Chicago Atlantic BDC (LIEN) Earnings Transcript

Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance (REFI) reported Q2 2026 distributable earnings of $0.44 per share, below the dividend, citing timing of $16.3 million in early loan prepayments. Management discussed a proposed merger with LIEN expected in Q4 2026, a Koach Capital cannabis sale-leaseback exposure, and a 90% to 100% payout target for 2026.

KBW maintained an Outperform rating on Riot Platforms (RIOT) and a $35 price target after Riot disclosed a non-binding letter of intent for a single tenant to lease all 756 MW of planned critical IT capacity at its Corsicana, Texas site. Riot said a full-site lease could generate over $1B annual rent, and it expects the LOI to be prioritized for 2026 execution.

Australia will provide A$2.5 billion ($1.76 billion) to support Rio Tinto’s Tomago aluminum smelter beyond 2028, funding 3 GW of new electricity generation. Tomago will invest at least A$1.1 billion, including A$100 million for decarbonisation. Rio said it will shift to renewable power by 2033. Rio holds 51.55%, with Gove Aluminum and Norsk Hydro also invested.

Rio Tinto said it welcomed an agreement between Tomago Aluminium, the Australian Government and NSW to secure long-term power and operations at the Tomago aluminium smelter to 2038. Tomago will sign a 10-year PPA starting after a Dec 2028 contract expiry, with 100% renewable power from 2033. It will invest A$1.1bn (real terms) including A$100m for decarbonisation, and cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 7.1m tonnes/year once fully renewable.

A Chicago jury awarded $29 million in damages to the family of Naoise Connolly Ryan, widow of UN engineer Michael Ryan, who died in the 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash, according to a US court spokesman. The civil case is among the last remaining MAX-related suits. Boeing has apologized and said anti-stall software was implicated.

American Airlines began a senior leadership reorganization, according to an Aug. 10 letter from CEO Robert Isom. Several executives are resigning or retiring, while roles expand for communications and customer service. The changes aim to improve operations and returns and close a profit gap versus Delta and United. In Q2 2026, American reported $71M net income versus $805M at United and $1.6B at Delta.