Investors will have a lot on their plate in the week ahead. Earnings season is set to wrap up, and several key economic updates are headed our way — all against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Iran. Another volatile week may be in store. 1. The U.S.-Iran war is the most important thing to monitor . Whether you're on Wall Street or Main Street, you're already feeling its effects as the price of ...
Investors will have a lot on their plate in the week ahead. Earnings season is set to wrap up, and several key economic updates are headed our way — all against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Iran. Another volatile week may be in store. 1. The U.S.-Iran war is the most important thing to monitor . Whether you're on Wall Street or Main Street, you're already feeling its effects as the price of energy climbs. As we explained in a piece last week , a big spike in oil prices not only squeezes consumers at the pump, giving them less dollars to spend on the products our companies sell, but it also means those companies need to confront a rising input cost and make tough choices on how to deal with it. The worsening conditions in the Strait of Hormuz has put upward pressure on oil prices, likely more so than the few documented attacks on oil infrastructure . Traders are worried about supply disruptions, and that's exactly what we're seeing in the Strait. This vital waterway — through which some 20 million barrels of crude pass on a typical day, about a fifth of global oil consumption — has been effectively shut down for fear Iran or its proxies may attack anything passing through. That's obviously problematic. It's having an impact on production because countries only have so much storage capacity to hold the oil they otherwise export via the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait pulled back on oil production as its storage space winnows, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday , and even bigger cuts could follow. On Friday, the Trump administration announced a $20 billion reinsurance program for oil tankers, in a move designed to restart maritime traffic in the Strait. Time will tell if it works. Investors also need to consider where much of this Persian Gulf oil is destined for. A top destination? China. China is the world's largest importer of crude . Some estimates point to more than 80% of Iranian crude going to China. Another way to think about it is that some 50% of China's ...
Ben Waine, a Newcastle fan from New Zealand, scored the goal that knocked the Premier League side Sunderland out of the FA Cup to take Port Vale, bottom of League One, into the quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years. The 24-year-old striker has scored two FA Cup winners in five days, after his goal against Bristol City in the delayed fourth-round game on Tuesday enabled the Potteries club t...
Ben Waine, a Newcastle fan from New Zealand, scored the goal that knocked the Premier League side Sunderland out of the FA Cup to take Port Vale, bottom of League One, into the quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years. The 24-year-old striker has scored two FA Cup winners in five days, after his goal against Bristol City in the delayed fourth-round game on Tuesday enabled the Potteries club to reach the fifth round for the first time in 30 years, back when John Rudge’s side beat Everton in a fourth round replay. Here, however, Wane went one better as Vale made light of the 56 league places between them and Régis Le Bris’s ordinarily elite side. Sunderland have enjoyed an excellent first season back in the Premier League but here, on a rutted pitch in front of a vociferous and increasingly believing crowd, they were outdone by a side who have won only six league games all season but have now won five in the FA Cup. The pitch down Port Vale’s right flank was corrugated enough to make controlling the ball difficult even in the warm-up. So it was no great surprise, once the League One strugglers had survived some early nervous moments, that the quality of the game deteriorated to a pleasing degree – pleasing, for the neutral, in that there was a clear sense of jeopardy. It was from that side of the pitch that Luke O’Nien, under pressure from Waine and facing his own goal in the 26th minute, was so intent on ensuring he did not underhit his backpass that he almost scored one of the most memorable FA Cup own goals in living memory. He not only lofted his pass but struck it very firmly. Shifting his feet backwards very quickly, Melker Ellborg, the Sunderland goalkeeper, had the presence of mind to remember not to handle the backpass and then to divert his back-header over his own crossbar. It was surely one of the best saves of the round, and without hands. This led to the first of two Vale corners from which they ended up scoring. From the second, receiving it short,...
United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC) is one of the most promising stocks under $20. On January 28, United Microelectronics Corporation/UMC announced results for Q4 2025, reporting an EPS of $0.1294. The company achieved a 4.5% sequential revenue increase to TWD 61.8 billion, supported by favorable foreign exchange rates and a record-breaking performance in its 22-nanometer business, whic...
