BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 16: A truck and a bicyclist pass by a petrol station that shows gasoline prices well over EUR 2.00 per litre on March 16, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. The German government, in response to dramatic price increases of petrol in Germany since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran, is considering new legislation to help lower the price hikes. Petrol prices h...
BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 16: A truck and a bicyclist pass by a petrol station that shows gasoline prices well over EUR 2.00 per litre on March 16, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. The German government, in response to dramatic price increases of petrol in Germany since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran, is considering new legislation to help lower the price hikes. Petrol prices have risen higher in Germany than elsewhere in Europe. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images Germany has stopped gas stations from raising pump prices more than once a day, as the Iran war and disruption to oil supply raise costs. The country's Federal Government introduced regulations on Wednesday that permit just one price increase a day at 12 p.m. The government said that prices had been changing up to 22 times a day, amid the sharp rise in energy costs as the U.S.-Iran war continues. Outlining the regulation, the German government said it was intended to break the "rocket and feather effect" where "fuel prices often rose very quickly in the past when crude oil prices rose, but only fell slowly when the oil prices dropped." Price reductions may be made at any time. Gas companies could face fines up to 100,000 euros ($116,000) for violating the ban. Germany is also introducing legal amendments to make it easier to crack down on powerful companies engaging in "abusive fuel price increases." Oil prices surged past $100 per barrel as the Strait of Hormuz — through which about 25% of the world's oil passes — was effectively closed by Iran, triggering a massive supply disruption. West Texas Intermediate futures last shed 2% to trade at above $98 per barrel on Wednesday, while Brent crude futures were down 2% to above $101 per barrel. watch now VIDEO 5:28 05:28 Our base case for Q4 oil prices is about $20 higher than before the war: Goldman's Daan Struyven Squawk Box It's among the range of measures European countries are taking to li...
Canadian fast-fashion retailer Groupe Dynamite Inc. reported earnings above estimates in its fourth quarter and provided an optimistic outlook for the current fiscal year. The shares rose. Revenue for the parent company of the the Garage and Dynamite brands jumped by 45% from a year ago to C$394 million ($284 million) in the period ended Jan. 31, ahead of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Adjusted ...
Canadian fast-fashion retailer Groupe Dynamite Inc. reported earnings above estimates in its fourth quarter and provided an optimistic outlook for the current fiscal year. The shares rose. Revenue for the parent company of the the Garage and Dynamite brands jumped by 45% from a year ago to C$394 million ($284 million) in the period ended Jan. 31, ahead of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Adjusted diluted earnings per share of 71 Canadian cents beat forecasts by about 4 cents. Shares gained 6% to C$81.17 as of 10:15 a.m. in Toronto. “These results reflect years of engineering our agile operating model,” Chief Executive Officer Andrew Lutfy said in a statement Wednesday. “We enter the new year with strong momentum, with a clear focus: stay disciplined, elevate our brands, and build on what’s working.” One of Groupe Dynamite’s strengths is its ability to turn over inventory quickly — an efficiency metric that measures how many times a company sells and replenishes its inventory. This metric rose to 9.85 times in 2025 from 8.54 times in 2024. The “magnitude of better-than-expected results” and “exceptionally strong return metrics” support an outperform rating, RBC Capital Markets analyst Irene Nattel wrote in a client note, “notwithstanding the cloudy macro backdrop.” Groupe Dynamite’s results show “no slowdown in sight,” TD Cowen analyst Brian Morrison wrote. Groupe Dynamite expects to grow revenue by 22% to 25% in fiscal 2026, and comparable store sales by as much as 14%. Between 10 and 12 net new store openings are expected, with the first two UK Garage stores opening last month. “Having recently visited its UK stores, we also believe international expansion is off to a strong start,” Morrison said. Groupe Dynamite went public in November 2024. The stock traded mostly below the C$21 offering price until June, but began taking off that month, returning almost 400% since. Most of the outstanding shares are owned by Lutfy, making him a multibillionaire. Read more: Garag...
The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA: XLY ) declined 7.92% in the first quarter of 2026, underperforming the broader S&P 500 Index, which fell 4.81% over the same period. The fund, which includes companies across hotels, restaurants & leisure, retail, automobiles, and other consumer discretionary segments, reflects a broad range of consumer-facing businesses tied to discret...
