• Donald Trump’s jury ends its first day of deliberations deep in the hush-money conspiracy weeds

    Donald Trump at his hush-money trial in New York.
    Donald Trump with attorney Todd Blanche at his hush-money trial in New York.

    • The Trump hush-money jury deliberated for 4.5 hours Wednesday before breaking for the day.
    • First thing Thursday, they'll get read-backs of key testimony by David Pecker and Michael Cohen.
    • The read-back request suggests day one of deliberations ended deep in the election-conspiracy weeds.

    Former President Donald Trump's Manhattan jury deliberated for four-and-a-half hours on Wednesday — and their first note to the judge shows they were deep in the hush-money conspiracy weeds before breaking for the day.

    First thing Thursday, they'll be back in the courtroom, listening to their requested read-backs of four sections of testimony — about 30 minutes worth in total — that deal with the origins of Trump's alleged 2016 election interference scheme.

    The five-woman, seven-man jury asked to hear testimony by two key prosecution witnesses, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and former Trump attorney and "fixer" Michael Cohen.

    They also asked that the judge re-read the one-hour jury charge they heard Wednesday morning. These instructions explained the felony falsifying business records charge that Trump faces 34 counts of, plus the underlying federal and state laws relating to that charge.

    To convict, jurors must find that Trump falsified business records in order to hide an intent to commit an underlying state election conspiracy law that itself requires an intent to commit yet more "unlawful" behavior.

    Trump pleaded not guilty and has denied any wrongdoing.

    Wednesday's lack of verdict meant there would be no immediate decision on this alleged Russian nesting doll of wrongdoing.

    "We've received a note," New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan announced after the defense and prosecution filed back into the courtroom. The note was sent out just after 3 p.m., he said.

    In it, jurors asked for four read-backs from the prosecution case.

    mcdougal
    Karen McDougal

    'Karen is a nice girl'

    First, they asked to hear Pecker's testimony "regarding the phone conversation with Donald Trump while David Pecker was at the investor meeting," the jury note read.

    They were asking, in other words, for the "Karen is a nice girl" testimony.

    In this chunk of testimony from April 25, Pecker recounted being at an investor meeting in New Jersey in late June 2016.

    Pecker testified that Trump called him during the meeting, eager to talk about Karen McDougal, the former Playboy Bunny who was threatening to go public with a story before the 2016 election — denied by Trump — of a nearly yearlong affair with the then-Apprentice star in 2006.

    This read-back is significant in that Pecker's testimony positions Trump at the center of what prosecutors call a "catch and kill" conspiracy to illegally influence the 2016 election by hiding salacious stories from voters.

    "When I got on the phone, Mr. Trump said to me: 'I spoke to Michael. Karen is a nice girl. Is it true that a Mexican group is looking to buy her story for $8 million?'" Pecker testified.

    Pecker testified he told Trump he "absolutely" didn't believe a Mexican group was planning to buy McDougal's story for that much money.

    "And then he said, 'What do you think I should do?'" Pecker's testimony continued. "I said, 'I think you should buy the story and take it off the market.'"

    Michael Cohen.
    Michael Cohen en route to testify against Donald Trump at the hush-money trial in New York.

    'The boss is going to be very angry'

    The second chunk of the transcript to be read back Thursday morning concerns still more of Pecker's testimony. It's the former supermarket tabloid publisher's take on a failed deal with Trump, who wanted to buy the life rights for McDougals's alleged affair story from the National Enquirer for $125,000.

    Trump was concerned that should anything happen to Pecker — "He could get hit by a truck" Trump was caught on tape joking — the National Enquirer's secret records might not be secure, prosecutors have argued.

    Pecker described speaking to his own attorney, deciding not to sell McDougal's rights after all, and then breaking the news to Cohen just one month before the 2016 election.

    Cohen began "screaming at me," Pecker told jurors in the testimony section to be read back Thursday.

    "And he said — excuse me, Michael Cohen said — 'The boss is going to be very angry at you.'"

    The read-back is significant in that it again shows Trump directly involved in the catch-and-kill conspiracy that prosecutors say underlies the indictment.

    Trump, prosecutors allege, caused 34 Trump Organization records to be falsified to hide a series of reimbursement payments he made to Cohen throughout 2017, his first year in the White House.

    Cohen had fronted a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, buying her silence just 11 days before the 2016 election, according to the prosecution's case. Trump has denied any sexual encounter with Daniels.

    Cohen's reimbursement — including nine checks Trump personally signed — were falsely logged in Trump Org's books as legal fees to disguise their true, election-altering origins, prosecutors allege.

