Hong Kong is well served by its two traditional medical schools. A third school taking shape at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology will add an innovative dimension to healthcare as well as a welcome boost to the supply of doctors. An emphasis on biotechnology and research, and the school’s ultimate location in the Northern Metropolis, near the Shenzhen tech hub, will foster partner...
Hong Kong is well served by its two traditional medical schools. A third school taking shape at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology will add an innovative dimension to healthcare as well as a welcome boost to the supply of doctors. An emphasis on biotechnology and research, and the school’s ultimate location in the Northern Metropolis, near the Shenzhen tech hub, will foster partnerships and collaboration with the rest of the Greater Bay Area. The first intake of 50 students at the new graduate medical school will be in 2028-29, but there is no time to lose in preparation and speeding up construction, as we are reminded in an update from HKUST chiefs. About 20 per cent of the 50 places in the HKUST medical school’s inaugural intake may be reserved for non-local students, expected to be mostly from the mainland. The emphasis in student admission to the four-year course will be a background in biotechnology. HKUST president Nancy Ip Yuk-yu said, “This innovative medical school combines artificial intelligence, biotechnology and clinical medicine to cultivate a new generation of doctors who embrace technology.” The university will position the new medical school to complement the existing ones at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Advertisement Professor Wong Yung-hou, dean of science at HKUST, said the non-local students were most likely to come from mainland China, adding, “I think they will stay in Hong Kong upon graduation.” Ip said the first complex of the new medical school at the university’s Clear Water Bay campus would be completed in the second quarter of 2028. Construction of the future school in Ngau Tam Mei in the Northern Metropolis is expected to finish in 2033 or 2034. Advertisement While hi-tech is globally competitive, biotechnology, life sciences and pharmaceutical development offer scope for Hong Kong, mainland China and the United States to cooperate on public health issues. US and other venture capi...
Key Points The West offers some of the nation’s best outdoor activities -- without draining your retirement savings. Some areas have warm weather year round; others get multiple feet of snow each year. These top spots offer some of the best qualities of the Western U.S. without exorbitant housing prices. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › The West has some of the...
Key Points The West offers some of the nation’s best outdoor activities -- without draining your retirement savings. Some areas have warm weather year round; others get multiple feet of snow each year. These top spots offer some of the best qualities of the Western U.S. without exorbitant housing prices. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › The West has some of the most expensive cities in the country. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle are some of the priciest areas, but it is possible to live here without spending a fortune on housing. These are some of the best places to retire in the West for people who are looking to save money, especially as retirement looms. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Tucson, Arizona Tucson is a little less than two hours away from Phoenix by car, but there's a lot to do in this affordable city. Hikers will be delighted to walk through the Saguaro National Park and the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. Tucson Mountain Park is a 20,000-acre haven for hikers seeking complete immersion in nature. It also has several museums and historical sites that give the city some charm beyond its hiking trails. The Tucson Botanical Gardens and Reid Park Zoo are two popular options. Tucson has a median home price of $275,000, which is slightly down year over year, according to Realtor.com. Affordability was a key factor for retirees in The Motley Fool's Best Places to Retire Index, which bodes well for anyone considering Tucson. Spokane, Washington It takes about four hours to drive down from Spokane to Seattle. But thanks to the many amenities Spokane already offers, it isn't necessary to drive down to Seattle. Spokane has a median housing price of $420,000, which is down by roughly 1% year over year. The median rent is $1,650 per mo...
Ukrainian ministers launched a protest at plans to reopen the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, in a statement published in Kyiv on Sunday. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna called the admission of Russian artists to international events unacceptable and asked the organisers to reconsider their decision. After all, they had condemned Moscow’s aggression so...
Ukrainian ministers launched a protest at plans to reopen the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, in a statement published in Kyiv on Sunday. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna called the admission of Russian artists to international events unacceptable and asked the organisers to reconsider their decision. After all, they had condemned Moscow’s aggression soon after the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine more than four years ago, they noted. Advertisement “It is incomprehensible to us why this position is changing now, when Russia refuses to stop the war, rejects peace efforts and dialogue, and instead continues to rely on terror and atrocities,” they said. “Under such conditions, any policy changes or softening of restrictions have no real basis and can only send a dangerous signal of support for aggression, tolerance of Russian war crimes and the normalisation of the Russian occupiers’ genocidal policy,” the joint statement said. Advertisement They said the cultural sector must be protected from war propaganda, meaning there was no reason to lift restrictions; rather, doing so could send a dangerous signal of support for the aggression.