United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC) is one of the most promising stocks under $20. On January 28, United Microelectronics Corporation/UMC announced results for Q4 2025, reporting an EPS of $0.1294. The company achieved a 4.5% sequential revenue increase to TWD 61.8 billion, supported by favorable foreign exchange rates and a record-breaking performance in its 22-nanometer business, which grew 31% quarter-over-quarter. For the full-year 2025, UMC delivered a 5.3% revenue increase in US dollar terms, supported by a 12.3% rise in total wafer shipments. The company completed its new Phase III facility at Fab 12i in Singapore, which is now instrumental in helping customers diversify their supply chains. Furthermore, United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC) expanded its global footprint through high-profile collaborations, including a 12-nanometer partnership with Intel and a memorandum of understanding with Polar Semiconductor. These initiatives underscore the company’s shift toward high-value specialty platforms such as embedded High Voltage and Non-Volatile Memory. Is United Micro Electronics (UMC) One of the Most Promising Stocks Under $20? Copyright: scyther5 / 123RF Stock Photo For Q1 2026, UMC expects wafer demand to remain firm and projects another year of growth. Management set a capital expenditure budget of $1.5 billion for 2026, focusing on capacity and technology advancements in areas like advanced packaging and silicon photonics to meet AI and networking demands. United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC) operates as a semiconductor wafer foundry in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the US, Europe, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells integrated circuits. While we acknowledge the potential of UMC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era...
Countless investors rely on exchange-traded funds to get the stock market exposure they want and need. For those seeking to track a market index composed of hundreds of stocks, it would be impractical to try to buy every single individual stock in the index and track it in your portfolio. ETFs made the job a lot easier, as the fund manager takes care of all that buying and selling for you. All you...
Countless investors rely on exchange-traded funds to get the stock market exposure they want and need. For those seeking to track a market index composed of hundreds of stocks, it would be impractical to try to buy every single individual stock in the index and track it in your portfolio. ETFs made the job a lot easier, as the fund manager takes care of all that buying and selling for you. All you need to do is invest in shares of the ETF, pay a modest annual expense ratio, and earn the returns of whatever benchmark the fund has chosen to follow. However, one key question that investors have to answer is just how much exposure to stocks they want. In order to diversify your portfolio properly, it's important to have a fund that owns more than just a few different stocks. Yet even if you do own a fund with hundreds of different holdings, you still have to ask yourself whether that ETF actually gives you complete exposure to all the different types of companies you want. One Vanguard ETF took a step back and saw what many of its rivals' ETFs were concentrating their efforts on for investors. It chose to go a step further, and it has made all the difference for its shareholders. In this three-part series for the Voyager Portfolio , you'll learn more about the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEMKT: VTI) and how one simple decision marked a revolutionary change for the industry. Continue reading
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “future of transportation.” To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I was out for a few days last week and we have a bit of catching up to do! I won’t rehash too much, but expect a few of the bigger news items — ahem, Wayve’s $1.2 billion raise — to make it in here. One more housekeeping note: I...
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “future of transportation.” To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I was out for a few days last week and we have a bit of catching up to do! I won’t rehash too much, but expect a few of the bigger news items — ahem, Wayve’s $1.2 billion raise — to make it in here. One more housekeeping note: I will be in Austin next week for SXSW, the annual tech, music, film, and culture event that always attracts an interesting collection of tech founders, creators, politicians, and other industry folks. I plan to attend the Rivian event, where the company is expected to reveal full details of its upcoming R2 line. I will also be moderating a panel called Innovation & Impact: Female Leaders Transforming Legacy Industries, alongside Rivian CFO Claire McDonough, Madison Reed CEO and founder Amy Errett, and Spotify chief public affairs officer Dustee Jenkins. If you’re there, please reach out! Speaking of Rivian, the company is planning one of the fastest launches of a new all-electric car in the U.S. with its forthcoming R2 SUV. And the stakes couldn’t be any higher. Senior reporter Sean O’Kane looked at historical sales data as well as Rivian’s own projections for 2026. Rivian said it expects to sell between 20,000 and 25,000 R2s this year, the first of which will head to customers in June once production begins. That means it has six months to reach that goal. Even if Rivian hits the low end of that target, its sales rate will outpace every other comparable electric vehicle at or under $60,000 aside from the Tesla Model Y, O’Kane writes. Read the full story here. Image Credits:TechCrunch/Sean O'Kane My question is what tactical move is Rivian planning to use to reach that goal? It won’t be enough to merely state, “Pent-up demand, stupid.” This is no small feat. I expect Rivian to try a variety of tactics to spread the word and turn interest in its EVs into actual sales. What d...
