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Nvidia Just Authorized a $150 Billion Buyback

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Nvidia has authorised another US$150 billion to buy back its own shares, but that doesn’t guarantee investors a profit.

The announcement brings the amount Nvidia still has permission to spend on share buybacks to US$245 billion...

Gov't revenue J$31.3B below target

Spending less than expected

Jamaica’s government brought in less money than expected—and spent less too.

Revenue and grants totalled about J$429 billion between April and August. That was J$31 billion below the budget target. Tax collections were nearly J$22 billion below expectations, with company income taxes accounting for a large part of the gap.

Spending also came in J$34 billion below budget, including nearly $5 billion less in capital spending.

The Finance Ministry links the weaker collections to softer consumer demand and corporate profits.

That leaves less room in the budget as the government balances public services, investment and its financial targets.

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DBJ cuts red tape for small business loans

Easier access to financing

The Development Bank of Jamaica says it’s making it easier for small businesses to access financing. Chief Executive Officer, Doctor David Lowe, says working with business associations has helped reduce the steps needed to get funding through the DBJ and its approved lenders.

More than three billion Jamaican dollars has already been approved under its M5 Hurricane Melissa recovery programme. The ten-billion-dollar facility supports micro, small and medium-sized businesses affected by the hurricane.

Businesses can borrow up to fifty million dollars, at 8% a year, for up to ten years. The DBJ also offers collateral support covering eighty to ninety per cent of the loan amount.

Those simpler applications could help more entrepreneurs get the money they need to rebuild.

Kingston property buyers gain bargaining power

More opportunities to negotiate

House hunting in Kingston and St Andrew? Buyers may now have more room to negotiate.

That’s according to Gary Matalon, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Different Capital. He says the company’s property data over the past two years shows roughly one in five listed properties reduced its asking price, while fewer than half sold.

Matalon says more choices are forcing sellers to compete for qualified buyers, after years in which sellers held the upper hand.

But he says this is not a market crash. Well-priced properties in good locations are still attracting buyers. For anyone looking to purchase, the shift could mean more opportunities to negotiate. For sellers, setting a realistic asking price matters more.

Nutrien's Trinidad shutdown indefinite

Continuing constraints cause uncertainty

In Trinidad and Tobago, fertiliser producer Nutrien says its nitrogen operations at Point Lisas will remain shut indefinitely. The company cites continuing natural gas constraints and uncertainty, following a review of its options.

The facility was already shut down last year because of port restrictions and problems securing reliable, economically viable gas supplies. The Trinidad Guardian reports that approximately three hundred and fifty workers face retrenchment.

Nutrien says the decision will not change its production assumptions for this year, because it had already planned for no output from the Trinidad operations.

For Trinidad and Tobago, the announcement highlights the stakes of its gas-supply challenges: industrial activity, export earnings and jobs.

The two countries are also looking to revive economic agreements reached in 2018 but disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Google secures 3.6GW in massive power deal

Data centres expanding

And internationally, Google is securing a huge amount of electricity as its data centres expand. A new deal with Constellation Energy covers nearly three thousand six hundred megawatts of power.

That includes eight hundred and ninety megawatts of additional nuclear capacity, created by upgrading existing reactors.

Constellation plans to invest more than four point three billion US dollars. The first additional nuclear output is expected in twenty twenty-eight.The arrangement includes a twenty-year nuclear power agreement and a separate fifteen-year deal for another two thousand seven hundred megawatts.

It’s a reminder that the AI boom needs more than software. It also needs enormous amounts of reliable electricity—and major investment in the infrastructure behind it.

Watch Taking Stock

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Catch What's Hot every week in Taking Stock with Kalilah Reynolds! New episodes live every Tuesday at 8pm on YouTube and your favourite podcast platforms.

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