Sven Biscop is a Belgian political scientist and strategist specialising in the foreign affairs and security of the EU and its relations with great powers. He is a director at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels and a professor at Ghent University. He is also a senior research fellow at Renmin University in Beijing, where he teaches in the summer. Biscop is the autho...
Sven Biscop is a Belgian political scientist and strategist specialising in the foreign affairs and security of the EU and its relations with great powers. He is a director at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels and a professor at Ghent University. He is also a senior research fellow at Renmin University in Beijing, where he teaches in the summer. Biscop is the author of many books, including 2024’s This Is Not a New World Order: Europe Rediscovers Geopolitics,...
Another 'Green Dot Sunday': Oil Jumps, Stocks Dump After Weekend Of Escalations Having gone into the weekend with stocks squeezing to record highs and oil prices plunging on euphoric hope that goldilocks was right around the corner in the Middle East - following Trump's very enthusiastic statements all day - things have gone a 'little bit slightly turbo' again ... As last week's rally extended, th...
Another 'Green Dot Sunday': Oil Jumps, Stocks Dump After Weekend Of Escalations Having gone into the weekend with stocks squeezing to record highs and oil prices plunging on euphoric hope that goldilocks was right around the corner in the Middle East - following Trump's very enthusiastic statements all day - things have gone a 'little bit slightly turbo' again ... As last week's rally extended, the market’s sensitivity to negative developments diminished . Investors brushed aside warnings from global institutions about the economic damage. Instead, flows remained supportive and leadership broadened, with technology catching up after a rough start to the year. By Thursday and Friday, the tone had shifted to express the view that the war is all but over and the growth cycle remains intact. That left markets heading into a critical inflection point. But the weekend did not offer any help... First, shortly after the 'close' on Friday, Iran denied most of what Trump claimed as fact with regard 'nuclear dust' and peace-deals. Then came the Iranians fired upon an Indian tanker attempting to cross the Strait. And today we have seen the US military strike and seize an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman On the bright side? ...there are expected to be 'talks' on Tuesday or Wednesday (which Iran has claimed it will not attend). Soaking all that in left markets back in ' Green Dot Sunday ' mode with oil spiking, equity futures fading, and bitcoin sliding. WTI spiked almost 9% - back up near $90... Gas contracts are jumping in early Asian trading, setting up a nervous start for risk assets in the region * EUROPEAN GAS RISES AS MUCH AS 9.8% AS IRAN CLOSES HORMUZ AGAIN S&P futures are down around 1%... Bitcoin has erased all of Friday's gains... Treasury futures are down, implying around a 5bps jump in 10Y Yields... AUD is leading losses for G-10 currencies as the US dollar strengthens in early action ... Gold is down around 1.5%... As we noted on Friday, the OpEx was e...
The home improvement and hardware retail sectors faced a challenging year in 2025, as sales suffered from a continued housing slump and consumers' reluctance to spend in uncertain economic conditions. Industry leader Home Depot's sales declined by 3.8% in its fourth quarter of 2025, ending Feb. 1, ...
The home improvement and hardware retail sectors faced a challenging year in 2025, as sales suffered from a continued housing slump and consumers' reluctance to spend in uncertain economic conditions. Industry leader Home Depot's sales declined by 3.8% in its fourth quarter of 2025, ending Feb. 1, ...
Federal prosecutor says woman is suspected of dealing weapons to Africa on behalf of Iranian government A California woman was arrested at Los Angeles international airport after allegedly trafficking weapons on behalf of the Iranian government to contacts in Africa, including Sudan. Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills was detained on Saturday night by federal agents, according to the top federal p...
Federal prosecutor says woman is suspected of dealing weapons to Africa on behalf of Iranian government A California woman was arrested at Los Angeles international airport after allegedly trafficking weapons on behalf of the Iranian government to contacts in Africa, including Sudan. Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills was detained on Saturday night by federal agents, according to the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles. Continue reading...
DedMityay/iStock via Getty Images The United Arab Emirates has opened discussions with U.S. officials about possible financial support if the war involving Iran deepens and further damages the Gulf state’s economy, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed officials. According to the report, UAE Central Bank Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama raised the possibility of a currency swap line durin...
DedMityay/iStock via Getty Images The United Arab Emirates has opened discussions with U.S. officials about possible financial support if the war involving Iran deepens and further damages the Gulf state’s economy, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed officials. According to the report, UAE Central Bank Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama raised the possibility of a currency swap line during meetings in Washington last week with Federal Reserve and Treasury officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The Journal said Emirati officials told U.S. counterparts they have so far avoided the worst economic fallout but may need a financial buffer if conditions worsen. No formal request has been made, the report said. The talks reflect concerns that prolonged conflict could weaken the UAE’s role as a regional financial hub by pressuring foreign reserves and prompting capital outflows. The war has also reportedly damaged parts of the UAE’s energy infrastructure and disrupted oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, a major source of dollar revenue. In an interview Sunday on ABC’s This Week , UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy said the country has faced more than 2,800 missiles and drones since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on Feb. 28. More on iShares Trust - iShares MSCI UAE ETF, UAE Dirham / US Dollar What The Iran War Means For Neighboring Markets UAE: Motoring Along Nicely With Some Fine Tailwinds To Support It UAE said to have injected $8B to support banking system Gulf states said to weigh new pipelines to bypass Strait of Hormuz Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on iShares Trust - iShares MSCI UAE ETF
Shares of Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) soared almost 800% over the last decade, likely creating life-changing wealth for some shareholders. And this strong stock price performance was arguably primarily driven by impeccable performance on two key metrics: revenue and operating margin. While the company's still small yet fast-growing advertising business, steady membership growth, and occasional price in...
Shares of Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) soared almost 800% over the last decade, likely creating life-changing wealth for some shareholders. And this strong stock price performance was arguably primarily driven by impeccable performance on two key metrics: revenue and operating margin. While the company's still small yet fast-growing advertising business, steady membership growth, and occasional price increases should help the streaming pioneer keep growing its top line over time, there's less certainty about its ability to keep expanding its operating margin. For now, the company continues to forecast operating margin growth. But can the key profitability metric keep expanding steadily over the next decade, as it did over the last decade, or could it eventually max out given the intensely competitive entertainment landscape? A closer look at how the company has expanded its annual operating margin recently reveals a business that continues to find ways to squeeze more profit out of its model -- but how long can Netflix keep this up? Continue reading