UBS Warns Drought Shock Unfolding Across Breadbasket Of America It's not just us sounding the alarm about severe drought conditions hitting America's breadbasket as spring plantings ramp up, or warning about the second- and third-order effects that could push food prices higher later this year. UBS analysts, led by Jonathan Pingle, told clients on Thursday morning that drought conditions across th...
UBS Warns Drought Shock Unfolding Across Breadbasket Of America It's not just us sounding the alarm about severe drought conditions hitting America's breadbasket as spring plantings ramp up, or warning about the second- and third-order effects that could push food prices higher later this year. UBS analysts, led by Jonathan Pingle, told clients on Thursday morning that drought conditions across the US agricultural belt rank among the worst in more than 130 years: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Palmer Drought Severity Index hit its highest level for March since records started in 1895, and March was the third driest month recorded, regardless of time of year, behind only the famed 1930s Dust Bowl": July and August 1934. Water levels on the Mississippi look fine, the seasonal lows are typically in the fall, but river levels in Memphis sit 24 feet below this time last year. The primary effect of drought conditions on farmland is a direct hit to production: reduced soil moisture, weaker germination, lower yields, poorer crop quality, reduced pasture and forage, and greater stress on the nation's cattle herd (already seen with soaring beef prices). USDA says drought can slash planted or harvested acreage, reduce livestock productivity, and raise feed and irrigation costs; it can also reduce crop yields and quality, with some perennial crops taking years to recover. Then the third-order effects emerge: lower farm output and higher production costs (diesel and fertilizer), which can be transmitted through food supply chains into higher retail food prices, tighter supplies for processors, and pressure on food security. Pingle continued: Drought severity sees much of the country ; April very warm The USDA Weekly Weather and Crop Report highlights the unusual warmth during the April employment report survey reference period, which should be on net supportive of the data this month, and potentially postpone pull forward from March until May or June. The ...
In this article @LCO.1 Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Commercial vessels are seen off the coast of Dubai on April 20, 2026. - | Afp | Getty Images Bettors on the prediction markets platform Kalshi don't think the Strait of Hormuz will be open to normal traffic flows for months. Odds that traffic will return to normal by June 1 fell below 50% on Wednesday, after the U.S. and Iran e...
In this article @LCO.1 Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Commercial vessels are seen off the coast of Dubai on April 20, 2026. - | Afp | Getty Images Bettors on the prediction markets platform Kalshi don't think the Strait of Hormuz will be open to normal traffic flows for months. Odds that traffic will return to normal by June 1 fell below 50% on Wednesday, after the U.S. and Iran extended a ceasefire but neither side disclosed any new agreement regarding Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz or the U.S. ending its naval blockade of the passageway. On Thursday, President Donald Trump threatened to "shoot and kill" any boat laying mines in the strait, while oil prices climbed higher with Brent crude again above $100 per barrel. Bettors on Kalshi give just a 42% chance that normal traffic flows through the strait by June 1. They assign a 59% chance that happens by July 1, and a 61% chance by Aug. 1. Kalshi defines normal traffic flows on the contract as the seven-day moving average of transit calls through the strait based on data from IMF PortWatch. On Polymarket, bettors give a 45% chance that traffic through the strait returns to normal by the end of May , and a 67% chance by the end of June . Polymarket uses the same definition of normal traffic as Kalshi. Transit through the strait remains low. On Wednesday — the same day Iran said it seized two ships sailing through the strait without authorization — eight ships crossed the strait , including three oil tankers, according to data from LSEG. Before the war, traffic typically included more than 100 ships daily in the strait. In a Thursday note, UBS chief investment officer for the Americas Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi wrote that a reopening of the strait "remains elusive." She pointed to comments on Wednesday from Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who said the strait will not reopen so long as the U.S. naval blockade is in place. "These developments point to the challenges of resolving the...
Duncan Nicholls and Simon Webb/OJO Images via Getty Images Introduction The last time I covered Evolution AB ( EVVTY ), I highlighted their strong financials and leadership position as an online casino gaming service provider for B2B partners, standing to benefit from long-term tailwinds and delivering very solid combined yield despite facing cybercrime pressure and consumer headwinds. Despite rep...