Key Points The pullback in U.S. equities resulting from the conflict in Iran is creating buy-the-dip opportunities for savvy investors. There may be the temptation to choose individual sectors or themes, but I don't think that's the best way to go. Buying the entire equity market limits some downside risk and works better with the overall economic growth narrative. 10 stocks we like better than Va...
Key Points The pullback in U.S. equities resulting from the conflict in Iran is creating buy-the-dip opportunities for savvy investors. There may be the temptation to choose individual sectors or themes, but I don't think that's the best way to go. Buying the entire equity market limits some downside risk and works better with the overall economic growth narrative. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF › For the first time in 2026, the market is facing a real jolt of worry. The conflict in Iran has pushed equity volatility to its highest levels of the year. The 10-year Treasury yield briefly hit its lowest point since April 2025. Investors genuinely seem spooked. Long-term investors could view this as an opportunity. If you believe that geopolitical events tend to be more short-term in nature, this could be a temporary dip that can be taken advantage of. At a high level, the U.S. economy is still expanding and corporate earnings growth remains robust. Those are the factors that support the long-term growth of equity prices even in the face of short-term volatility. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » I generally keep some cash on the sidelines in my portfolio for times just like this. Short-term disruptions can be a chance to buy successful companies at discounted prices. But I don't try to buy individual winners or even specific sectors. I like to buy the whole market on the dip and simply take advantage of lower prices. For that, I buy the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEMKT: VTI). Buying the whole market on the dips Investors tend to use recent performance as a guide for where to put their money. Last year, tech ETFs saw some of the biggest net inflows as a result of the artificial intelligence (AI) rally. This year, however, has been a different story. ...
Milan cut Inter’s lead at the top of Serie A to seven points after a 1-0 victory in the derby at San Siro. Pervis Estupiñán’s first-half strike saw Milan complete a Serie A double over their fierce city rivals for the first time since 2011. Inter had gone 15 league matches undefeated since their 1-0 loss to Milan in November but it was the full-back Estupiñán who found the only goal in the 35th mi...
Milan cut Inter’s lead at the top of Serie A to seven points after a 1-0 victory in the derby at San Siro. Pervis Estupiñán’s first-half strike saw Milan complete a Serie A double over their fierce city rivals for the first time since 2011. Inter had gone 15 league matches undefeated since their 1-0 loss to Milan in November but it was the full-back Estupiñán who found the only goal in the 35th minute. “It is the most important goal of my life, really,” Estupiñán told DAZN after the match. The Milan manager, Massimiliano Allegri, quickly cooled any talk of the Scudetto, stating that a top-four placement and spot in next season’s Champions League is the main goal. “We defended in an orderly way and had a few favourable situations. That said, Inter clearly remain the favourites for the championship,” he said. Roma’s Champions League hopes suffered a blow with a 2-1 loss against Genoa. Evan Ndicka quickly equalised after Junior Messias had given Genoa the lead but Vitinha scored the winner 10 minutes from time. Lecce claimed victory in the big match at the bottom, beating Cremonese 2-1 to move three points clear of the drop zone. Cremonese drop into the bottom three. Struggling Verona earned a surprise 2-1 win at Bologna, with Scottish striker Kieron Bowie firing the decisive goal to end a run of 12 games without a victory. They still sit seven points from safety after Fiorentina drew 0-0 with Parma, while Cremonese drop into the bottom three with a 2-1 defeat at Lecce. In Germany, Wolfsburg sacked their head coach, Daniel Bauer, on Sunday after the club’s managing director for sport departed on Saturday with the club mired in the relegation zone. The dismissals of Bauer and Peter Christiansen came after Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Hamburg, which prompted an on-field melee between both sets of players, and angry scenes from fans at the Volkswagen Arena. Veteran coach Dieter Hecking has been announced as Bauer’s replacement. View image in fullscreen Wolfsburg fans thr...
Gold fell, pressured by a stronger US dollar and inflationary risks, as the war in the Middle East extended into a second week and oil surged above $100 a barrel. Bullion dropped to near $5,120 an ounce in early trading, after posting its first weekly decline in more than a month. Major oil producers curbed output due to the US-Israeli war with Iran, which shows no sign of resolution , and a gauge...
