Trump's Cuba Pressure Campaign Could Spark Cohiba Cigar Price Spikes Cuba is buckling under a severe economic crisis. Years of economic mismanagement, turbocharged by hyperinflation and population decline, have left the nearly seven-decade-old communist government weaker than at any point in years. Now, the Trump administration has promised maximum pressure, with President Trump openly vowing to b...
Trump's Cuba Pressure Campaign Could Spark Cohiba Cigar Price Spikes Cuba is buckling under a severe economic crisis. Years of economic mismanagement, turbocharged by hyperinflation and population decline, have left the nearly seven-decade-old communist government weaker than at any point in years. Now, the Trump administration has promised maximum pressure, with President Trump openly vowing to bring the regime to its knees. We've focused on Trump's blockade of oil deliveries to Cuba, the worsening power grid blackouts , and even the tourism collapse, as flight disruptions have erupted in recent weeks amid a fuel crisis. But one area that remains off the radar for many is that the current crisis has likely spread into the Caribbean nation's agricultural sector. Cuba's annual cigar festival in Havana , hosted by Habanos S.A. , the state-run entity that holds a monopoly on global Cuban cigar sales, has been " postponed ." Habanos posted a message on its website last week detailing the postponement of the cigar festival, explaining, "The priority of the Habano Festival is to offer its participants a comprehensive experience at the height of the relevance and prestige that this event represents internationally. The postponement of its celebration is a measure aimed at protecting this experience and guaranteeing its excellence." The festival features 1,000 guests from around the world, participating in auctions for Cuban premium cigars, conferences, tastings and pairings, as well as factory and plantation visits. " Agriculture is not spared by the current oil situation, which is very serious ," Hector Luis Prieto, a producer from the western Vuelta Abajo region, told AFP. International sales of Cuban cigars remain the Caribbean island's flagship export, but near-term availability could tighten as the Trump administration ramps up its maximum pressure campaign. The key question for all those cigar aficionados is whether supply will dwindle in the months ahead, particular...
Trojan, the platform which many of you likely remember as the Solana-native Unibot before its rebrand, officially announced a full-scale integration with Hyperliquid to allow trading of traditional assets like Tesla, Gold, and the S&P 500. These trading bots are upgrading from meme coins and on-chain launches. They are now ...
Trojan, the platform which many of you likely remember as the Solana-native Unibot before its rebrand, officially announced a full-scale integration with Hyperliquid to allow trading of traditional assets like Tesla, Gold, and the S&P 500. These trading bots are upgrading from meme coins and on-chain launches. They are now ...
Drinks maker cuts annual sale and profit forecast for second time in four months amid weak demand in US and China Diageo has slashed its dividend and cut its annual sales and profit forecast for the second time in four months, as the maker of Guinness warned of capacity constraints affecting drinkers of “the black stuff” in London pubs. The world’s largest spirits maker – which owns brands includi...
Drinks maker cuts annual sale and profit forecast for second time in four months amid weak demand in US and China Diageo has slashed its dividend and cut its annual sales and profit forecast for the second time in four months, as the maker of Guinness warned of capacity constraints affecting drinkers of “the black stuff” in London pubs. The world’s largest spirits maker – which owns brands including Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker whisky and Don Julio tequila – reported weak demand in the US and China in the first results released under the new chief executive, Dave Lewis. Continue reading...
Former official at Altach given suspended prison term Player says the sentence ‘leaves me speechless’ A man has been given a seven-month suspended prison sentence and fined €1,200 (£1,046) after being found guilty of taking secret videos and photographs from the changing room, gym and showers of the Altach women’s football team. He was also told to pay the victims €625 each in compensation. The se...
Former official at Altach given suspended prison term Player says the sentence ‘leaves me speechless’ A man has been given a seven-month suspended prison sentence and fined €1,200 (£1,046) after being found guilty of taking secret videos and photographs from the changing room, gym and showers of the Altach women’s football team. He was also told to pay the victims €625 each in compensation. The sentence was handed out in the regional court in Feldkirch, Austria, with the judge saying that it made a huge difference “if one looks at pictures or actually creates them oneself”. The defendant accepted the sentence but the prosecutor may appeal. Continue reading...