Duncan Nicholls and Simon Webb/OJO Images via Getty Images Introduction The last time I covered Evolution AB ( EVVTY ), I highlighted their strong financials and leadership position as an online casino gaming service provider for B2B partners, standing to benefit from long-term tailwinds and delivering very solid combined yield despite facing cybercrime pressure and consumer headwinds. Despite reporting weakness in Europe, Evolution is advancing well on all other fronts, remaining a Strong Buy given their significant undervaluation even when using conservative estimates, while the long-term continues to be in their favor. Stable Despite Weakness In Europe Evolution AB IR Evolution reported a resilient Q1 overall , with their EBITDA margin remaining stable at around 65.4% in Q1 (66.8% TTM) and with continued weakness in Europe (revenue down 5.9%) and improved growth in North America (up 10.1%), while LATAM continued to shine with an excellent 29.3% increase YoY, while making further progress against cybercrime in Asia and delivering a 2.2% increase there. However, since Europe is by far the largest based on their B2B clients’ region (€345.3 million net revenues in Q1 out of €513.0 million in total), the net revenues were still down overall, with a drop of ~1.5% in Q1, which was also reflected in the EBITDA and profit, despite the EPS being up 2.1% thanks to their buybacks. Meanwhile, they continue to target growth at least in line with the market for Live and RNG games, with flat FY26 EBITDA signaling the ongoing pressure in the market. Evolution AB IR Similarly, the free cash flow was stable, reaching €311.25 million in Q1’26 compared to €327.73 million in Q1’25, with a cash flow conversion rate of 81%. This leads to about €1.1 billion over the past 12 months, which remains very solid for a ~€11.78 billion market cap, allowing the company to return and invest significant amounts of money back to its shareholders or into the company. Evolution AB IR Financially, base...
Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/24/26, nVent Electric PLC (Symbol: NVT) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.21, payable on 5/8/26. As a percentage of NVT's recent stock price of $141.07, this dividend works out to approx
Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/24/26, nVent Electric PLC (Symbol: NVT) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.21, payable on 5/8/26. As a percentage of NVT's recent stock price of $141.07, this dividend works out to approx
Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/24/26, Ohio Valley Banc Corp (Symbol: OVBC) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.25, payable on 5/10/26. As a percentage of OVBC's recent stock price of $46.25, this dividend works out to a
Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/24/26, Ohio Valley Banc Corp (Symbol: OVBC) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.25, payable on 5/10/26. As a percentage of OVBC's recent stock price of $46.25, this dividend works out to a
krblokhin PulteGroup's ( PHM ) Q1 earnings fell short of the average analyst estimate on Thursday, while its revenue declined less than expected as challenging housing market dynamics continued. Net new orders increased 3% Y/Y in the quarter, but the average sales price fell. Its gross margin was impacted by increased incentives offered to homebuyers. Separately, the homebuilder said it increased ...
krblokhin PulteGroup's ( PHM ) Q1 earnings fell short of the average analyst estimate on Thursday, while its revenue declined less than expected as challenging housing market dynamics continued. Net new orders increased 3% Y/Y in the quarter, but the average sales price fell. Its gross margin was impacted by increased incentives offered to homebuyers. Separately, the homebuilder said it increased its stock buyback authorization by $1.5B, bringing the current share repurchase authorization to $2.1B. Q1 GAAP EPS of $1.79 , trailing the average analyst estimate of $1.81, dropped from $2.57 in the year-ago period. Q1 total revenue of $3.41B, beating the $3.38B consensus, declined from $3.89B in Q1 2025. Homebuilding sales of $3.34B fell from $3.80B a year ago. PulteGroup ( PHM ) stock gained 0.5% in Thursday morning trading. Home closings fell 7.3% Y/Y to 6,102, with the average selling price dipping to $542K from $573K in Q4 2025 and $570K in last year's Q1 Net new orders increased 3% Y/Y to 8,034, with a value of $4.57B. Its cancellation rate, as a percentage of beginning backlog, was 13%, up from 11% a year ago. " Within a demand environment impacted by domestic and global dynamics, we see a consumer with concerns about affordability and the economy but still desirous of home ownership, as demonstrated by the 3% growth in our first quarter net new orders," said President and CEO Ryan Marshall . "Given these dynamics, we continue to intelligently manage sales, incentives, and production to best position the Company for near- and long-term success." Unit backlog was 10,427 homes with a value of $6.5B at the end of Q1, vs. 8,495 homes valued at $5.27B at the end of Q4 2025. Home sales gross margin of 24.5% fell from 27.5%, reflecting higher incentives offered to buyers to reduce its excess speculative inventory. Q1 selling, general, and administrative expenses declined to $380.3M from $393.3M in Q1 2025. PulteGroup ( PHM ) reaffirmed its 2026 guidance of 28.5K-29.0K hom...