Gold fell, pressured by a stronger US dollar and inflationary risks, as the war in the Middle East extended into a second week and oil surged above $100 a barrel. Bullion dropped to near $5,120 an ounce in early trading, after posting its first weekly decline in more than a month. Major oil producers curbed output due to the US-Israeli war with Iran, which shows no sign of resolution , and a gauge of the dollar jumped 0.4%. Gold has come under pressure as spiking crude prices stoke inflation fears in the US, raising the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged for longer, or even raise them. Higher borrowing costs, as well a stronger dollar, are typically negative for precious metals. Bullion has also served as a source of liquidity during a deepening rout in global equities. While trading has been choppy and upward momentum has stalled, gold has still gained nearly a fifth so far this year. US President Donald Trump’s upheaval of global trade and geopolitics, as well as threats to the Fed’s independence, has supported safer assets. The war in the Middle East has entered its 10th day. Over the weekend, Tehran picked a new supreme leader and kept up attacks in the Persian Gulf region, while Israel struck fuel depots in the Iranian capital and threatened the Islamic Republic’s power grid. Attacks on energy infrastructure and a halt to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally handles a fifth of the world’s oil, have driven up prices of crude and natural gas. Read More: Iran Picks New Leader as Escalating War Deepens Oil Shock Spot gold fell 0.9% to $5,124.48 an ounce as of 6:56 a.m. in Singapore. Silver dropped 1.6% to $83.22. Platinum fell more than 3% and palladium lost 0.9%. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.4% after adding 1.3% last week.
Credit - A Little Bit Louder Now Submitted by Peter Tchir of Academy Securities Credit 'Hey, hey, A, yeah, yahhh... you make me wanna shout!!' After a tumultuous week, if there was one thing we could do for you, it is put a song in your head that hopefully makes you smile. Seriously, a song featured in Animal House and Wedding Crashers should make you smile, at least for a moment. This week’s T-Re...
Credit - A Little Bit Louder Now Submitted by Peter Tchir of Academy Securities Credit 'Hey, hey, A, yeah, yahhh... you make me wanna shout!!' After a tumultuous week, if there was one thing we could do for you, it is put a song in your head that hopefully makes you smile. Seriously, a song featured in Animal House and Wedding Crashers should make you smile, at least for a moment. This week’s T-Report follows up last weekend’s Is Credit Whispering? Or Shouting ? We examined the risks to credit markets, from several angles, and explored potential vulnerabilities. The main focus was on the risk of potential “contagion” (though we didn’t use the word) of “selling what you can” instead of what you might want to. On a “housekeeping” note, we often use ETFs in T-Reports. Whether we are just pointing something out, or taking a view, one way or another, it is meant to be a “badge of honor” to the ETFs selected (except single stock leveraged ETFs, but that is another story). We use ETFs when we feel they “represent” a market or a sector well. Especially when there is no “index” that people follow that tracks that sector. ETFs have multiple advantages over obscure indices. Everyone can see them trade in real-time during market hours. You can see their holdings, their volume, their NAV, etc. You can even trade them. Like any other stock, “price charts” don’t do a good job with dividends/total return, but we try to highlight that, when total return is the focus. Iran We will continue to keep you as informed as possible of our views on the conflict in the Middle East and the market ramifications. Webinar from last Sunday night. Three Themes Driving Markets from Tuesday. Tuesday’s Iran War Update SITREP. The Spider Web podcast from Thursday. We don’t actually call it that, but I think it is “catchy.” Finally, with reference to Mrs. Robinson, we published NFP and Plastics on Friday. Jet fuel was also featured. I had the pleasure of going on Bloomberg TV on Monday morning (the 52:2...
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the prospect of helping households with soaring energy bills as oil prices hit $100 a barrel with little sign of resolution to the war in Iran. “No matter the headwinds, supporting working people and their families with the cost of living is always top of my mind,” he said ahead of a visit on Monday to a community center in London. Starmer is under pressure fr...