    A court artist's sketch of David Pecker speaking in court and wearing a suit and tie.
    A court artist's sketch of former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.

    That secret Trump Tower meeting

    The third and fourth read-backs on tap for jurors Thursday morning concern Cohen and Pecker's testimony describing a secret August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower.

    Trump had just announced his candidacy for president, the two witnesses testified and had called a meeting at his Manhattan skyscraper, where he kept offices for the Trump Organization and his budding campaign.

    For around 20 minutes, in Trump's 26th-floor office, they discussed with Trump how the National Enquirer could help get him elected, Cohen and Pecker testified.

    It was at this meeting that the illegal campaign conspiracy underlying Trump's indictment was hatched, according to the witnesses.

    Under the alleged conspiracy, Pecker, Trump's longtime friend, would alert Cohen when negative stories arose. Pecker testified he also agreed during the meeting to publish favorable stories about Trump and unfavorable stories about Trump's opponents, including a story falsely claiming that Republican primary opponent Ted Cruz had five mistresses.

    Cohen and Pecker's testimony about this pivotal meeting cuts both ways.

    On cross-examination, Pecker conceded that he had been using the National Enquirer to help Trump in similar ways for years, without any connection to campaign strategy — because these kind of stories simply sold well.

    Jurors were told to return to court at 9:30 a.m. local time and to expect to deliberate until 4:30 p.m. — unless they ask to work late, in which case they could stay until 6 p.m. local time.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • 3 ASX growth stocks I’d buy with $5,000

    A woman smiles as she sits on the bus using her phone and listening to music through headphones.

    Growth stocks are companies that have potentially significant expansion opportunities ahead of them. Because of their future potential, investors expect that their share prices will rise much more quickly than the market average.

    Growth shares are usually junior companies with a fair bit of buzz about them – perhaps they’re developing some revolutionary new product or service, or maybe they’re closely aligned with emerging global trends, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) or decarbonisation.

    Many ASX growth shares are tech companies. Rapid advances in technology mean products and services that weren’t even conceivable a few decades ago are now practically ubiquitous (think smartphones, streaming services, and cryptocurrency). This extreme pace of innovation means new tech start-ups can occasionally take off overnight, making their investors rich and striking FOMO into everyone else.

    However, growth stocks don’t have to be tech shares – it’s not unusual to see a junior mining stock’s price skyrocket if it uncovers a significant new resource, and even the odd retail stock can make quick gains if it launches into a potentially lucrative new market.

    But remember – growth shares are riskier than other types of shares. They are often speculative plays, and not every gamble will pay off. So, only risk what you can afford to lose.

    Despite the risk – or perhaps because of it – growth stocks can be very exciting to invest in. And, luckily for us ASX investors, there are plenty of options available for us to choose from. Here are 3 I’d consider buying if I had a spare $5,000.

    Audinate Group Ltd (ASX: AD8)

    Audinate shares have been on a tear recently. Over the past 12 months, its share price has skyrocketed over 65% – and that’s despite a 30% drop from the 52-week high price of $23.51 it hit back in March.

    The rise in its share price has come on the back of its strong financial performance. In its 1H24 results – covering the six months ending 31 December 2023 – Audinate’s revenues jumped almost 48% versus 1H23 to US$30.4 million. And, after recording a net loss of US$0.4 million in 1H23, Audinate’s net profit after tax in 1H24 was US$4.7 million – a pretty impressive turnaround.

    Audinate specialises in audiovisual (AV) technology. Its flagship product is called Dante, which replaces old-school analogue cable AV connections with a digital computer network. It has a large variety of applications, from corporate office buildings, broadcast media, and even churches and other places of worship.

    Light & Wonder Inc. CDI (ASX: LNW)

    Headquartered in Las Vegas, Light & Wonder is a gaming company specialising in poker machines, online casino games, and what it calls ‘social games’ – essentially mobile and web casino games where you don’t play for real money or prizes.

    Its share price has soared over 50% higher in the past 12 months – significantly more than established rival Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) – on the back of strong earnings growth. Quarterly revenue for the 3 months ended 31 March 2024 was up 13% versus the prior comparative period to US$756 million. This revenue uplift – combined with lower depreciation and amortisation expenses – led to a staggering 273% jump in net profit (to US$82 million for the quarter).  

    Nextdc Ltd (ASX: NXT)

    Although Nextdc is quite an established ASX technology company, it still has significant growth potential ahead of it, which makes it a worthy addition to this list.

