IBM 即将发布财报，市场预期偏向积极。分析师认为，凭借其日益增长的AI业务，IBM可能交出超出预期的成绩。 数据方面，市场普遍预期调整后每股收益为1.81美元，营收为156.4亿美元，高于去年同期的1.60美元和145.4亿美元。增长预计将来自软件和基础设施领域，尤其是自动化和事务处理等板块。这具有重要意义，因为它表明即使IBM混合云业务的部分领域（如红帽）增速从上季度的12%放缓至8%，该公司...
IBM 即将发布财报，市场预期偏向积极。分析师认为，凭借其日益增长的AI业务，IBM可能交出超出预期的成绩。 数据方面，市场普遍预期调整后每股收益为1.81美元，营收为156.4亿美元，高于去年同期的1.60美元和145.4亿美元。增长预计将来自软件和基础设施领域，尤其是自动化和事务处理等板块。这具有重要意义，因为它表明即使IBM混合云业务的部分领域（如红帽）增速从上季度的12%放缓至8%，该公司仍在寻找增长途径。 真正支撑市场情绪的是AI叙事。IBM一直在稳步扩展其在该领域的影响力，从扩大政府环境中的AI和自动化工具，到进一步深入网络安全领域。 RBC 资本市场和Wedbush等机构的分析师仍然持建设性态度，即使在下调目标价后仍维持看涨评级。 责任编辑：张俊 SF065
Arrest by Dubai police comes as Irish authorities issue warrant related to alleged organised crime offences Daniel Kinahan, alleged to be the leader of the Kinahan organised crime group, has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates. Irish police said they were aware of the arrest of a man in his late 40s, on foot of an arrest warrant issued by the Irish courts in relation to alleged serious organ...
Arrest by Dubai police comes as Irish authorities issue warrant related to alleged organised crime offences Daniel Kinahan, alleged to be the leader of the Kinahan organised crime group, has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates. Irish police said they were aware of the arrest of a man in his late 40s, on foot of an arrest warrant issued by the Irish courts in relation to alleged serious organised crime offences. Continue reading...
Shares of Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) fell on Thursday, down as much as 8.6% at one point this morning, before returning to a 5.8% decline as of 1:30 p.m. EDT. Oil prices had declined about 10% at that time, to roughly $82 per barrel -- the lowest price since early March, just after the war started. Oil prices fell after President Trump said that Iran had agreed to the broad outlines of a dea...
Shares of Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) fell on Thursday, down as much as 8.6% at one point this morning, before returning to a 5.8% decline as of 1:30 p.m. EDT. Oil prices had declined about 10% at that time, to roughly $82 per barrel -- the lowest price since early March, just after the war started. Oil prices fell after President Trump said that Iran had agreed to the broad outlines of a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, unlocking the roughly 20% of global oil supply that Iran has restricted since shortly after the beginning of the war. Continue reading
Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Managed by The Carlyle Group, оne of the lаrgest global investment manаgers, Carlyle Secured Lending Inc. ( CGBD ) has аccess to a brоad nеtwork of dеals and dеep crеdit expеrtise. In this аnаlysis, we exаmine the portfоlio structurе, finаncials, and the rеlative attrаctiveness of the cоmmon stock vеrsus the cоrporate bоnds as of the end of 2025. And if y...
Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Managed by The Carlyle Group, оne of the lаrgest global investment manаgers, Carlyle Secured Lending Inc. ( CGBD ) has аccess to a brоad nеtwork of dеals and dеep crеdit expеrtise. In this аnаlysis, we exаmine the portfоlio structurе, finаncials, and the rеlative attrаctiveness of the cоmmon stock vеrsus the cоrporate bоnds as of the end of 2025. And if you are interested in our last article for the company, you can read it here . CGBD overview (carlylesecuredlending.com) CGBD In Details CGBD has 165 holdings. The biggest part of it is in First Lien debt - close to 84%, followed by 6% in Equity Investments, 6% in Investment Funds, and 4% in Second Lien Debt. When we look at the industry exposure, the largest percentage is 18% in "Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals", followed by "Software" at 11%. CGBD's portfolio highlights (carlylesecuredlending.com) The total assets of CGBD as of December 31, 2025, are close to $2.79 billion. Close to 2.7% are in cash and cash equivalents, and around 87% are the total investments at fair value of the total assets: CGBD's assets (carlylesecuredlending.com) The total debt is close to $1.54 billion. 100% of the balance sheet leverage of CGBD is with a floating rate. In the next picture, you can see the debt and the debt maturities of the company: CGBD's debt (carlylesecuredlending.com) The company's 3-year average annual total return on NAV is close to 9.04%, and the 5-year is around 11.25%. Both numbers are higher than the peer groups. CGBD total returns (cefdata.com) Historical Premium/Discount The next chart is a 10-year premium-discount of CGBD. We see its lowest point was during the COVID pandemic. Currently, the discount of the common stock is also higher - close to 28% - and it is at its lowest point. CGBD's historical premium/discounts (cefdata.com) We see that the discount is more than twice the 5-year average of 12.97%: CGBD's average discounts (cefdata.com) Asset Yield, Return On Equi...