Diageo press release ( DEO ): 1H GAAP EPS of $0.88. Revenue of $10.46B (-4.0% Y/Y) misses by $90M . Basic earnings per share before exceptional items $0.95. Organic net sales declined 2.8%, driven by organic volume down 0.9% and negative price/mix of 1.9%. Strong organic net sales growth in Europe, Latin America and Caribbean ( LAC ) and Africa was more than offset by softer performance in North A...
Diageo press release ( DEO ): 1H GAAP EPS of $0.88. Revenue of $10.46B (-4.0% Y/Y) misses by $90M . Basic earnings per share before exceptional items $0.95. Organic net sales declined 2.8%, driven by organic volume down 0.9% and negative price/mix of 1.9%. Strong organic net sales growth in Europe, Latin America and Caribbean ( LAC ) and Africa was more than offset by softer performance in North America given pressure on disposable income impacting US Spirits, and the adverse impact of Chinese white spirits ( CWS ) in Asia Pacific. Negative price/mix primarily as a result of adverse mix due to US Spirits performance and weaker results in CWS. " For fiscal 26, given further weakness through the first half in the US we have updated both organic net sales and operating profit growth guidance. We have reiterated free cash flow guidance of $3 billion," the company said. More on Diageo Diageo: Streamlining Through Divestments (Rating Upgrade) Diageo: Guinness Is Doing Well, But It Is Not Enough Diageo: A Global Spirits Powerhouse With Defensive Approach, But Investors Need Patience Diageo 1H 2026 Earnings Preview Global spirits glut forces producers to idle distilleries and cut prices: FT
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images With attractive yields, improving credit fundamentals, and a growing role as a liquid access point to private credit markets, BDCs offer a compelling alternative to traditional fixed income. Business development companies (BDCs) are regaining momentum with attractive yields ( BIZD 30-day SEC yield: 9.21% as of 02/18/2026 ) and credit risk largely priced in. For inco...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images With attractive yields, improving credit fundamentals, and a growing role as a liquid access point to private credit markets, BDCs offer a compelling alternative to traditional fixed income. Business development companies (BDCs) are regaining momentum with attractive yields ( BIZD 30-day SEC yield: 9.21% as of 02/18/2026 ) and credit risk largely priced in. For income-focused investors looking beyond traditional bonds, VanEck’s BDC Income ETF ( BIZD ) provides a diversified, liquid way to access the growing private credit market. In a recent webinar, VanEck’s Coulter Regal, CFA and Nico Cortese, CFA discussed the key factors supporting BDCs, including their institutional scale, more conservative portfolio construction, and stable credit quality. How Do BDC Yields Compare to High-Yield Bonds, Leveraged Loans and Treasuries? BDCs stand out as one of the highest-yielding income-oriented asset classes available today. As of December 31, 2025, BDCs offered a yield of 11.3%, nearly double that of leveraged loans (6.8%) and U.S. high yield bonds (6.5%), and roughly triple the yield on 10-year Treasuries (4.2%). This yield advantage reflects the structural premium investors earn for accessing middle-market private credit through a publicly traded vehicle. Investors Are Increasing Allocations to Private Credit Source: FactSet and ICE Data Indices. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Yield for Mortgage REITs, BDCs, Equity REITs, and Utilities Stocks represented by dividend yield. Yield for Leveraged Loans, U.S. HY Bonds, U.S. IG Bonds, and 10 Yr Treasury represented by yield-to-worst. Mortgage REITs represented by MVIS US Mortgage REITs Index; BDCs represented by MVIS US Business Development Companies Index, U.S. HY Bonds represented by ICE BofA US High Yield Index; U.S. IG Bonds represented by ICE BofA U.S. Corporate Index; U.S. 10 Yr Treasury represented by ICE BofA Current 10-Year US Treasury Index; Equity REITs represented b...