    Nextdc operates data centres all across Australia, as well as internationally in New Zealand, Japan and Malaysia. This is already a growth sector, given how much of our time nowadays is spent online. All that data we create has to be stored somewhere.

    However, rapid advancements in AI could supercharge Nextdc’s growth in the next few years. AI, like ChatGPT and other machine learning programs, need enormous amounts of data to function, which could drive up demand for data centres even further. And the company knows it. In April, it launched a capital raise seeking an eyewatering $1.3 billion from investors to help finance its growth pipeline.

    The post 3 ASX growth stocks I’d buy with $5,000 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Audinate Group Limited right now?

    Before you buy Audinate Group Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Audinate Group Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Rhys Brock has positions in Audinate Group and Nextdc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Audinate Group and Light & Wonder. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Audinate Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Light & Wonder. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • These ASX shares could rise 25% to 35%

    If you want to give your investment portfolio a nice boost, then it could be worth considering the ASX shares listed below.

    That’s because they have been named as buys and tipped to rise materially from current levels. Here’s what you need to know about them:

    James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX)

    Analysts at Goldman Sachs see a lot of value in this building materials company’s shares following a recent pullback.

    The broker notes that it sees “upside from cyclical improvement and strategic execution against higher value product mix targets, which has scope to substantially improve group profitability.” It also highlights that its analysts “continue to expect robust growth in FY26 as North America volumes accelerate to 7%, while new construction and PDG maintain momentum.”

    In light of this, the broker put a buy rating and $57.85 price target on its shares earlier this month. This implies potential upside of almost 25% for investors over the next 12 months.

    Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU)

    The team at Bell Potter is feeling very bullish about this pharmaceuticals company and sees it as an ASX share to buy right now.

    The broker was pleased with the phase two results from its NNZ-2591 trial in Pitt Hopkins syndrome. It highlights that NNZ-2591 “has now shown encouraging clinical data in two indications, each of which represent a similar if not larger market opportunity than Rett syndrome.”

    In addition, with no approved treatments available, it believes that “NNZ-2591 is comfortably in poll position to be the first drug to market.”

    In response to the news, the broker has retained its buy rating with an improved price target of $28.00. This implies potential upside of almost 35% for investors from current levels.

    Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS)

    A third ASX share that could deliver big returns for investors according to analysts is energy giant Woodside.

    Morgans thinks investors should be snapping up the company’s shares while they are down in the dumps. It notes that “with the pullback in oil prices moderating and work at Scarborough back underway, we see now as a good time to add to positions.”

    This is particularly the case given its belief that Woodside “will still generate substantial high-quality earnings for years to come.”

    Morgans has an add rating and $36.00 price target on its shares. This implies potential upside of 31% for investors from current levels. In addition, the broker is forecasting dividend yields of 4%+ in both FY 2024 and FY 2025. This boosts the total potential 12-month return to over 35%.

    The post These ASX shares could rise 25% to 35% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in James Hardie Industries Plc right now?

    Before you buy James Hardie Industries Plc shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and James Hardie Industries Plc wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Woodside Energy Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Overinvested in CBA shares? Here are two alternative ASX dividend stocks

    a smiling woman holds up two fingers and winks.

    Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) is one of the biggest and most popular investments in Australia. But, there are plenty of other ASX dividend stocks that can provide passive income.

    CBA has delivered solid returns over the past three years. But I believe diversification is an essential part of almost any investment strategy. Having all or most of one’s dividend eggs in one basket could be a recipe for trouble if the banking sector experiences trouble, such as elevated bad debts.

    Other businesses can provide a pleasing level of dividend income compared to CBA’s current grossed-up dividend yield of 5.5%. The below two ASX shares could be compelling options to diversify a dividend portfolio.

    Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL)

    Medibank is the largest private health insurance business in Australia with its Medibank and ahm brands.

    A core driver of earnings for Medibank is how many policyholders it has. In the FY24 first-half result it reported a 0.2% (or 3,400) increase in net resident policyholder numbers and a 12.3% (or 33,800) rise in net non-resident policy units. In a recent update, the business said that based on its performance in the three months to March 2024, it “remains on track” to deliver on its guidance of resident policyholder growth of between 1.2% and 1.5% in FY24.

    More policyholders can result in stronger operating profit and a growing dividend for the ASX dividend stock – HY24 group operating profit rose 4.7%, helping fund a 14.3% increase to the dividend per share.

    I believe there are tailwinds for the company’s policyholder numbers and profit with Australia’s growing and ageing population.

