rising to nearly one in three younger consumers.

“UK interest in Thanksgiving reflects a growing appetite for American food,” said Trish Caddy, the associate director of food service research at Mintel. “It’s less cultural adoption, more culinary celebration. This taps into a wider experience-driven eating trend where people seek themed menus, social connection and limited-edition offerings.”

London restaurant CUT at 45 Park Lane has extended its Thanksgiving service in response to a surge in bookings. “We’re now doing around 180 covers throughout the day and have opened Bar 45 for the whole week, serving Thanksgiving-inspired snacks like pecan pie, turkey croquettes and bacon-wrapped dates,” said the culinary director, Elliott Grover.

He added that bookings had roughly doubled year on year but this has also been due to them opening up further covers to meet demand. It’s popular with lots of American guests, but also many others who simply want to experience it for the first time, Grover said.

In May, the Guardian reported a rise in Americans moving to the UK for political reasons as Donald Trump assumed the presidency. US applications for UK citizenship hit a record high last year at more than 6,100, a 26% increase from 2023. There was a 40% year-on-year rise during the final three months of 2024, coinciding with the time of Trump’s re-election.

At Whole Foods Market UK, the demand around Thanksgiving now rivals the buildup to Christmas. “The moment our online ordering for the holiday goes live, we see a rush of customers eager to secure their meal,” said Izzie Peskett, the head of marketing. “It’s become a real occasion here, whether people are hosting American friends or simply recreating that classic, comforting spread at home.”

While American expats remain part of the audience, Peskett says curiosity among British shoppers has grown rapidly. “Thanksgiving is now less about where you’re from and more about embracing the warmth and generosity of the occasion,” she said.

“Our customers come for the quality and authenticity of classic dishes, from pumpkin and pecan pies, cornbread stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes and, of course, our organic turkeys.”

China will exempt some Nexperia chips from an export ban that was imposed amid an escalating row with the Dutch government, officials said on Saturday.

“We will comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and grant exemptions to exports that meet the criteria,” the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

Nexperia produces components in Europe, sends them to China for finishing and then re-exports them back to customers in Europe.

The Netherlands-based company is owned by China’s Wingtech Technology. But the Dutch government invoked a Cold War-era law to effectively take control of the semiconductor maker in September, citing security concerns.

This prompted China to announce export controls on the chips in October.

China, EU and US talk export controls

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, said the exemption for Nexperia chips came after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.

The Dutch government refused to comment on the reports and said it remained in contact with Chinese authorities “to work toward a constructive solution that restores balance to the chip supply chain and that is good for Nexperia and our economies.”

Meanwhile, Chinese and European Union officials also held talks on export controls more broadly.

“China confirmed that the suspension of the October export controls applies to the EU. Both sides reaffirmed commitment to continue engagement on improving the implementation of export control policies,” EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said in a post on X.

Why are Nexperia semiconductors important?

Nexperia components are mainly found in cars, with the company supplying 49% of the electronic components used in the European automotive industry, according to German business newspaper Handelsblatt.

Although the components are technically replaceable, establishing alternative supply chains poses a major challenge for European automakers and other Nexperia customers.

“Without these chips, European automotive suppliers cannot build the parts and components needed to supply vehicle manufacturers and this therefore threatens production stoppages,” European auto lobby ACEA warned last month.

In its statement on Saturday, China’s Commerce Ministry placed blame on “the Dutch government’s improper intervention in the internal affairs of enterprises” for causing “the current chaos in the global supply chain.”

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru