usdaed

Consider, then, the curious case of the Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF (VXUS), a globe-trotting contraption that excludes America’s glittering jewels. A decade ago, a $1,000 wager on this cosmopolitan venture would now yield $1,540-a result as unremarkable as a monochrome portrait. But reinvest the dividends, and the sum swells to $2,070, a 7.6% annualized return. One might call it the difference between a polite nod and a grand flourish.

ARR, as defined by PTC itself, represents “the annualized value of our portfolio of active subscription software, SaaS, hosting, and support contracts.” It is not merely a number but a reflection of what the company invoices its patrons each year-a numerical simulacrum of its vitality. For those who peer into this mirror, the image reveals more than meets the eye. Management has declared that free cash flow will grow faster than ARR over the mid-term, with non-GAAP operating expenses pacing at roughly half the rate of ARR. This declaration, like an ancient prophecy etched on stone tablets, hints at wealth yet unseen.

August, that languid yet strangely vital month, breathed a modest 1.58% increase into the index’s form-a number, one might say, as fleeting as a summer breeze. Yet amid that gentle swell, there emerged three illustrious characters-Intel (INTC), Applovin (APP), and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)-each finishing with at least 21% added to their stature, as if propelled by unseen spirits of chance and hope.

Now, before you start imagining robots running around handing out policies like it’s some sort of futuristic Wild West, let’s get down to brass tacks. This company managed to bring in $164.1 million in the second quarter of 2025-a 35% increase from the year before. The kind of growth that gets the investors tapping their feet. And you know that all-important metric in the insurance business, the one they talk about over whiskey at the golf course? In-force premium-up by 29%. A good sign that business is picking up, and no one’s getting too miserly with their wallets. They also shaved down their net loss ratio from 79% to 69%. This means they’re paying out fewer claims than they were before, a real miracle in the insurance business if I’ve ever seen one. The cherry on top? They only lost 60 cents per share-down from 81 cents a year ago. Sure, they’re still losing money, but at least they’re losing it more efficiently.

In my prudent assessment, I find myself poised in expectation of a price correction, which would afford the opportunity to acquire XRP once more, but one must wonder: will such a chance present itself in the month of September? My inclinations lean towards skepticism, though an examination of the current landscape may yet yield insight.

In a press release that read like a bedtime story for worried investors, the company shrunk its adjusted EPS forecast from a sprightly $12.60-$12.90 to a slithering $11.30-$11.60. Organic net sales? Now expected to ooze downward 4%-6%, thanks to its beer division-its golden goose, now more of a limping duck. CEO Bill Newlands, a man who probably still believes in magic, blamed “a challenging macroeconomic environment” and “volatile consumer purchasing behavior.” Nonsense! The real villain lurks in the shadows: a grumpy giant with a rubber truncheon, stomping through Hispanic neighborhoods and scaring off high-end beer buyers like a cross-eyed bull in a china shop.