All posts tagged: Slides

Taiwan Semi Slides Despite Record Results In Warning Sign For Chip Companies

Taiwan Semi Slides Despite Record Results In Warning Sign For Chip Companies

Published by Jenni Sidey

Taiwanese chip giant, Taiwan Semiconductor Manfuacturing Co, said Thursday its net profit surged to a fresh record in the first quarter, fueled by the global artificial intelligence race despite the war in the Middle East. Massive demand for AI hardware means business is booming for TSMC — the biggest contract maker of microchips used in everything from Apple phones to Nvidia processors. TSMC’s net profit for the first three months of the year jumped 58.3% YoY to NT$572.5 billion ($18 billion), beating analyst estimates of NT$540.20 billion as governments and tech giants continue to pour huge sums into building data centers that can train and run AI tools such as chatbots, image generators and agents that can execute tasks. A weaker Taiwanese dollar had also boosted the firm’s revenues from overseas sales: the company said net revenue rose 35.1% YoY to a record NT$1.13 trillion. Gross margin was 66.2% in the first quarter, further increased from a record 62.3% last quarter. Here is the full Q1 breakdown: Sales NT$1.13 trillion, +35% y/y, estimate NT$1.12 trillion Net income NT$572.5 …

TSLA stock slides, Supercharger prices, and who’s REALLY behind Elon’s big chip fab

TSLA stock slides, Supercharger prices, and who’s REALLY behind Elon’s big chip fab

Published by skeptic

On today’s Tesla-tastic episode of Quick Charge, a TSLA bear thinks the stock is headed for a 60% slide before the year is out, Tesla launches a Supercharger configurator, and we find out what’s really going on at Elon’s proposed chip fab. We also take a look at the NHTSA investigation into 159 incidents involving Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon (ASS) parking feature, and ask whether or not the Supercharger wholesale model will be able to stand up to increasing pressure from other EVSE manufacturers. Source Links Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series. Advertisement – scroll for more content Got news? Let us know!Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in …

Oil Slides As Trump Reportedly Told Aides He’s Willing To End War Without Reopening Hormuz

Oil Slides As Trump Reportedly Told Aides He’s Willing To End War Without Reopening Hormuz

Published by Jenni Sidey

Summary Trump reportedly told his aides he’s willing to end the war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz Iran struck a fully-laden Kuwaiti oil tanker in a Dubai port Iran rejects ‘excessive, illogical’ US demands while Trump mentions ‘progress’ with a ‘more reasonable regime’. Trump again threatens to destroy Iran energy sites and Kharg Island. Hundreds of US Special Forces arrive in region. White House seriously considering ground operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile but also wants Tehran to negotiate handing it over willingly. Bessent: US will ‘retake’ Hormuz Strait ‘over time’. Bazan oil refinery in Israel’s northern city of Haifa is on fire after a second apparent Iranian missile strike of the war. Trump says US response ‘coming shortly’. Iran accuses Israel of more ‘false flags’ – after Kuwait water desalination plant hit. *  *  * Trump Told Aides He’s Willing To End War Without Reopening Hormuz; Report The Wall Street Journal is reporting that President Trump told aides he’s willing to end the U.S. military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely …

Claude Co-Work Skills Guide: 7 Tools for Briefings, Notes, and Slides

Claude Co-Work Skills Guide: 7 Tools for Briefings, Notes, and Slides

Published by skeptic

Claude Cowork offers a range of AI-driven features designed to simplify daily workflows and enhance productivity. In a recent breakdown by Brock Mesarich | AI for Non Techies, the focus is on seven specific skills that can make a tangible difference in how you approach your workday. For instance, the Morning Briefing Skill consolidates your calendar, emails, tasks and news into a single, automated dashboard. This feature provides a clear overview of your day, allowing you to prioritize effectively without toggling between multiple platforms. This guide explores actionable ways to integrate these skills into your routine. You’ll learn how to use the Research Assistant Skill to generate detailed, source-backed overviews in minutes, saving hours of manual effort. Additionally, discover how the Meeting Notes to Action Items Skill can streamline team accountability by turning discussions into structured task lists. Whether you’re looking to improve communication with visual aids or create custom workflows tailored to your needs, this breakdown offers practical insights to help you work smarter. Claude Cowork Overview TL;DR Key Takeaways : Claude Cowork is …

Gemini in Google Drive: AI Search, Docs, Sheets, Slides

Gemini in Google Drive: AI Search, Docs, Sheets, Slides

Published by skeptic

Google has introduced significant updates to its AI ecosystem, focusing on enhancing productivity and creativity across platforms like NotebookLM, Pomelli and Gemini in Google Drive. Paul Lipsky highlights how these updates bring practical improvements, such as NotebookLM’s new ability to shuffle flashcards for varied learning and its support for EPUB uploads, which allows users to interact with eBooks directly. These changes aim to streamline workflows for students, educators and professionals, offering tailored solutions for organizing and presenting information effectively. Explore how these updates can elevate your daily tasks with features like Gemini’s AI-powered search, which delivers precise answers and cites relevant documents, or Pomelli’s virtual photo shoots that generate professional-quality images from a single upload. You’ll also gain insight into how automated document creation in Google Docs and interactive spreadsheet conversions in Google Sheets simplify complex processes. These enhancements provide actionable ways to save time and improve efficiency, making them valuable for a wide range of users. Latest Google GeminiUpdates TL;DR Key Takeaways : Google has introduced updates to its AI tools, including NotebookLM, Pomelli …