    Healthcare is a relatively defensive sector – people usually place a high value on their health, so private insurance demand could remain strong in the years ahead.

    According to the estimate on Commsec, at the current Medibank share price, shareholders could receive a grossed-up dividend yield of 6.3% in FY24.

    Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW)

    This is a diversified real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns property across a variety of sectors including agri-logistics, social infrastructure, office, industrial and logistics, hospitality, service stations and quality retail. It has a portfolio occupancy rate of 99.9%, which is very high.

    Examples of some of the key tenants include the Australian government, Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS), BP and Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV). Having blue-chip tenants like this should mean the rental income is resilient.

    Pleasingly, the business has a weighted average lease expiry (WALE) of more than 10 years. This means there is a high level of income security and rental visibility for the coming years.

    While debt costs have increased, the ASX dividend stock’s rental income continues to grow. Around half of its leases are linked to CPI inflation, it’s expecting to report a 5.4% weighted average increase in FY24. The other half of leases have fixed annual increases, with an average fixed increase of 3.1%.

    It’s expecting to pay a distribution per unit of 26 cents in FY24, which translates into a current distribution yield of 7.5%.

    The post Overinvested in CBA shares? Here are two alternative ASX dividend stocks appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Charter Hall Long Wale Reit right now?

    Before you buy Charter Hall Long Wale Reit shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Charter Hall Long Wale Reit wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • The best ASX shares to invest $500 in right now

    If you have $500 burning a hole in your pocket and want to put it to work in the share market, then read on.

    That’s because listed below are two ASX shares that have been tipped to deliver big returns for investors over the next 12 months.

    Let’s see why they could be great options for a $500 investment right now:

    Camplify Holdings Ltd (ASX: CHL)

    Analysts at Morgans see significant value in Camplify’s shares and have them on the broker’s best ideas list.

    Camplify is the number one player in ANZ in the peer-to-peer recreational vehicle (RV) rental market. Morgans believes the company has a significant growth opportunity both at home and abroad. It explains:

    CHL is the #1 player in ANZ in the peer-to-peer RV rental space. We expect CHL to continue to grow into its large addressable market locally, with over 790k registered RVs in Australia and ~130k in NZ. CHL only has ~2% of these on its platform. It has broadly doubled its domestic fleet since listing and with its acquisition of Germany- based PaulCamper (PC) now has a total fleet of over 29,000, making it a true global player. Some key positive points worth noting and likely drivers of medium-term growth for CHL include: 1) it has a robust take-rate for its core platform of ~32% vs PC at ~20%. We expect PC to see a marked improvement in this take-rate in time due to the roll-out of CHL’s Premium Membership and insurance offering; 2) With the establishment of the MyWay MGA insurance business, CHL will likely see an overall increase in insurance revenue in Europe; 3) CHL has had 4 straight quarters of positive OCF, has ~A$26.6m cash on balance sheet and no debt.

    Morgans has an add rating and $2.55 price target on its shares. If this ASX share were to rise to this level, it would turn a $500 investment into approximately $820.

    Regal Partners Ltd (ASX: RPL)

    Bell Potter thinks that Regal Partners could be an ASX share to buy. It is a specialist alternative investment manager that was formed in 2022 following the merger of Regal Funds and VGI Partners.

    It manages a broad range of investment strategies covering long/short equities, private markets, real and natural assets, and credit and royalties on behalf of institutions, family offices, charitable groups, and private investors.

    Bell Potter believes the company’s shares are undervalued based on its positive growth outlook. It said:

    We continue to favour RPL, given its strong organic & inorganic growth potential, and entrepreneurial culture. Following the acquisition of PM Capital and Taurus (50%) last year, the firm has shown an acceleration of inflows, strong investment performance and success in marketing new funds. We feel this strong performance is not reflected in the share price and see considerable upside.

    The broker has a buy rating and $4.02 price target on its shares. This implies potential upside of 28% and would turn a $500 investment into approximately $640. It also expects 6%+ dividend yields through to FY 2026.

    The post The best ASX shares to invest $500 in right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Camplify Holdings Limited right now?

    Before you buy Camplify Holdings Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Camplify Holdings Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Camplify. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Camplify. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • 22,000-year-old artifacts could rewrite ancient human history in North America

    A hand holding a stone tool
    One of the tools Darrin Lowery found on Parsons Island.

    • Darrin Lowery found a collection of tools in Maryland that may date to 22,000 years ago.
    • That would mean humans first arrived in North America thousands of years before we thought.
    • Most experts believe humans first arrived in North America between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago.