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) is one of the most promising stocks under $20. On March 2, Ericsson and Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) announced an expanded strategic collaboration aimed at accelerating the transition from 6G research to commercial reality. This partnership focuses on developing AI-native 6G infrastructure, integrating AI across the entire network value chain, including the Radio Access Network/RAN, ...
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) is one of the most promising stocks under $20. On March 2, Ericsson and Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) announced an expanded strategic collaboration aimed at accelerating the transition from 6G research to commercial reality. This partnership focuses on developing AI-native 6G infrastructure, integrating AI across the entire network value chain, including the Radio Access Network/RAN, Core, and Edge. By pooling Ericsson’s expertise in large-scale network deployments with Intel’s advanced compute and silicon technologies, the companies aim to create a more open, power-efficient, and secure foundation for next-gen connectivity. The collaboration centers on the concept of ‘AI for networks and Networks for AI,’ designed to make future 6G deployments more responsive through real-time sensing and programmable intelligence. A key component of this effort involves future Ericsson Silicon powered by Intel’s most advanced process nodes and Intel Xeon-powered Cloud RAN solutions. These innovations are intended to help operators manage the massive compute demands of 6G while maintaining cost-effectiveness and supply chain security. As the industry moves toward global 6G standardization, Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Intel are emphasizing ecosystem readiness to ensure a seamless shift for global operators. Ericsson (ERIC), Intel (INTC) Expand Partnership to Accelerate AI-Native 6G Development Photo by Mario Caruso on Unsplash Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), together with its subsidiaries, provides mobile connectivity solutions to communications service providers, enterprises, and the public sector in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and India. While we acknowledge the potential of ERIC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-er...
One winter’s day almost 90 years ago, the Hungarian-American photojournalist Robert Capa paused on a street in southeast Madrid to take a picture that would echo around the world and down through the decades. In it, three children sit on a rubble-strewn pavement in the working-class Vallecas district of the Spanish capital. Behind them squats a plain, single-storey house pitted with the shrapnel o...
One winter’s day almost 90 years ago, the Hungarian-American photojournalist Robert Capa paused on a street in southeast Madrid to take a picture that would echo around the world and down through the decades. In it, three children sit on a rubble-strewn pavement in the working-class Vallecas district of the Spanish capital. Behind them squats a plain, single-storey house pitted with the shrapnel of a fresh bombing raid. Not only did the picture, which appeared in the international press, confirm the civilian cost of the aerial campaign waged by Nazi Germany and Italy under Mussolini in support of Francisco Franco’s coup, it also rallied international volunteers to the anti-fascist cause. But in recent years, the photo, which was taken in late 1936, has found itself at the forefront of a push to rehouse the 21st-century families who were living in the cramped and squalid confines of 10 Peironcely Street, and to preserve the building as a place of historical memory. While the tenants have long since been moved to better accommodation, Madrid’s conservative city council has now abandoned the plans drawn up by its leftwing predecessor to turn the site into a space that commemorates Capa’s work and the bombing terror of the Spanish civil war. View image in fullscreen Robert Capa in 1954. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images Rather than create a standalone Capa museum, the council has decided to turn the property into a youth centre – due to open in 2028 under the name the Robert Capa Cultural Experimentation Centre – that will feature a small space dedicated to the building’s history and the photographer’s part in it. In doing so, it will sideline the local Save Peironcely 10 platform that fought for years to get the families rehoused and to secure the building’s preservation, and instead hand the project over to a local youth organisation, the José María de Llanos Foundation. The U-turn has left campaigners baffled and angry. José María Uría of the trade union Fundac...