Global EV sales hit 1.1 million – Europe surges while the US slides

Global EV sales hit 1.1 million – Europe surges while the US slides

Published by skeptic

Volkswagen Touareg FINAL EDITION (Source: Volkswagen) Global EV sales hit 1.1 million units in February 2026, according to new data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. But the global market is now splitting sharply by region. While Europe’s EV sales are surging, North America is seeing a steep slowdown, and China is adjusting to new policies at home. February’s total was down 11% year-over-year and 11% below January. For the first two months of 2026, global EV sales reached 2.2 million units, down 8% compared to the same period last year. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence says the global EV market is now showing increasingly sharp regional contrasts. Global EV sales – February 2026 Year‑to‑date EV sales for January–February 2026 compared with the same period in 2025: Advertisement – scroll for more content Global: 2.2 million (-8%) China: 1.1 million (-26%) Europe: 0.6 million (+21%) North America: 0.17 million (-36%) Rest of world: 0.37 million (+84%) Europe is currently the main growth engine, while North America is seeing a steep slowdown and China is adjusting to policy changes at …

Ugly 3Y Auction Tails Most Since Liberation Day, Bid to Cover Slides

Ugly 3Y Auction Tails Most Since Liberation Day, Bid to Cover Slides

Published by Jenni Sidey

Not that anyone will care much in light of the Iran-related news barrage hitting every second, but moments ago the US sold $58BN in 3Y paper in what was a rather ugly auction. Let’s take a quick look. In the week’s first coupon auction, the US sold $58BN in 3Y notes, at a high yield of 3.579%, up from 3.518% last month but in line with auctions since last August. The problem is that the auction tailed the When Issued 3.58% by 1.1bps, the first tail since August and the biggest tail since Liberation Day.  The bid to cover was 2.546, down from 2.624 and the lowest since August.  The internals were also mediocre at best: Indirects were awarded 59.8% as foreign demand was still there but at a subdued pace: the six auction average if 64.3%. And with Directs taking 20.7%, or on the low end of the recent average of 25.3%, Dealers were left holding a sizable 19.5%, the highest since April.  Overall, this was a subpar, disappointing auction which however could be …

Google upgrades Gemini for Workspace allowing it to pull data from multiple apps to create Docs, Sheets, Slides and more

Google upgrades Gemini for Workspace allowing it to pull data from multiple apps to create Docs, Sheets, Slides and more

Published by skeptic

Lest you thought Microsoft would have all the fun introducing new AI features for white collar enterprise work this week with its Copilot Cowork announcement yesterday, Google is here to take back the spotlight. The search giant and, increasingly, AI leader today announced a sweeping series of updates to its Gemini AI models embedded into Google Workspace — the productivity suite of cloud-based apps including Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more. They’re being made available both to individual consumers and enterprises, though you’ll need an AI Pro ($20 per month) or higher subscription plan for the former, and your enterprise will need to be enrolled in the “Gemini Alpha” program and have the features switched on by an administrator. The biggest news: it’s now possible to have Gemini automatically create these file types from a single text prompt and fill them out with information gathered from other files and apps throughout you, the user’s Google Workspace, including emails, chats, files, and the open web via Google Search. By synthesizing information across these disparate apps and …

Stop building slides from scratch — this free add-in does it for you

Stop building slides from scratch — this free add-in does it for you

Published by skeptic

There are plenty of alternatives to PowerPoint today, and many of them promise the same thing: paste in your text, and the tool will generate presentation-ready slides for you. That all sounds great, but the moment you try to move those slides into PowerPoint and make adjustments, the issue becomes apparent. I, for one, still prefer to design and present my slides in PowerPoint. However, that doesn’t mean I want to spend hours building slides from scratch every time I create a presentation. Because of that, I went looking for a free add-in that could give me access to a wide range of templates and customization options while letting me stay inside PowerPoint. After trying a few options, it’s safe to say that Smarter Slides is the best answer. A free PowerPoint upgrade with 100+ features Proof that not all useful software hides behind a paywall Smarter Slides is a free PowerPoint add-in that installs directly into your ribbon. After installation, you’ll see SMARTER ORGANIZE and SMARTER FORMAT alongside the default PowerPoint tabs on your …

Dreadful 10Y Auction Sees Biggest Tail Since 2024, Foreign Demand Slides

Dreadful 10Y Auction Sees Biggest Tail Since 2024, Foreign Demand Slides

Published by Jenni Sidey

After yesterday’s mediocre 3Y auction (which saw a drop in foreign demand offset by record direct bid), moments ago the Treasury concluded the sale of 10Y benchmark paper, and despite a cheerful preview by the Bloomberg MLIV team (which appears to be wrong every time it tries to handicap the outcome), today’s auction was absolutely dreadful. Starting at the top, the high yield of 4.177% was almost unchanged from last month’s 4.173% and the 4.175% the month before. More importantly, it tailed the When Issued 4.163% by 1.4bps, the biggest tail since August 2024. The bid to cover dropped to 2.388, the lowest since August 2025. It would have been even worse had the Fed’s SOMA not tendered for $11.9BN of the issue (up from $11.35BN in January). The internals were also ugly, as Indirects slumped to just 64.5%, the lowest since August 2025 (and clearly well below the six month average of 70.2%). And with Directs also sliding to 22.1% from 24.5% in January (a far cray from yesterday’s record Directs), Dealers were left …