    North and South America were the last inhabited continents that modern humans settled thousands of years ago, but when and how they reached the Americas remains a mystery.

    "We don't know who these first peoples were," Todd Braje, executive director of the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History, told Business Insider. We don't know "where they came from, when they arrived, the technologies that they had available," he added.

    For many years, archaeologists thought the first humans to set foot in the Americas did so around 13,000 years ago. But more recently, new findings have challenged that theory, pushing the timeline back even further.

    Now, a recent series of discoveries on Parsons Island, Maryland, could wind back the clock yet again. And it raises some difficult questions about early human migration across North America.

    Outside the mainstream

    Darrin Lowery has been hunting for artifacts on Maryland islands around the Chesapeake Bay since he was 9 years old. Over 40 years later, he's amassed a large collection of tools that he believes some of the earliest Americans used.

    He found nearly 300 tools on Parsons Island and says they're around 22,000 years old. That's thousands of years before many scientists think humans first journeyed to North America.

    If Lowery's hypothesis is correct, it would significantly change our ideas of how and when people started arriving in this part of the world.

    However, Lowery, who mainly works as an independent geologist, hasn't published his latest work in a peer-reviewed journal, making other experts skeptical of a theory that's already a bit outside the mainstream.

    Lowery doesn't mind the criticism, though. "If I'm wrong, I'm fine with that," he told Business Insider. "Prove me wrong."

    When did the first modern humans reach North America?

    Dark gray stone tools from the front and side
    Darrin Lowery found nearly 300 artifacts on Parsons Islands, some of which he dated to around 22,000 years old.

    Around 13,000 years ago something significant was happening across northern North America: The glaciers that had covered part of the continent for millennia were melting.

    Archaeologists thought humans needed to wait for those glaciers to melt to migrate across this region. Otherwise, the journey through what is now Canada would have been too dangerous, with little food available along the way.

    So, for most of the 20th century, the theory was that the first Americans came from Asia around 13,000 years ago, crossing the now-submerged Bering land bridge that connected Siberia and present-day Alaska. Then those humans and their ancestors made their way across the areas of the Americas with fewer glaciers.

    But by the second half of the 20th century, older sites were turning up, like a 14,500-year-old site in Chile, Monte Verde. If people were that far south at the time, it meant humans had to have traveled from North America to South America well before 13,000 years ago.

    "It really changed everything about what we understood about when and how people arrived to the Americas," Braje said of the Chile site. One alternative theory is that people followed the less icy Pacific Coast and then started moving east.

    While individual sites are often subjects of debate, the widely accepted range of humans' first arrival in the Americas is now between 20,000 to 15,000 years ago, Braje said.

    But Lowery said his artifacts are even older.

    Dating 22,000-year-old artifacts

    The embankment on Parsons Island
    Parsons Island has undergone a lot of erosion, so many of the artifacts are no longer in their original location.

    Over the course of 93 visits to Parsons Island, Lowery and other volunteers found a mix of chipped-off rock flakes, a stone for hammering, and knives.

    Due to erosion, most of the artifacts fell out of the embankment that once held them.

    However, nine were still stuck in the bank, and three of those dated to around 22,000 years ago.

    Dating ancient artifacts like this is tricky and is often the source of contention around these sites that question our understanding and timeline of ancient human history.

    For instance, most dating methods require organic material and won't work on stone tools. Instead, scientists test charcoal, pollen, and other matter found near stone artifacts.

    However, if a tool shifts from its original position — like if it falls out of the embankment that's holding it — it's difficult to date it reliably.

    That's why only a handful of Lowery's artifacts could be tested.

    Though Lowery doesn't want to publish a paper through peer review — a process he called "antiquated" — he said he did his due diligence in dating the artifacts.

    He used different methods to date the still-in-place artifacts and also sent samples to independent labs for verification.

    Using radiocarbon dating that measured the amount of carbon in flakes of charcoal, an independent lab estimated the artifacts' ages to be between 20,563 and 22,656 years old.

    If these artifacts are as old as the lab analysis suggests, then Lowery's discovery could rewrite our understanding of ancient American human history.

    The journey from Alaska to Maryland

    A map of North America covered in large glaciers 21,000 years ago
    Around 21,000 years ago, glaciers covered most of Canada.

    Around 21,000 years ago, nearly all of Canada was covered in glaciers. Therefore, one of the biggest questions with Lowery's theory is how humans could have made the trek from Alaska to Maryland 22,000 years ago when there was a vast, icy landscape in between.