Key PointsFisher Funds added 30,716 shares of MercadoLibre in the first quarter; the estimated transaction value was $59.25 million based on quarterly average prices.
Key PointsFisher Funds added 30,716 shares of MercadoLibre in the first quarter; the estimated transaction value was $59.25 million based on quarterly average prices.
From competitive and financial standpoints, some industries are just better than others. For example, the payments market has many businesses operating in it that are developing moats and that produce exceptional profits. This might be a good place for investors to go searching for new ideas. One of these companies is a dominant force that's worth taking the time to learn more about. And it's the ...
From competitive and financial standpoints, some industries are just better than others. For example, the payments market has many businesses operating in it that are developing moats and that produce exceptional profits. This might be a good place for investors to go searching for new ideas. One of these companies is a dominant force that's worth taking the time to learn more about. And it's the payments stock that benefits every time someone swipes a card at checkout. Image source: Visa. Continue reading
yevtony/iStock via Getty Images Over the last year, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) ( ERIC ), aka "Ericsson" returned 65.32% , beating the S&P 500’s 14.27% performance. On Friday morning, the firm posted first-quarter results. ERIC stock fell by over 6% in response. After shares traded at a 52-week high ahead of results, what should shareholders do next? First Quarter Earnings Ericsson post...
yevtony/iStock via Getty Images Over the last year, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) ( ERIC ), aka "Ericsson" returned 65.32% , beating the S&P 500’s 14.27% performance. On Friday morning, the firm posted first-quarter results. ERIC stock fell by over 6% in response. After shares traded at a 52-week high ahead of results, what should shareholders do next? First Quarter Earnings Ericsson posted a 10.4% year-on-year decline in revenue , to SEK 49.3 billion (US $5.4 billion). The decline is due mostly to large currency headwinds in the quarter. CEO Borje Ekholm said on the conference call that the Swedish krona ( SEK:USD ) has had one of the toughest quarters. The currency strengthened against nearly all currencies compared to last year. Fortunately, it offset the impact with good operational performance. Organic sales increased by 6% Y/Y, while adjusted gross margin topped 48.1%. In addition to announcing its semi-annual dividend that yields 2.57% , Ericsson’s board of directors authorized a stock repurchase plan. It will buy back no more than 10% of its Class B shares. The SEK 15 billion (US $1.64 billion) plan starts no earlier than April 23, 2026, and ends by March 31, 2027. Despite cash flow falling due to seasonality, the cash flow of SEK 5.9 billion (US $650 million) is at healthy levels to support the dividend hike. Gross Margin Expansion Ericsson increased its geographical diversification by cutting down its reliance on the North American markets. Sales fell by the mid-single digits in North America, yet gross margin steadied at 48.1%. Gross margin for segment networks was 50.4%. In the Cloud Software and Services segment, gross margin reached 43.2%. Ericsson increased it by over 3% Y/Y despite some deals getting pushed into this quarter (Q2). AI Play Investors who looked at Nokia ( NOK ) as a legacy telecom firm missed out on the stock doubling in the last half year . Nvidia’s ( NVDA ) investment in the firm changed that perception. For Ericsson, AI’s n...
STORY: From financial market reaction to the latest developments in the Middle East, to testimony from Trump's Fed chair pick, these are the stories to watch in business and finance in the coming week. :: Fed chair, hot seat? Investors will learn more about Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve when the former Fed governor Kevin Warsh testifies before Congress as part of his confirmation hearin...
STORY: From financial market reaction to the latest developments in the Middle East, to testimony from Trump's Fed chair pick, these are the stories to watch in business and finance in the coming week. :: Fed chair, hot seat? Investors will learn more about Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve when the former Fed governor Kevin Warsh testifies before Congress as part of his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Warsh steps into a tricky backdrop to achieve Trump's desire for lower rates, with the Iran war's energy-price surge driving concerns about higher inflation. Trump has openly vented his frustration at current Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering rates more. Elsewhere, Tesla is set to report first-quarter results and March retail sales data could shed light on whether higher prices are hurting consumer spending. :: A gloomy spring The coming week brings a first look at how companies around the world were coping as the Iran war passed the one-month mark in April. First-quarter earnings, especially in imported energy-dependent Europe, are showing airlines, retailers, and manufacturers grappling with deep uncertainty that could weigh on profits. While investors in the U.S. will look closely at the prices and employment components of the upcoming purchasing managers' indices (PMIs) for signs of stress. :: China's loan prime rate China sets its loan prime rate on April 20, though analysts see the central bank keeping its benchmark unchanged through the end of the year as the economy regains momentum. Even if growth is expected to cool as the effects of the Middle East crisis hit corporate profits and overseas demand, Asia's largest economy is still better off than many.