At the Iranian embassy in Kyiv, a salmon-pink mansion on a street close to the presidential administration, there were several open days last week for anyone who wished to come and sign a book of condolences in memory of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli air strikes on Tehran. Inside, candles lined the floor and mournful music played, as diplomats ushered the way to a room ...
At the Iranian embassy in Kyiv, a salmon-pink mansion on a street close to the presidential administration, there were several open days last week for anyone who wished to come and sign a book of condolences in memory of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli air strikes on Tehran. Inside, candles lined the floor and mournful music played, as diplomats ushered the way to a room with a portrait of Khamenei and the book to sign. There was, however, no queue of well-wishers. It might come as a surprise that the embassy still functions at all, given that residents of Kyiv have spent many nights over the last four years listening to the grating roar of Iranian-designed Shahed drones in the skies overhead, transferred by Tehran to its close ally Russia. But nothing is clear-cut when it comes to how the new conflict in the Middle East overlays on Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion. Among the positives for Kyiv, there is a rise in interest in the Ukrainian experience and technology for battling against Shaheds – now being used by Iran to attack its Gulf neighbours – which could lead to new defence partnerships. Conversely, there are now several rich nations ready to boost their air defence spending, meaning there could be less for Ukraine in a market that is already stretched. More broadly, the attention of the White House is now elsewhere, perhaps drawing momentum away from the peace talks process between Ukraine and Russia, and the attack on Iran seems to reinforce Vladimir Putin’s view of the world, in which stronger nations can target their weaker adversaries with impunity. Oleksii Reznikov, a former defence minister of Ukraine, said: “When DC started this war, Putin smiled in the Kremlin. He can show that his doctrine of ‘might is right’ was doable after all. The world is changing.” Reznikov has just returned to Kyiv after being stranded in Israel for several days. He had been due to return from a conference when the military operation star...
The opening notes of “Kravitz”, which kicks off Mabe Fratti’s 2024 record Sentir Que No Sabes, are lodged in my brain permanently. It’s not a showy album, by any means. But there’s something about the buzzing of her cello, plucked as you might an upright bass. The way they ring out before coming to an abrupt stop, fuzz still hanging in the air, set against a simple kick and snare sat firmly in the...
The opening notes of “Kravitz”, which kicks off Mabe Fratti’s 2024 record Sentir Que No Sabes, are lodged in my brain permanently. It’s not a showy album, by any means. But there’s something about the buzzing of her cello, plucked as you might an upright bass. The way they ring out before coming to an abrupt stop, fuzz still hanging in the air, set against a simple kick and snare sat firmly in the pocket. There’s something industrial about the way it all comes together, like a jazzy “Closer.” Then come Fratti’s paranoid lyrics in Spanish about ears in the ceiling and someone listening through the walls, and the slightly atonal horn blasts. In the back half, the arrangement blooms with big piano chords, and the drums pick up steam. It’s the perfect opening to a record that sees Fratti taking her experimental impulses and working them into something that more closely resembles pop music, straying further from her avant-garde roots. Fratti was born in Guatemala, but operates out of Mexico. She’s told Pitchfork that, as a child, her parents mostly played Christian and classical music around the house. But as a teen, she discovered Limewire and the works of experimental composers like György Ligeti. This more expansive, internet-fed musical diet is on display in tracks like “Pantalla Azul.” It flits about, toying with various styles from goth rock to new age, but always coming back to the strength of Fratti’s melodic instincts. Meanwhile, “Oidos” leans fully into chamber pop, with echoed cello stabs, plaintive trumpet, and what sounds like an autoharp. Even when the arrangements are stripped down, Sentir Que No Sabes sounds lush and enveloping. It would feel equally at home in a coffee shop or on an arena stage. The production from I. La Católica (Héctor Tosta) is the glue holding together Fratti’s frantic stylistic shifts and jagged cello manipulations. It would be easy for the delicate horns, atonal pizzicato strings, and icy digital synths to sound like several differ...
Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) is navigating the tension between explosive AI-driven power demand and the slow reality of nuclear licensing. I break down why new-customer backing matters, what execution risks remain, and how long-term upside depends on milestones that most investors are not yet fully pricing in. Stock prices used were the market prices of March 2, 2026. The video was published on March 7, 2026...
Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) is navigating the tension between explosive AI-driven power demand and the slow reality of nuclear licensing. I break down why new-customer backing matters, what execution risks remain, and how long-term upside depends on milestones that most investors are not yet fully pricing in. Stock prices used were the market prices of March 2, 2026. The video was published on March 7, 2026. Continue reading
Notes from Central Taiwan: The myth of TSMC’s ‘hollowing out’ While the KMT and TPP warn that constructing TSMC’s fabs in the US will undermine Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, their obsession distracts from deeper challenges that they have done little to address By Michael Turton / Contributing reporter Recently the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its Mini-Me partner in the legislature, the T...
Notes from Central Taiwan: The myth of TSMC’s ‘hollowing out’ While the KMT and TPP warn that constructing TSMC’s fabs in the US will undermine Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, their obsession distracts from deeper challenges that they have done little to address By Michael Turton / Contributing reporter Recently the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its Mini-Me partner in the legislature, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), have been arguing that construction of chip fabs in the US by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is little more than stripping Taiwan of its assets. For example, KMT Deputy Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) in January said that “This is not ‘reciprocal cooperation’ ... but a substantial hollowing out of our country.” Similarly, former TPP Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) contended it constitutes “selling Taiwan out to the United States.” The two pro-China parties are proposing a bill that would limit semiconductor technology transfers. Priests at Jenn Lann Temple in Taichung’s Dachia Township pray to the goddess Matsu for rain during a drought in March 2021. Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times The claims of the KMT and TPP, while meeting a receptive audience given the economic anxieties so common in Taiwan, are appeals to ignorance. Taiwan’s chip dominance is in no way threatened by its investments in the US. FAB CONSTRUCTION Current TSMC plans call for the construction of six to eight facilities in Arizona over the next decade. Note “decade.” TSMC last year said that when completed, its Arizona cluster would have six fabs, two advanced packaging facilities and a research and development center. Its total development package represents an investment of US$165 billion. A person last month walks past the logo of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, outside its office building in Hsinchu. Photo: EPA By contrast, this year alone in Taiwan TSMC plans start construction on or build 10 fabs distributed across the island, according to media reports...
You do the hard work of saving your money for retirement and choosing where it goes. But if you put it in a tax-deferred retirement account, then it's not all yours. You still owe the government a cut of your savings, and eventually, it makes you pay up. Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are mandatory annual withdrawals the government forces you to take when you reach a certain age, and it's p...
You do the hard work of saving your money for retirement and choosing where it goes. But if you put it in a tax-deferred retirement account, then it's not all yours. You still owe the government a cut of your savings, and eventually, it makes you pay up. Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are mandatory annual withdrawals the government forces you to take when you reach a certain age, and it's pretty important that you get them right. Here are the three main things you need to understand about them. 1. Who has to take RMDs You have to take RMDs beginning in the year you turn 73, but there are a few exceptions. You never have to take RMDs from Roth accounts, and you don't have to take one from your current employer's 401(k) if you're still working and own less than 5% of the company. If you have multiple 401(k)s, you'll need to take an RMD from each one individually. That's not the case with IRAs. With IRAs, you have to calculate each RMD individually (more on that below), but you can withdraw all the funds from a single traditional IRA if you'd like. You must withdraw an amount equal to your total IRA RMDs, but you can take the funds from any traditional IRA(s) you like. You generally must take RMDs by Dec. 31 of the year in question. However, the first year you have to take RMDs, you technically have until April 1 of the following year. For example, if you're turning 73 in 2026, you don't have to complete your first RMD until April 1, 2027. 2. How to calculate your RMDs You'll need to look up your retirement account balance at the end of the previous year to calculate your RMD. For 2026, look for what the balance was as of Dec. 31, 2025. Your plan administrator should be able to help you locate this information if you're not sure how to find it. Then, take that amount and divide it by the distribution period next to your name in the IRS's Uniform Lifetime Table. For example, if you're 73 and have $250,000 in a traditional IRA, you'd divide $250,000 by 26.5 (the d...