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. , the Chinese e-commerce player that has become a leader in artificial intelligence, is stepping up a push into software coding tools, offering low-cost access to several of the country’s top AI models. The cloud unit of the Hangzhou-based company said it is selling a coding tool built atop open-source models like Alibaba’s own Qwen 3.5, as well as offerings from local s...
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. , the Chinese e-commerce player that has become a leader in artificial intelligence, is stepping up a push into software coding tools, offering low-cost access to several of the country’s top AI models. The cloud unit of the Hangzhou-based company said it is selling a coding tool built atop open-source models like Alibaba’s own Qwen 3.5, as well as offerings from local startups Zhipu AI, Moonshot AI and MiniMax Group Inc. , and users are allowed to switch freely between these models. The promotion for a lite version is for 7.9 yuan ($1.15) for the first month and then 40 yuan in subsequent months. The pro version of coding access begins at 39.9 yuan for the first month and then 200 yuan. AI coding tools have been closely tracked in recent weeks because offerings from the likes of Anthropic PBC have set of waves of investor selling in potentially vulnerable sectors. Cybersecurity stocks, for example, tumbled this week after the startup introduced a new security feature with its Claude model, while International Business Machines Corp. sank the most since 2000 after Anthropic said Claude Code could modernize Cobol, a dated programming language that’s run on IBM computers. Alibaba is making an aggressive push into artificial intelligence in a dramatic pivot from its traditional focus on online commerce. The company’s Qwen offerings have won plaudits for their high performance and for an open-source approach that allows low-cost access for users. Read More: Alibaba Unveils Major AI Model Upgrade Ahead of DeepSeek Release Alibaba unveiled a major update of its flagship AI model earlier this month , aiming to get in ahead of an expected upgrade from the star upstart DeepSeek. Qwen 3.5 is designed to support AI agent tasks and can understand text, photo and video inputs. It is able to analyze videos as long as two hours, it added. Eddie Wu , chief executive officer, said a year ago that the company’s primary objective is now artificial general in...
The cloud unit of the Hangzhou-based company said it is selling a coding tool built atop open-source models like Alibaba’s own Qwen 3.5, as well as offerings from local startups Zhipu AI, Moonshot AI and MiniMax Group Inc., and users are allowed to switch freely between these models. Cybersecurity stocks, for example, tumbled this week after the startup introduced a new security feature with its C...
The cloud unit of the Hangzhou-based company said it is selling a coding tool built atop open-source models like Alibaba’s own Qwen 3.5, as well as offerings from local startups Zhipu AI, Moonshot AI and MiniMax Group Inc., and users are allowed to switch freely between these models. Cybersecurity stocks, for example, tumbled this week after the startup introduced a new security feature with its Claude model, while International Business Machines Corp. sank the most since 2000 after Anthropic said Claude Code could modernize Cobol, a dated programming language that’s run on IBM computers. Alibaba is making an aggressive push into artificial intelligence in a dramatic pivot from its traditional focus on online commerce.
Treasuries fell and the dollar slipped as investors exited haven assets following advances in tech stocks. US 10-year yields rose two basis points to 4.05%, while the greenback lagged most peers along with the yen . The increased appetite for risk also led money markets to trim wagers on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, adding to the pressure on the bond market. “With 10-year Treasury yields so...
Treasuries fell and the dollar slipped as investors exited haven assets following advances in tech stocks. US 10-year yields rose two basis points to 4.05%, while the greenback lagged most peers along with the yen . The increased appetite for risk also led money markets to trim wagers on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, adding to the pressure on the bond market. “With 10-year Treasury yields so close to the 4% psychological level, I see better value in fading any bid if it emerges,” said Evelyne Gomez-Liechti , a strategist at Mizuho International Plc. Swaps tied to Fed policy-meeting dates have reduced the chances of a quarter-point cut by June to 50%, the lowest so far this year. The possibility of a third reduction by year-end has almost vanished. Traders will be watching a trio of Fed policymakers set to speak later on Wednesday. Thomas Barkin , Jeffrey Schmid and Alberto Musalem — who all have a slight hawkish bias toward monetary policy — are non-voters this year. A test of bond demand will come when the Treasury sells $70 billion of new five-year notes at 1 p.m. in New York, following Tuesday’s solid two-year offering. Then the focus will turn to Nvidia Corp.’s latest quarterly results scheduled for after the market close on Wednesday. Investors are waiting for fresh evidence that the AI spending boom remains on track. Nasdaq stock futures rose 0.2%, extending the tech-heavy index’s 1% gain on Tuesday, as concern over the disruptive effects of artificial intelligence eased after weeks of turmoil.