    But Lowery said nearly 26,000 years ago, Beringian wolves traveled through a temporary corridor between ice sheets. Humans could have used the same route, he said.

    "I think this is largely a misconception that ice is an impediment," Lowery said. "It's a challenge, but humans are pretty damn smart."

    Lowery admitted this is just what he called "a story," but it's one some experts refuse to entertain. One archaeologist that The Washington Post spoke with refused to comment on the non-peer-reviewed paper.

    For Braje, Lowery's research is reminiscent of past debates when new discoveries pushed back the timeline for the first American arrivals.

    Braje didn't dismiss Lowery's ideas outright, but he thinks they need to go through the peer-review process. "I think all these ideas are valid ones that we should be talking about," he said, "but then we have to go to the scientific evidence."

    "To make big claims like this takes a lot of work, a lot of evidence, a lot of enduring critique, but that's part of the scientific process," Braje said.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Nvidia stock: 4 reasons to buy, 4 reasons to sell

    An ASX investor in a business shirt and tie looks at his computer screen and scratches his head with one hand wondering if he should buy ASX shares yet

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    Nvidia‘s (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock jumped 9% to a new all-time high on May 23, after the company posted its latest earnings report. In the first quarter of fiscal 2025, which ended on April 28, the chipmaker’s revenue surged 262% year over year to $26.0 billion and exceeded analysts’ estimates by $1.5 billion. Its adjusted earnings surged 461% to $6.12 per share and also cleared the consensus forecast by $0.54.

    Those growth rates were explosive, but does Nvidia’s stock still have room to run after rallying about 2,720% over the past five years? Let’s review the four reasons to buy Nvidia’s stock — as well as the four reasons to sell it — to decide.

    The key numbers

    Back in fiscal 2023, which ended in January of that year, Nvidia’s revenue flatlined as its adjusted EPS fell 25%. Its sales of gaming GPUs cooled off as PC shipments declined in a post-pandemic market, and the macro headwinds curbed its sales of data center chips. But in fiscal 2024, its revenue and adjusted EPS surged 126% and 288%, respectively.

    That abrupt acceleration was driven by the rapid expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) market. Nvidia’s data center GPUs are used to process complex AI tasks, and the market’s demand for those chips quickly outstripped its available supply. Nvidia generated 87% of its revenue from its data center chips in the first quarter of fiscal 2025.

    Nvidia also announced a 10-for-1 stock split that will take effect on June 7. The split won’t alter Nvidia’s valuations, but it might attract some interest from smaller retail investors while boosting the stock’s liquidity through more options trading.

    The four reasons to buy Nvidia

    The bulls still love Nvidia for four reasons. First, they believe it will continue to dominate the AI market with its data center GPUs. The global AI market could still expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37% from 2023 to 2030, according to Markets and Markets, and Nvidia could be the simplest way to profit from that secular boom.

    Second, its first mover’s advantage in the AI space gives it tremendous pricing power. Its top-tier H100 GPUs cost more than $40,000, and it can keep raising those prices to boost its gross margin. Third, Nvidia’s gaming business, 10% of its first-quarter revenue, is gradually recovering as the PC market stabilizes.

    Lastly, Nvidia’s stock still looks reasonably valued relative to its growth potential. From fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2027, analysts expect its revenue to grow at a CAGR of 43% as its EPS increases at a CAGR of 49%.

    Based on those estimates, Nvidia’s stock trades at just 41 times forward earnings. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD -3.77%), which is growing at a much slower rate and has less exposure to the AI market, trades at 46 times forward earnings.

    The four reasons to sell Nvidia

    Meanwhile, the bears are skeptical about Nvidia for four reasons. First, they believe Nvidia will lose its first mover’s advantage in the data center GPU market as more competitors carve up the market. AMD’s new Instinct data center GPUs already cost less than Nvidia’s top-tier GPUs, and tech giants such as MicrosoftAlphabet‘s Google, and Meta Platforms have all been developing their own in-house AI chips to reduce their long-term dependence on Nvidia.

    Second, U.S. regulators recently barred Nvidia from shipping its top-tier AI GPUs to China. That pressure could drive Chinese chipmakers to accelerate their development of comparable AI accelerators. If those efforts are successful, Chinese companies could eventually flood the global market with cheaper AI chips and crush Nvidia’s gross margins.