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the prospect of helping households with soaring energy bills as oil prices hit $100 a barrel with little sign of resolution to the war in Iran. “No matter the headwinds, supporting working people and their families with the cost of living is always top of my mind,” he said ahead of a visit on Monday to a community center in London. Starmer is under pressure from unions and his own Labour MPs to prepare a support package in the event of a prolonged conflict. Brent crude oil prices surged as much as 10% to around $109 a barrel and more production cutbacks by United Arab Emirates and Kuwait over the weekend threaten another week of chaos in the markets. Oil was $72 on Feb. 27 before the conflict began. The Resolution Foundation think tank has warned that the spike in gas and oil prices since the conflict began could cost a typical UK household £500 ($666.92), more than wiping out the £150 of savings Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves unveiled in the November budget. Starmer said the public is “rightly worrying what this means for life at home – their bills, their jobs, their communities. I want to address those concerns head on. I will always be guided by what is best for the British public.” Economists have warned that the UK cannot afford a broad household bail-out. The prime minister’s comments came after he spoke with President Donald Trump Sunday afternoon to discuss military cooperation on RAF bases and offer his condolences following the deaths of six US soldiers. The call was the first time the two had spoken since the president criticised him for not supporting strikes on Iran last week. Trump said on Saturday “we don’t need them any longer,” in response to news that Britain is preparing an aircraft carrier for the Middle East. “We will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!” He had already described Starmer as “not Winston Churchill ” over the prime minister’s initial reluctance to l...
The West has some of the most expensive cities in the country. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle are some of the priciest areas, but it is possible to live here without spending a fortune on housing. These are some of the best places to retire in the West for people who are looking to save money, especially as retirement looms. Tucson, Arizona Tucson is a little less than two hours away from...
The West has some of the most expensive cities in the country. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle are some of the priciest areas, but it is possible to live here without spending a fortune on housing. These are some of the best places to retire in the West for people who are looking to save money, especially as retirement looms. Tucson, Arizona Tucson is a little less than two hours away from Phoenix by car, but there's a lot to do in this affordable city. Hikers will be delighted to walk through the Saguaro National Park and the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. Tucson Mountain Park is a 20,000-acre haven for hikers seeking complete immersion in nature. It also has several museums and historical sites that give the city some charm beyond its hiking trails. The Tucson Botanical Gardens and Reid Park Zoo are two popular options. Tucson has a median home price of $275,000, which is slightly down year over year, according to Realtor.com. Affordability was a key factor for retirees in The Motley Fool's Best Places to Retire Index, which bodes well for anyone considering Tucson. Spokane, Washington It takes about four hours to drive down from Spokane to Seattle. But thanks to the many amenities Spokane already offers, it isn't necessary to drive down to Seattle. Spokane has a median housing price of $420,000, which is down by roughly 1% year over year. The median rent is $1,650 per month, up 22% over the past year, according to Realtor.com. Spokane has the picturesque 40-mile Centennial Trail, ideal for runners and bikers. The Riverfront Park and Manito Park also offer scenic options that don't require traversing a 40-mile trail. The city also has several local stores and museums. You can even visit farms in Green Bluff, a 26-farm collection near Spokane. Twin Falls, Idaho Twin Falls offers incredible views and outdoor activities year-round. Shoshone Falls Park is considered the Niagara Falls of the West. It also has the Canyon Rim Trail, a 10-mile route along the Snak...
For the first time in 2026, the market is facing a real jolt of worry. The conflict in Iran has pushed equity volatility to its highest levels of the year. The 10-year Treasury yield briefly hit its lowest point since April 2025. Investors genuinely seem spooked. Long-term investors could view this as an opportunity. If you believe that geopolitical events tend to be more short-term in nature, thi...
For the first time in 2026, the market is facing a real jolt of worry. The conflict in Iran has pushed equity volatility to its highest levels of the year. The 10-year Treasury yield briefly hit its lowest point since April 2025. Investors genuinely seem spooked. Long-term investors could view this as an opportunity. If you believe that geopolitical events tend to be more short-term in nature, this could be a temporary dip that can be taken advantage of. At a high level, the U.S. economy is still expanding and corporate earnings growth remains robust. Those are the factors that support the long-term growth of equity prices even in the face of short-term volatility. I generally keep some cash on the sidelines in my portfolio for times just like this. Short-term disruptions can be a chance to buy successful companies at discounted prices. But I don't try to buy individual winners or even specific sectors. I like to buy the whole market on the dip and simply take advantage of lower prices. For that, I buy the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEMKT: VTI) . Continue reading