Gold Holds Gain as Fresh Trade Uncertainty Stokes Haven Demand
The precious metal traded near $3,314 an ounce, following a gain of nearly 1% on Thursday after a federal appeals court offered Trump a temporary reprieve from a ruling threatening to throw out the bulk of his tariff agenda. A weakening dollar also helped, driven by growing fiscal risks and renewed political pressure on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LKQ Shares Crash To 52-Week Low On Slashed Outlook
LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) shares plummeted over 21% on Thursday after the automotive parts distributor reported second-quarter adjusted earnings that missed analyst expectations and significantly cut its full-year guidance, citing ongoing macroeconomic headwinds and a lack of recovery in North American repairable claims. The company reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 87 cents, missing the analyst consensus estimate of 92 cents. Quarterly sales of $3.64 billion (down 1.9% year over year) was in line with the Street view. North American organic revenue outperformed the market even as repairable claims across the entire industry declined 9%. In Europe, LKQ Corporation has replaced more than 25% of the leadership team and continues to focus on reducing costs, rationalizing SKU's and enhancing revenue opportunities, including entering into a strategic partnership to expand our salvage business. Also Read: TransUnion's Upbeat Outlook Shines Through Market Uncertainty Organic parts & services revenue declined 3.4% year‑over‑year (2.7% on a per‑day basis). Acquisitions and divestitures trimmed revenue by 1.0% while foreign exchange rates added 2.3%, resulting in a net 2.1% decrease. The company said its focus on cost reduction measures has resulted in more than $125 million in costs taken out over the past 12 months with an additional $75 million targeted for 2025. Gross profit in the quarter under review remained relatively flat on a year-over-year basis to $1.412 billion, with gross margin flat at 38.8%. View more earnings on LKQ Adjusted EBITDA in the quarter under review decreased to $423 million from $429 million a year ago. The company exited the quarter with cash and equivalents at $289 million, and inventories worth $3.394 billion. As of June 30, 2025, the balance sheet reflected total debt of $4.5 billion, and total leverage, as defined in credit facility, was 2.6x EBITDA. On July 22, the company declared a quarterly cash dividend of 30 cents per share of common stock, payable on August 28. Outlook In North America, the company is not seeing a recovery in the repairable claims and tariff uncertainty continues. In Europe, general economic softness and geopolitical unrest are drivers of an uncertain environment. LKQ cut its fiscal year 2025 adjusted EPS guidance to $3.00-$3.30 from $3.40-$3.70, falling short of the $3.52 consensus estimate. Organic revenue for parts and services is expected to decline in the range of 3.5% to 1.5% (prior view: growth of upto 2%). The company's stock has hit a 52-week low of $32.78 following its earnings report. The key factors behind the decline were a miss on adjusted earnings per share and a revised, lower outlook for the full year, both of which have unsettled investors.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chipotle reports lower profit in Q2 2025
Chipotle Mexican Grill has reported a net income of $436.1m, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, ended 30 June - a slight decrease from $455.7m, or $0.33 per diluted share, in the previous year. The Q2 results revealed a mixed performance with increased total revenue but decreased comparable restaurant sales and operating margins. The company's total revenue saw a 3% rise to $3.1bn, driven by new restaurant openings, yet comparable restaurant sales fell 4%. Operating margin decreased to 18.2% from 19.7% and restaurant-level operating margin declined to 27.4% from 28.9%. Despite the downturn in some areas, Chipotle continued its expansion by opening 61 new company-owned restaurants, with 47 featuring the Chipotlane drive-through facility. Digital sales accounted for 35.5% of total food and beverage revenue. Adjusted net income also saw a marginal decline to $450.4m, or $0.33 per adjusted diluted share, compared to $463.0m, or $0.34 per adjusted diluted share, in Q2 2024. The brand's stock repurchase programme remained active, with $435.9m worth of stock bought back at an average price of $50.16 per share. As of the end of the quarter, Chipotle had $838.8m available for further repurchases, bolstered by an additional $400m authorised by the board on 10 June 2025. Cost efficiencies in food, beverage and packaging, which fell to 28.9% of total revenue, were offset by inflation in ingredient costs, particularly for steak and chicken. Labour expenses rose to 24.7% of total revenue, attributed to lower sales volumes despite the benefits of previous menu price increases and efficient labour management. General and administrative expenses decreased to $172.2m, largely due to reduced performance bonuses and stock-based compensation. On a non-generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis, general and administrative expenses for Q2 2025 were $159.9m, against $171.3m in the previous quarter. The effective income tax rate also saw a slight reduction to 24.5%, driven by lower non-deductible expenses. Looking ahead to the full year 2025, management expects comparable restaurant sales to remain flat and plans to open between 315 and 345 new company-owned restaurants, with more than 80% featuring a Chipotlane. The anticipated underlying effective full-year tax rate is estimated to be between 25% and 27% before discrete items. For Q1 (ended 31 March 2025), Chipotle reported a 6.4% increase in revenue to $2.9bn, compared with $2.7bn posted in the same period of the previous year. "Chipotle reports lower profit in Q2 2025" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Standard Premium Delivers Strong Q2 Performance Highlighting Enhanced Efficiency and Company Growth
Standard Premium Finance Holdings, Inc. MIAMI, July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard Premium Finance Holdings, Inc. ("Standard Premium") (OTCQX: SPFX), a leading specialty finance company, announces strong preliminary financial and operational results for the second quarter and first half of 2025, highlighting growth in the Company's loan portfolio, stable originations, improved funding costs and continued return-on-equity growth. As of June 30, 2025, the Company's loan portfolio exceeded $70 million, representing a 9.7% increase since December 2024. For Q2, Standard Premium reported $3.1 million in revenue, income before taxes of $345,000 and return-on-equity of 15%. Basic and diluted earnings per share were $0.08 and $0.06, respectively. 'Our performance reflects a strong focus on long-term value creation and capital-efficient growth,' says William Koppelmann, CEO, Standard Premium. 'As we continue to expand our national footprint and build on our operating strengths, we look ahead to the second half of the year as an opportunity to deepen our market presence, strengthen our customer relations and drive sustained performance for our shareholders.' Year-to-date (YTD), the Company has generated $6 million in revenue and $783,500 in income before taxes. Basic earnings per share for the first half of 2025 reached $0.18, with diluted EPS of $0.14. YTD return on equity climbed to 18%, supported by stable originations, disciplined cost control and improved funding efficiency. 'We remain focused on sustainable, margin-conscious growth,' adds Brian Krogol, CFO, Standard Premium. 'Improved cost of funds and careful expense management have positioned us to continue delivering value across market cycles.' About Standard Premium Finance Holdings, Inc. Standard Premium Finance Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: SPFX), is a specialty finance company which has financed premiums on over $2 Billion of property and casualty insurance policies since 1991. We currently operate in 38 states and are seeking M&A opportunities of synergistic businesses to leverage economies of scale. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21e of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended with regard to our anticipated earnings, future growth and outlook. Our actual results may differ from expectations presented or implied herein and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or results.