    Third, Nvidia’s insiders sold about twice as many shares as they bought over the past 12 months. That cooling insider sentiment suggests that Nvidia could be running out of room to run as the market hovers near its all-time highs. Last but not least, the recent buying frenzy in AI chips could eventually lead to a supply glut if the market finally cools off.

    The strengths still outweigh the weaknesses

    Nvidia faces some long-term challenges, but I believe its strengths still clearly outweigh its weaknesses. Its business is still firing on all cylinders, its margin is expanding, and its stock still looks reasonably valued. Therefore, it’s not too late to accumulate more shares of Nvidia if you believe the AI market will continue flourishing over the next few decades.

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    The post Nvidia stock: 4 reasons to buy, 4 reasons to sell appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now?

    Before you buy Nvidia shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Nvidia wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

     Leo Sun has positions in Meta Platforms. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • 2 of the best ASX dividend stocks for income investors to buy in June

    Do you have room for some new additions to your income portfolio in June?

    If you do, then it could be worth checking out the highly rated ASX dividend stocks listed below that analysts rate as buys. Here’s what you need to know about them:

    Dexus Industria REIT (ASX: DXI)

    The first ASX dividend stock that could be a top buy in June is Dexus Industria. It is a real estate investment trust with a portfolio of high quality industrial warehouses located across capital cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide.

    Morgans currently has the company on its best ideas list with an add rating and $3.18 price target. It commented:

    The portfolio is valued at $1.6bn across +90 properties with 89% of the portfolio weighted towards industrial assets (WACR 5.38%). The portfolio’s WALE is around 6 years and occupancy 97.5%. Across the portfolio 50% of leases are linked to CPI with the balance on fixed increases between 3-3.5%. While we expect cap rates to expand further in the near term, DXI’s industrial portfolio remains robust with the outlook positive for rental growth. The development pipeline also provides near and medium-term upside potential and post asset sales there is balance sheet capacity to execute.

    As for income, Morgans expects the company to pay dividends per share of 16.4 cents in FY 2024 and then 16.6 cents in FY 2025. Based on the current Dexus Industria share price of $2.93, this will mean dividend yields of 5.6% and 5.65%, respectively.

    Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)

    Another ASX dividend stock that is highly rated is Rural Funds. It is an agricultural REIT with a diversified farmland portfolio across five core sectors. Its properties, which are focused on almond orchards, vineyards, cattle, cotton and macadamias, are predominantly leased to corporate agricultural operators on long leases.

    Bell Potter thinks income investors should be buying the company’s shares and has named it on its Australian equities panel this month with a buy rating and $2.40 price target. It commented:

    RFF trades at a historical high discount to its market NAV per unit ($2.78 pu) at ~28%. While we are in general seeing large discounts to NAV in ASX listed farming and water assets to market NAV, the discount that RFF is trading appears excessive and we are seeing a value opportunity in RFF. While the timing of that value discount closing is difficult to call, investors are likely to be rewarded with a ~6% yield to hold the position until such a time as the asset class rerates. Furthermore, RFF aims to achieve income growth through productivity improvements, conversion of assets to higher and better use along with rental indexation which is built into all of its contracts with its tenants.

    The broker expects Rural Funds to pay dividends per share of 11.7 cents in both FY 2024 and FY 2025. Based on its current share price of $2.01, this would mean dividend yields of 5.8%.

    The post 2 of the best ASX dividend stocks for income investors to buy in June appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Dexus Industria Reit right now?

    Before you buy Dexus Industria Reit shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Dexus Industria Reit wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Rural Funds Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Check out this soaring ASX stock, up 300% in 2 years, with more gains likely to come

    Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) shares have been soaring over the last couple of years.

    Thanks to its explosive revenue and earnings growth, the ASX tech stock has risen approximately 300% since this time in 2022.

    This means that if you had been lucky enough to have invested $10,000 into the location technology company’s shares two years ago, your investment would have grown to be worth $40,000 today.

    But if you thought this ASX stock was now peaking, think again. That’s the view of analysts at Bell Potter, which believe Life360 shares can keep rising from current levels.

    What is the broker saying about this high-flying ASX stock?

    According to a recent note, the broker has responded to Life360’s first quarter update by reiterating its buy rating with a price target of $17.75.

    Based on its current share price of $14.80, this implies potential upside of 20% for this ASX stock over the next 12 months. If this proves accurate, it would turn a $10,000 investment into approximately $12,000.