The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA: XLY ) declined 7.92% in the first quarter of 2026, underperforming the broader S&P 500 Index, which fell 4.81% over the same period. The fund, which includes companies across hotels, restaurants & leisure, retail, automobiles, and other consumer discretionary segments, reflects a broad range of consumer-facing businesses tied to discretionary spending. Market sentiment in the first quarter was shaped by persistent inflation concerns, rising Treasury yields, and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which pushed oil prices above $100 per barrel. Higher energy costs weighed on household spending power and increased input and shipping costs , pressuring consumer-facing businesses. At the same time, heightened market volatility, recession fears , and a broader selloff in equities dampened investor confidence, particularly in consumer discretionary segments sensitive to shifts in economic conditions and spending trends. Fund Flows Fund Flows during the quarter (etfdb.com) XLY reported a fund outflow of $821.55M in the third quarter until March 30. Q1 top performers: Ross Stores ( ROST ) +15.90%. Garmin ( GRMN ) +11.41%. Hasbro ( HAS ) +9.01%. Tapestry ( TPR ) +7.16%. Darden Restaurants ( DRI ) +5.99%. Q1 bottom performers: DoorDash ( DASH ) -34.65%. Carvana ( CVNA ) -31.09%. Lululemon Athletica ( LULU ) -29.83%. Booking Holdings ( BKNG ) -23.11%. Carnival ( CCL ) -21.55%. What Quantitative Measures Say The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF (NYSEARCA: XLY ) experienced a significant regression in its Seeking Alpha Quant Rating , falling from a Buy (3.94/5) at the start of the quarter to a Sell (1.76/5). Expenses and liquidity remained strong at A+, while the risk rating stood at D+. What Analysts Say A recent Seeking Alpha analysis said that Middle East tensions have “pushed oil prices above $100 per barrel, with some spikes going even higher in recent days,” noting that “higher ...
"We're at significant risk," Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr says about the current state of financial oversight during a National Fair Housing Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C. (Source: Bloomberg)
"We're at significant risk," Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr says about the current state of financial oversight during a National Fair Housing Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C. (Source: Bloomberg)
The stock market isn't off to a good start to 2026. Multiple issues are weighing on stocks today, including the war in Iran, elevated oil prices, and question marks still loom about just how strong the economy really is. Plus, the market has been hot for multiple years now -- it may be overdue for a bit of a pullback. The first quarter of 2026 is in the books, and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , w...
The stock market isn't off to a good start to 2026. Multiple issues are weighing on stocks today, including the war in Iran, elevated oil prices, and question marks still loom about just how strong the economy really is. Plus, the market has been hot for multiple years now -- it may be overdue for a bit of a pullback. The first quarter of 2026 is in the books, and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , which encompasses the leading stocks on U.S. markets, is down 4.6%. And that would have been even worse if not for a rally toward the end of March. Given all the concerns in the market and investors clearly feeling bearish this year, is a full-blown market crash inevitable? Here's what history says. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and its joint venture partner, QatarEnergy, recently completed the first LNG train at their Golden Pass project in Texas. While it has faced delays over the year, the companies couldn't have completed the project at a more opportune time. The war with Iran has caused a significant disruption to the global LNG market. Here's a look at the current state of the global LNG marke...
ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and its joint venture partner, QatarEnergy, recently completed the first LNG train at their Golden Pass project in Texas. While it has faced delays over the year, the companies couldn't have completed the project at a more opportune time. The war with Iran has caused a significant disruption to the global LNG market. Here's a look at the current state of the global LNG market and whether now's a good time to invest in ExxonMobil . Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
To close out the worst quarter for stocks since 2022…stocks had the best one-day session in 10 months. Asian markets rallied strongly overnight, too, and that positive tone is carrying over into the US session today. WTI crude briefly slipped back below $100 a barrel, while gold and silver are rallying and the dollar is falling.
To close out the worst quarter for stocks since 2022…stocks had the best one-day session in 10 months. Asian markets rallied strongly overnight, too, and that positive tone is carrying over into the US session today. WTI crude briefly slipped back below $100 a barrel, while gold and silver are rallying and the dollar is falling.
