ECB opens up euro lifeline in bid to boost global role Reuters

Not every software stock deserves to be downgraded due to the potential threat of AI-powered alternatives.

Key PointsServiceTitan stock is down 41% year to date, but the company’s revenue has grown for four straight quarters.

The euro steadied near its lowest in a month on Wednesday, nursing steep losses this week as investors counted the cost of the U.S.-EU trade pact. Olena Malik | Moment | Getty Images The European Central Bank unveiled plans on Saturday to widen ⁠access to its euro liquidity backstop, making it globally available and permanent in a bid to bolster the international role of the single currency. Access to such repo lines, a crucial source of funding during times of market stress, has been limited to just a handful of mostly Eastern European countries but ECB President Christine Lagarde has long seen the facility as a tool to ⁠boost the euro's ‌global reach. "The ECB needs to be prepared for ⁠a more volatile environment," Lagarde said at the Munich Security Conference, the first time an ECB chief spoke at the event. "We must avoid a situation where that stress triggers fire sales of euro-denominated securities in global funding markets, which could hamper ‌the transmission of our monetary policy," she said in announcing the new facility. The facility, to be available from the third quarter of 2026, will be open to all central banks around the world, provided they are not excluded for reputational reasons, such as money laundering, terrorist financing or international sanctions, the ECB said. "This facility also reinforces the role of the euro," Lagarde said. "The availability of a lender of last resort for central banks ⁠worldwide boosts confidence to invest, borrow and trade in euros, knowing that access will be there during market disruptions." Used ‌when banks are unable to obtain funding on the market, the ‌repo line allows lenders to borrow euros from the ECB against high-quality collateral, to be repaid at maturity along with interest. Unlike previous lines, which had to be extended from time to time, the new facility will provide ⁠standing access for up to 50 billion euros. With investors reassessing the dollar's status due to ⁠the unpredictable nature of U.S. Pre...

Ireland 20-13 Italy Azzurri led at half-time for first time in Dublin After what felt like 40 days and 40 nights of darkness and rain, the sun came out in Dublin. Cold, yes, and a grey day by kick-off but bright enough to throw light on an Ireland side scrambling for their footing, and a bullish Italy one looking to break new ground. Never having won a Six Nations game in Dublin might be the sort of statistic to weigh you down. The Azzurri carried it like a backpack with only a couple of bits and bobs. For the first 40 minutes of physical, narky and very watchable Test rugby, they looked like they have never looked before at this venue in this competition: a well-rounded side with self-assurance to go with passion. By the end of 80 minutes the picture had changed only to reflect a shortage of finesse to finish, as they pounded away in the Ireland 22 before James Lowe lifted the siege. Continue reading...

Key PointsHelix Partners bought 300,000 shares of Cinemark Holdings in the fourth quarter.

Source: Bloomberg, 0:00

There’s a playable henge of fiddles. | Image: Georgia Tech / The Verge Georgia Tech has announced the finalists in its annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition . Every year, for the last 28 years, the school invites inventors from around the world to submit new instruments of their own design to compete for $10,000 in prizes. Past finalists have included founding members of Teenage Engineering , Artiphon , and Roli . And last year KOMA Elektronik won for their creation the Chromaplane . This year's finalists are an impressive collection of oddballs. There's Amphibian Modules, a modular synth that swaps patch cables for a dish of saltwater. The Gajveena, which combines a double bass with a traditional Indian … Read the full story at The Verge.

Key PointsRSPS charges a higher expense ratio but offers a modestly higher dividend yield than VDC.

Veronique D/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Despite being non-cumulative in nature, I still like the preferred shares issued by U.S. banks. As they represent senior equity on the balance sheet, and considering most banks are known or would like to be known for reliable dividends on the common shares, I generally like the risk/reward ratio offered by the more senior equity. Bank of America ( BAC ) doesn’t need a long introduction. I still like the bank’s somewhat busted preferred stock ( BAC.PR.L ), which I discussed in this article , but I think it also makes sense to keep an eye on the other preferred shares that are currently outstanding. Data by YCharts A strong net interest income But to ensure the preferred dividend payments are safe, I am keeping an eye on the quarterly results of Bank of America. Although I’m not too worried about the non-cumulative nature of the preferred stock, I always want to make sure an issuer is in good financial health. And Bank of America didn’t disappoint. As the income statement below shows, the bank reported a net interest income of $15.8 billion in the final quarter of 2025, which represents a 3.5% increase on a QoQ basis, and an increase of almost 10% compared to the final quarter of 2024. A remarkable result, indeed. And that net interest income improvement was quite welcome, as the non-interest income came in at the lowest level of all four quarters in 2025. This was mainly due to a substantial decrease in market-making activities , and this certainly weighed on the bottom-line result. As the non-interest expenses overview below shows, the lower market making income did not result in a lower non-interest expense. BAC Investor Relations This means the pre-tax income before taking loan loss provisions into account was approximately $10.9 billion . And although the bank didn’t perform very well in its market-making division, I am very pleased with some other elements in its income statement. As you can see, the $1....

