Both the iShares 5-10 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (NASDAQ:IGIB) and the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (NASDAQ:BND) are popular choices for investors seeking core U.S. bond exposure , but their portfolios and risk profiles differ. This comparison looks at cost, yield, performance, risk, and underlying holdings to help clarify where each may fit in a diversified portfolio. Beta measure...
Both the iShares 5-10 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (NASDAQ:IGIB) and the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (NASDAQ:BND) are popular choices for investors seeking core U.S. bond exposure , but their portfolios and risk profiles differ. This comparison looks at cost, yield, performance, risk, and underlying holdings to help clarify where each may fit in a diversified portfolio. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year weekly returns. The one-year return represents total return over the trailing twelve months. Continue reading
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), providing forecasts for energy markets. This article presents the annual production outlooks for crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs), comparing the February 2026 projections against the previous month's estimates. These...
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), providing forecasts for energy markets. This article presents the annual production outlooks for crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs), comparing the February 2026 projections against the previous month's estimates. These forecasts are particularly relevant for energy infrastructure companies operating in the U.S. The Role of Energy Infrastructure in the Economy Energy infrastructure forms the bridge between energy production (supply) and consumption (demand). It includes the transportation, storage, and processing of crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs through a network of pipelines, terminals, and other infrastructure. "The global economy requires vast amounts of energy. As the world’s largest producer of oil, natural gas, and NGLs, energy infrastructure plays a critical role in connecting US energy production with domestic and global demand," adds Stacy Morris, Head of Index Product Research at TMX VettaFi. U.S. Crude Oil Production Outlook The February 2026 STEO shows an increase in the forecast for U.S. crude oil production compared to the January 2026 outlook. For 2025, the forecast was inched lower by -0.1% to 13.60 million barrels per day (MMBpd), and for 2026, it was raised by 0.1% to 13.60 MMBpd. Additionally, the estimate for 2027 shows a forecast of 13.32 MMBpd, a 0.5% increase from January's estimate. This represents a projected yearly growth rate of 2.8% from 2024 to 2025, flat growth from 2025 to 2026, and a decline of -2.1% from 2026 to 2027. U.S. Natural Gas Production Outlook The forecast for U.S.-marketed natural gas production showed an upward revision in the February 2026 STEO. The 2025 forecast rose by 0.2% to 118.30 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), and the 2026 forecast increased by 0.8% to 120.83 Bcf/d compared to the January 2026 outlook. Additionally, the estimate ...
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. revised its forecast for China’s current-account surplus this year after incorporating data for the fourth quarter, when the measure of trade in goods and services rose to a record. The US bank now sees the surplus at 4.3% of gross domestic product in 2026, compared with 4.1% previously, according to a report. It reached 3.7% of GDP last year, exceeding Goldman’s forecast ...
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. revised its forecast for China’s current-account surplus this year after incorporating data for the fourth quarter, when the measure of trade in goods and services rose to a record. The US bank now sees the surplus at 4.3% of gross domestic product in 2026, compared with 4.1% previously, according to a report. It reached 3.7% of GDP last year, exceeding Goldman’s forecast of 3.5%, economists led by Yuting Yang said. Preliminary figures published by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, showed China ran a current-account surplus of $242 billion last quarter, which Goldman estimates is the equivalent of 4.4% of GDP. “Looking forward, we expect a larger current-account surplus in 2026 on wider goods trade surplus and slightly narrower service trade deficit,” Goldman’s economists said. “For capital and financial accounts, we expect the picture of inward and outward FDI to remain similar this year vs. last year, and portfolio investment outflow to be smaller this year compared to last year.” China’s services trade deficit narrowed in the fourth quarter from the previous three months, SAFE’s data showed, while surging exports lifted its goods surplus . The International Monetary Fund had projected China’s overall current-account surplus at 3.3% of GDP last year. External imbalances are becoming more pronounced, which the IMF has linked in part to a real depreciation of the yuan. China’s Export Boom Far From Over After Record Trade Surplus China’s $1.2 Trillion Windfall Quietly Seeps Into Global Markets China’s $1.2 Trillion Windfall Quietly Seeps Into Global Markets Chinese Regions Cut GDP Goals in Sign Nationwide Target May Drop
Opposition challenger Péter Magyar is ahead in the polls on a promise of hope. Orbán is betting on fear of war to stay in power After 16 years of uninterrupted power, Viktor Orbán is facing his biggest electoral challenge. For years Hungary’s prime minister has spun weak policy performance as success. The rise of a rival, Péter Magyar, and the opposition Tisza party has exposed the limits of that ...
Opposition challenger Péter Magyar is ahead in the polls on a promise of hope. Orbán is betting on fear of war to stay in power After 16 years of uninterrupted power, Viktor Orbán is facing his biggest electoral challenge. For years Hungary’s prime minister has spun weak policy performance as success. The rise of a rival, Péter Magyar, and the opposition Tisza party has exposed the limits of that strategy. The economy is stagnating , despite repeated promises of a long-awaited takeoff. Over the past decade and a half, Hungary has slipped from being one of central and eastern Europe’s strongest performers to one of its weakest . Public services, from healthcare to transport, are widely seen as neglected, and Policy Solutions surveys show that voters have noticed . Hungary is not alone in facing a cost of living crisis, but comparisons offer little consolation to voters who were assured that Orbán’s model would deliver exceptional results. András Bíró-Nagy is a senior research fellow at the ELTE Centre for Social Sciences in Budapest and director of Policy Solutions. He is the author of The Path of Hungary’s EU Membership Continue reading...
Self-reliance is often encouraged over asking others for help in the modern world. But doing everything yourself can be a sign that you are scared of intimacy When a relative was seriously ill and in intensive care for more than a month, Cianne Jones stepped in. “I took it upon myself to be that person in the hospital every single day – chasing doctors, taking notes, making sure I understood why t...
Self-reliance is often encouraged over asking others for help in the modern world. But doing everything yourself can be a sign that you are scared of intimacy When a relative was seriously ill and in intensive care for more than a month, Cianne Jones stepped in. “I took it upon myself to be that person in the hospital every single day – chasing doctors, taking notes, making sure I understood why they were doing things.” It was so stressful, she says, that at one point her hair started falling out, but she ploughed on. It was Jones’s therapist who gently questioned whether she was going to ask for help. Jones laughs. “The hair falling out didn’t suggest to me that I needed help, it was somebody else looking in and saying that.” She has a large, close family who would have helped immediately – and did, once Jones asked – it’s just that it didn’t occur to her to ask. “I had taken that role on: ‘I’m just going to get everything done.’ I just took off, and that was it.” Continue reading...
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The "Magnificent Seven" group of stocks is a well-known cohort that makes up the world's largest companies. It includes: These seven stocks have been great investments over the years, but rarely are they called cheap. However, I think we're nearing that point, and some of these stocks could be scooped up at a fairly attractive valuation compared to just a few months back. Which ones are now cheap?...
The "Magnificent Seven" group of stocks is a well-known cohort that makes up the world's largest companies. It includes: These seven stocks have been great investments over the years, but rarely are they called cheap. However, I think we're nearing that point, and some of these stocks could be scooped up at a fairly attractive valuation compared to just a few months back. Which ones are now cheap? Let's take a look. Continue reading