Adhitya Nur/iStock via Getty Images Welcome to the nickel miners news for March. The past month saw nickel prices slightly lower. Nickel price news As of March 31, the nickel spot price was USD 17,224/t , slightly lower from USD 17,730/t last month. Nickel inventory at the London Metals Exchange [LME] was slightly lower the past month at 281,574 tonnes (287,808 tonnes last month). Nickel spot pric...
Adhitya Nur/iStock via Getty Images Welcome to the nickel miners news for March. The past month saw nickel prices slightly lower. Nickel price news As of March 31, the nickel spot price was USD 17,224/t , slightly lower from USD 17,730/t last month. Nickel inventory at the London Metals Exchange [LME] was slightly lower the past month at 281,574 tonnes (287,808 tonnes last month). Nickel spot price 10 year chart - Current price = USD 17,224/t ( source ) Trading Economics Nickel demand v supply chart Carbon Credits forecasts a nickel oversupply to 2030, then growing deficits from 2030-2035 (as of May 2025) ( source ) Carbon Credits Trend Investing v IEA demand forecast for EV metals (Trend Investing) ( IEA ) Trend Investing & the IEA Lithium & Nickel are the two 'high importance to energy' critical materials in the medium term (2025-2035) ( source - page 29) DoE Nickel Market News On March 9 Bloomberg reported : Indonesian nickel plants halt output after deadly landslide...The four high-pressure acid leaching plants operated by China’s GEM Co. at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, a massive nickel-producing hub on the island of Sulawesi, have halted production while the waste site is restored, according to people familiar with the matter. The disruptions affect facilities that jointly account for 30% of Indonesia’s HPAL capacity. The suspension at PT QMB New Energy Materials, where the accident occurred, could last as long as three months. On March 25 Bloomberg reported : Nickel spikes after Indonesia’s President approves export tax. Nickel prices jumped after the world’s largest producer Indonesia agreed to tax outbound shipments of the battery metal...Discussions were still underway on specific tax rates, according to the minister...The resource-rich Southeast Asian country has been mulling a windfall tax on commodities as it faces rising budgetary strain from higher oil prices due to the Iran war...Indonesia now accounts for more than half the world’s nickel ...
cveltri/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Hershey’s ( HSY ) is returning to the original Reese’s recipe as a concession to the founders’ family after accusations that the use of cheaper ingredients was a veiled attempt to boost profits at the expense of the brand’s reputation. "We're enhancing our KitKat recipe to deliver a creamier chocolate, transitioning our sweets portfolio to colors from nat...
cveltri/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Hershey’s ( HSY ) is returning to the original Reese’s recipe as a concession to the founders’ family after accusations that the use of cheaper ingredients was a veiled attempt to boost profits at the expense of the brand’s reputation. "We're enhancing our KitKat recipe to deliver a creamier chocolate, transitioning our sweets portfolio to colors from natural sources, and ensuring that all Hershey's and Reese's offerings are consistent with their brands' classic milk and dark chocolate recipes," said the company’s chief growth and marketing officer, Stacy Taffet at Hershey’s Investor Day event on Tuesday. Last month, the grandson of Reese’s founder accused the candy giant of replacing milk chocolate with non-chocolate “compound coatings” and roasted peanuts with “peanut butter-style crème ” all of which changed the taste of the iconic and beloved candy. “How does The Hershey Company continue to position Reese’s as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients that built Reese’s trust in the first place,” Brad Reese, founder H.B. Reese’s grandson said in a letter to Hershey’s editorial manager. “When REESE'S formulation shifts start to erode the very architecture that built REESE’S, that’s not a 'bottom‑line' discussion, that's a REESE'S governance discussion," Reese added. Hershey ( HSY ) didn’t dispute the ingredient change, saying the “recipe adjustment” was requested by customers and only applied to newer and seasonal items and not the classic peanut butter cup. The soaring cost of cocoa was also likely a factor. Compound coatings are made with vegetable oils and take the place of cocoa butter. While they look and feel similar to chocolate, compound coatings melt differently with a taste that is not as rich as pure chocolate. Hershey CEO Michele Buck intimated last year that if cocoa prices continue to rise, the company would be forced to adjust pricing, packa...