The increased appetite for risk also led money markets to trim wagers on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, adding to the pressure on the bond market. “With 10-year Treasury yields so close to the 4% psychological level, I see better value in fading any bid if it emerges,” said Evelyne Gomez-Liechti, a strategist at Mizuho International Plc. Swaps tied to Fed policy-meeting dates have reduced the...
The increased appetite for risk also led money markets to trim wagers on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, adding to the pressure on the bond market. “With 10-year Treasury yields so close to the 4% psychological level, I see better value in fading any bid if it emerges,” said Evelyne Gomez-Liechti, a strategist at Mizuho International Plc. Swaps tied to Fed policy-meeting dates have reduced the chances of a quarter-point cut by June to 50%, the lowest so far this year.
博汇股份公告，公司作为被告之一，被富晨有限公司（EQUAL PLEASANT LIMITED）起诉，涉案金额为6931.22万元人民币。该诉讼案件已由天津市第三中级人民法院立案受理，尚未正式开庭审理。原告的经济损失包括仲裁裁决中的损害赔偿金、律师费、仲裁庭费用、保函欺诈案件律师费、律师费和仲裁中心费用、燃料油仓储费等。原告要求二被告对因其共同侵权行为给原告造成的经济损失承担连带赔偿责任，并赔偿原告...
博汇股份公告，公司作为被告之一，被富晨有限公司（EQUAL PLEASANT LIMITED）起诉，涉案金额为6931.22万元人民币。该诉讼案件已由天津市第三中级人民法院立案受理，尚未正式开庭审理。原告的经济损失包括仲裁裁决中的损害赔偿金、律师费、仲裁庭费用、保函欺诈案件律师费、律师费和仲裁中心费用、燃料油仓储费等。原告要求二被告对因其共同侵权行为给原告造成的经济损失承担连带赔偿责任，并赔偿原告因本案维权支出的保全费、保全保险费、律师费，以及本案全部诉讼费用由二被告承担。
China warned it will take “all necessary measures” if the US uses a probe into a 2020 trade deal to impose fresh tariffs, after Washington signaled the investigation would continue. In a Wednesday statement responding to comments by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer , China’s Commerce Ministry said Beijing has honored the Phase One agreement despite the pandemic disruption, and has complied w...
China warned it will take “all necessary measures” if the US uses a probe into a 2020 trade deal to impose fresh tariffs, after Washington signaled the investigation would continue. In a Wednesday statement responding to comments by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer , China’s Commerce Ministry said Beijing has honored the Phase One agreement despite the pandemic disruption, and has complied with pledges it made on intellectual property and the opening of financial and agricultural markets. It also accused the US of undermining implementation by tightening export controls, restricting two-way investment and expanding other curbs that it said obstruct normal trade and investment, adding that a 2025 white paper set out its case. “If the US insists on pushing forward with relevant investigations, or even uses the investigation as a pretext to introduce restrictive measures such as tariffs, China will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend its legitimate rights and interests,” the ministry said. The exchange injects some uncertainty into bilateral ties just weeks before Donald Trump is set to visit Beijing, the first trip by an American president since his last visit in 2017. It comes soon after the Supreme Court invalidated his broad emergency tariffs, eliminating Trump’s second-term levies on China and leaving Beijing facing a lower fee than applied to US allies. Greer said the administration can pursue duties under a legal provision known as Section 301 and other statutes after the ruling, and the USTR opened its Phase One compliance investigation in October 2025. The Commerce Ministry urged Washington to assess the deal “objectively and rationally” and avoid shifting blame, saying it wants to use the consultation mechanism to focus on existing consensus and look to the future.