    Bell Potter likes Life360 due to the resilience of its business and potential to continue growing strongly in the future. It said:

    Life360 has c.1.9m paying circles – the best measure of subscriber numbers – and managed to grow this base by 39% in 2021, 23% in 2022 and 21% in 2023 despite the disruptions associated with COVID-19. This growth shows resilience in the subscriber base and, furthermore, the potential for continued strong growth in the base with market conditions now back to normal.

    In addition, the broker highlights that the ASX stock has the potential to enter and disrupt other markets. It adds:

    Life360 has the potential to leverage its large and growing user base to enter new markets and disrupt the legacy incumbents. An example is roadside assistance where Life360 launched a subscription-based product called Driver Protect which disrupted the market and helped enable monetisation of its user base. Other markets Life360 could potentially enter include insurance, item & pet tracking, senior monitoring, home security and/or identity theft.

    Potential re-rating

    In light of the above and given the valuation of a peer, the broker believes that this ASX stock deserves to trade on higher multiples. Particularly given its plan to list on Wall Street in the near future. It concludes:

    We have increased the multiple we apply in the EV/Revenue valuation from 5.5x to 6.5x given the proposed US listing and potential re-rating of the stock given the higher multiples of comps like Reddit (NYSE: RDDT). There is, however, no change in the 9.3% WACC we apply in the DCF. The net result is a 9% increase in our PT to $17.75 which is >15% premium to the share price so we maintain our BUY recommendation. Key potential catalysts for the stock include another strong quarter of paying circle growth in Q2 (April was another good month), a potential upgrade to the 2024 guidance sometime in H2 and a US listing at some stage in the next 12 months.

    The post Check out this soaring ASX stock, up 300% in 2 years, with more gains likely to come appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Life360 right now?

    Before you buy Life360 shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Life360 wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Life360. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Life360. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Inside Henrik Fisker’s staff meeting, where the CEO announced more layoffs hitting his electric car company

    henrik fisker
    Henrik Fisker told staff there would be another round of layoffs on Wednesday, four sources confirmed to Business Insider.

    • Fisker announced another round of layoffs during an all-hands meeting Wednesday morning.
    • CEO Henrik Fisker said he wasn't directly involved in the decision, sources told BI.
    • Fisker recently appointed a chief restructuring officer who was given sole authority over some of the company's financial decision-making.

    Henrik Fisker had grim news for his staff when they logged on to a short all-hands meeting Wednesday morning. The electric carmaker was implementing yet another round of layoffs, he said.

    Four employees who attended the meeting told Business Insider that the CEO and founder attempted to shift responsibility for the latest staff cuts, frustrating some staff who felt he was failing to take accountability for how the company had gotten to the brink of bankruptcy.

    Henrik Fisker told employees he had not been directly involved in the decision to cut staff and instead said the choice to further reduce the company's workforce was made by chief restructuring officer John DiDonato, two employees who attended told BI.

    DiDonato, the restructuring officer, is the managing director of Huron Consulting Group and was brought in to help Fisker in April. Fisker was required to install a chief restructuring officer last month after the company missed an interest payment to an unnamed institutional investor and noteholder. The agreement gave the CRO, who reports directly to the company's recently established transaction committee, "sole authority" over decision-making related to a potential sale of the company and "oversight of cash management," according to an April 16 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    "The general gist of the meeting was Henrik was saying 'These are not my layoffs,'" said one worker, who witnessed the meeting and later found out that their role had been eliminated.

    Shortly after the meeting, dozens of workers found out they'd been impacted by the cut when they lost access to the company's internal systems, two workers who lost their jobs as part of the cuts told BI. The employees later received an email from human resources notifying them they'd been impacted by the cuts, they said.

    At least one Fisker employee took to the company's internal Microsoft Teams channel to criticize Henrik Fisker's comments.

    "You have not one time taken responsibility for what's going on at Fisker," the employee wrote in the Teams chat. "I am here for 8 months and not once did you acknowledge mistakes by our leadership. It's always others."

    Another employee wrote: "We love you Henrick!!!!! Keep fighting!"

    The recent layoffs represent the latest in a series of cuts at Fisker, including a round last week.

    The significant staff reductions are designed to eventually bring the workforce down to a group of about 100 employees, one former Fisker employee with knowledge of the issue said.

    It's not clear how many employees remain. Spokespeople for Fisker and its CRO DiDonato did not immediately respond to requests for comment ahead of publication.

    Fisker has repeatedly warned over the past few months that the company may go out of business within the year. On April 29, the company sent notices to staffers, in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, that they may be laid off in two months if the company can't find a buyer or additional funding.

    Do you work for Fisker or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email at gkay@insider.com

    Read the original article on Business Insider