Venezuela Oil Revenue Projected To Hit $5 Billion Under U.S. Control By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com , Venezuela’s oil sales, under the control of the United States for five weeks now, are set to bring $5 billion over the next few months, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC News in an interview. “Sales today are over a billion dollars, and in fact, we have sort of short-term agreements over the next few months that will bring in another $5 billion,” Secretary Wright said in the interview during a historic visit to Venezuela to meet with the interim President Delcy Rodríguez. The United States has already transferred $500 million in proceeds from sales of Venezuelan crude oil to Caracas, following the deal agreed by the two governments in January. All the money from the oil sales, handled by top commodity traders Vitol and Trafigura, goes back to Venezuela from a U.S. Treasury-controlled account, Secretary Chris told NBC News. There is a lot of work to be done and massive investments need to flow for Venezuela to restore its oil industry, “But it's on the road to becoming investable,” Secretary Wright told NBC News. At last month’s White House meeting of U.S. President Trump with oil executives, ExxonMobil’s CEO Darren Woods said that “If we look at the legal and commercial constructs—frameworks—in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable.” During the visit to Venezuela, Secretary Chris said earlier this week that Venezuela’s crude oil production could surge as soon as this year. “This year, we can drive a dramatic increase in Venezuelan oil production, in Venezuelan natural gas production and Venezuelan electricity production,” the U.S. official said. Commenting on a recent change in Venezuela’s oil law, Wright said that it was “a meaningful step in the right direction”, as quoted by AP, but “probably not far and clear enough to encourage the kind of large capital flows.” Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 11:40

Eileen Gu. Photo: VCG Freestyle skiing star Eileen Gu has denied online rumors that she is joining U.S. venture capital firm Benchmark, quashing speculation that rippled through tech and social-media circles. “Not true,” Gu wrote Saturday in Milan in response to a social-media post claiming she would join the Silicon Valley firm. The two-time Olympian is in Italy preparing for the Milan Winter Olympics.

$AAPL stock fell 9% this week. Here's what we see in our data. Quiver Quantitative

$AVGO stock fell 3% this week. Here's what we see in our data. Quiver Quantitative

Key PointsHelix Partners Management increased its Core Scientific stake by 350,000 shares in the fourth quarter; the estimated trade value was $6.10 million based on average fourth-quarter pricing.

$ORCL stock rose 12% this week. Here's what we see in our data. Quiver Quantitative

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs, five European countries said on Saturday. The foreign ministries of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said analysis of samples taken from Navalny’s body “conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine”. It is a neurotoxin found in the skin of dart frogs in South America that is not found naturally in Russia, they said. A joint statement...

Investors are severely underestimating the technology giant's profit potential.

Key PointsAmazon's stock has severely underperformed the S&P 500 Index in the last five years.

ECB makes euro backstop global to bolster currency's role Reuters

Senators said repeal was ‘particularly troubling’ and was counter to EPA’s mandate to protect human health More than three dozen Democratic senators have begun an independent inquiry into the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following a huge change in how the agency measures the health benefits of reducing air pollution that is widely seen as a major setback to US efforts to combat the climate crisis . In a regulatory impact analysis, the EPA said it would stop assigning a monetary value to the health benefits associated with regulations on fine particulate matter and ozone. The agency argued that the estimates contain too much uncertainty. Continue reading...

On February 13, 2026, Helix Partners Management LP reported selling its entire 200,000-share stake in SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) in an estimated $5.54 million trade. According to a SEC filing dated February 13, 2026, Helix Partners Management LP sold its entire 200,000-share holding in SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) during the fourth quarter. The estimated transaction value was approximately $5.54 million. SLM Corporation provides private education loans and related financial services to students and families across the United States. The company leverages expertise in loan origination and servicing to serve the education finance market. Continue reading

Norway's sovereign wealth fund invested $200 million in IonQ, $39 million in Rigetti, and $4 million in D-Wave. Wedbush sees this as a potential turning point for institutional investment in quantum computing stocks.

The European Central Bank is prepared to offer euro liquidity to monetary authorities from around the world, an effort to prevent market tensions and increase global use of the single currency. The Frankfurt-based institution will extend repo lines to “all central banks, unless excluded on the grounds of, in particular, money laundering, terrorist financing or international sanctions,” it said in a statement on Saturday, adding that the changes will apply as of the third quarter. “The framework will enable central banks in jurisdictions outside the euro area to address risks of euro liquidity shortages swiftly,” it said. “These changes aim to make the facility more flexible, broader in terms of its geographical reach and more relevant for global holders of euro securities.” The move to make euros more readily available reflects Europe’s broader efforts to redefine its place in a global order upended by US President Donald Trump . Policymakers have long viewed his erratic policies as an opening to challenge the dollar’s decades-long dominance and bolster the euro’s international role. ECB President Christine Lagarde last year highlighted swap and repo lines, which help ensure the smooth transmission of monetary policy, as part of the responsibilities that come with an international reserve currency. Earlier this month, she said that the ECB was in the process of reframing its liquidity framework to open up access and make repo lines “more attractive” to central banks outside the euro area and outside Europe. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Lagarde stressed that the ECB “must avoid a situation where that stress triggers fire sales of euro-denominated securities in global funding markets, which could hamper the transmission of our monetary policy.” “This means we have to give partners who want to transact in euros the confidence that euro liquidity will be available if they need it,” she said, highlighting the permanence, scope and agility provi...

The U.S. military says the strikes were carried out in retaliation of the December ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter. (Image credit: Lolita Baldor)

In this video, Motley Fool contributor Jason Hall explains why he will hold MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI), Brookfield Corporation (NYSE: BN), and Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA)(NYSE: BRKB) through any future stock market crash.

AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP) shares have declined sharply in 2026, falling 42% year-to-date. This drop has been driven primarily by investor concerns that advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) could disrupt the advertising technology sector, particularly in mobile gaming ads. Fears center on competitors like Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) potentially using AI to optimize their own ad systems more ... AppLovin Has Been Absolutely Crushed in 2026. Can It Still Turn Itself Around?