Tanker Armada Races For Hormuz After Iran Says Strait Is Open An armada of at least eight oil tankers set off toward the Strait of Hormuz immediately after Iran’s foreign minister said the vital waterway was fully open to shipping. Five of the carriers, which had been anchored north of Dubai, were moving into the waterway on Friday afternoon, soon after Iran’s foreign minister said it was complete...
Tanker Armada Races For Hormuz After Iran Says Strait Is Open An armada of at least eight oil tankers set off toward the Strait of Hormuz immediately after Iran’s foreign minister said the vital waterway was fully open to shipping. Five of the carriers, which had been anchored north of Dubai, were moving into the waterway on Friday afternoon, soon after Iran’s foreign minister said it was completely open, vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. Three more, which were waiting about 70 miles west, have also begun moving in the direction of the strait. Source: Bloomberg The tankers moved despite reports in Iranian media that suggested the country was still seeking to impose restrictions. Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that ships and cargoes linked to “hostile” countries would not be allowed through (in other words, no change from before). Passage via Strait of Hormuz will be closed if US naval blockade continues as it will be considered a violation of the ceasefire, the country’s Fars news agency reported. At the same time, Trump said that Iran-aligned ships would be barred passage as per the recently announced blockade until a ceasefire is finalized. The U.S. naval blockade continues... pic.twitter.com/EBvglrf6FA — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 17, 2026 Hundreds of tankers have been stuck in the Persian Gulf as a result of the Middle East conflict, and the decision to transit depends on the owners, captains and crews. Several ship owners earlier told Bloomberg they were seeking more information before they would be ready to consider transiting. Earlier in the day, before the news that the Strait had reopened, we learned that a Greek shipowner whose vessels have repeatedly braved the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war, sent through its biggest oil supertanker since the start of the conflict. The Atokos, a VLCC with a transport capacity of about 2 million barrels, signaled its location in the Indian Ocean on Friday. That would suggest it navigated...
Gasoline costs should start to fall soon, although a full recovery to pre-war prices is expected to take months. That's assuming that peace holds and traffic flows resume through the Strait of Hormuz. (Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)
Gasoline costs should start to fall soon, although a full recovery to pre-war prices is expected to take months. That's assuming that peace holds and traffic flows resume through the Strait of Hormuz. (Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images A wider net interest margin, more progress on the rollout of its private bank, and a benign credit backdrop continue to kick in nicely for Citizens Financial Group ( CFG ), with revenue and earnings both growing double-digits year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026. Rating the stock "Buy" last December , I liked the fact that much of this growth was e...
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images A wider net interest margin, more progress on the rollout of its private bank, and a benign credit backdrop continue to kick in nicely for Citizens Financial Group ( CFG ), with revenue and earnings both growing double-digits year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026. Rating the stock "Buy" last December , I liked the fact that much of this growth was essentially baked into Citizens' balance sheet. So long as interest rates remain relatively constructive, the natural roll-off of its low-yielding fixed-rate assets will be a multi-year tailwind to its earnings, while the buildout of its nascent private bank, previously a drag, had also begun contributing positively to the bottom line. With Citizens' earnings forecast to grow strongly on the back of these drivers, a then-multiple of 14.5x consensus 2025 EPS looked like a bargain. These shares have returned around 16% since then, around 8 points better than the wider regional banking space. With that still leaving Citizens on a mid-teens multiple of trailing EPS, I still think the market is undervaluing its growth prospects. Accordingly, I rate shares "Buy". Data by YCharts NIM Expansion Citizens earned a net profit of $1.13 per share last quarter, up nearly 50% year-on-year on the back of 12% growth in revenue. A widening net interest margin ("NIM") has been a major driver of this growth, and this has been a key plank of my investment case for the bank. While it isn't the only institution to have benefited from a healthier NIM, Citizens' dynamics have been exacerbated by its significant portfolio of receive-fixed swaps. These derivatives, which were taken out several years ago, essentially fixed a chunk of its floating-rate loans at relatively low yields, weighing on its NIM. The roll-off of these swaps now represents a multi-year tailwind. Source: Citizens Financial Group Q1 2026 Results Presentation Consistent with this, Citizens' NIM expanded by another 7 basis points las...