MenzhiliyAnantoly/iStock via Getty Images Teekay Tankers ( TNK ) reported strong financial performance for Q4-2025 last February with higher revenue, profit, and net income. Geopolitical disruptions are causing spot rates to skyrocket. The company has also benefitted from the renewal of its fleet. The company’s stock price has gained 91.6% over the last year. The price has increased 61.6% since I ...
MenzhiliyAnantoly/iStock via Getty Images Teekay Tankers ( TNK ) reported strong financial performance for Q4-2025 last February with higher revenue, profit, and net income. Geopolitical disruptions are causing spot rates to skyrocket. The company has also benefitted from the renewal of its fleet. The company’s stock price has gained 91.6% over the last year. The price has increased 61.6% since I covered the company last June on Seeking Alpha . I continue my rating of a Hold due to sector uncertainty. Synergies Geopolitical disruptions have caused spot contract prices to increase. The company also provided its analysis on these disruptions in its latest investor presentation . Tighter sanctions against Russian and Iranian oil have increased the amount of crude for transport. Countries like India are importing less sanctioned black-market oil. China has been cut off from Venezuelan oil. There is thus a higher demand for oil transport to countries which were originally relying on black market oil. The current Iran conflict has added another synergy to contract rates. According to the EIA , spot prices are at a multi-decade high due to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Even if the conflict ends soon, spot prices will remain elevated. Tanker routes have also been disrupted, causing longer voyages. It is understood that global demand is increasing through 2026. The recent renewal of Teekay’s fleet and increased spot contract prices are the company’s strongest current synergies. The current fleet is as follows: 16 Suezmax, 18 Aframax / LR2, 1 VLCC (total is 35 vessels). Q4-2025 Results Teekay reported $258.3 million in Q4 revenue, representing a nominal decrease YoY and an increase of 12.8% QoQ. Higher spot contract rates led to the increase. Suezmax tankers brought in $53.5 thousand per day and Aframax/LR2 tankers averaged $43.6 thousand per day. The company shared the average per day price for Q1-2026. Suezmax averaged $46.9 thousand per day and Aframax/LR2 averaged ...
Lean hog futures posted Tuesday losses of 40 cents to $1.47 in most contracts, with April down a nickel. Open interest dropped 2,732 contracts. USDA’s national base hog price was reported at $90.58 on Tuesday afternoon, down 34 cents from the day prior. The CME Lean Hog Index was down...
Lean hog futures posted Tuesday losses of 40 cents to $1.47 in most contracts, with April down a nickel. Open interest dropped 2,732 contracts. USDA’s national base hog price was reported at $90.58 on Tuesday afternoon, down 34 cents from the day prior. The CME Lean Hog Index was down...
NicoElNino/iStock via Getty Images RBC Capital Markets upgraded Asana ( ASAN ) to Sector Perform from Underperform due in part to a more compelling valuation as it transitions from a seat-based to a consumption-based model. The financial firm also noted that Asana has not noticed any significant disruption related to the rise of large language models. "Management noted it hasn't seen any impact fr...
NicoElNino/iStock via Getty Images RBC Capital Markets upgraded Asana ( ASAN ) to Sector Perform from Underperform due in part to a more compelling valuation as it transitions from a seat-based to a consumption-based model. The financial firm also noted that Asana has not noticed any significant disruption related to the rise of large language models. "Management noted it hasn't seen any impact from customer perception of existential risk/competitive threats from AI," said RBC analysts, led by Rishi Jaluria, in an investor note. "Regarding Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) and OpenAI ( OPENAI ), management stated it hasn't observed deal cycle elongation or smaller deal sizes due to AI alternatives. Management emphasized that Asana's positioning as a coordination rail for agents and workflows, whether first-party or third-party, differentiates it, and management views the Work Graph architecture as foundational infrastructure for the agentic enterprise." Instead, Asana has gained some traction with its AI offerings. AI Studio recently reached $6M in annual recurring revenue, with eight customers spending more than $100,000. AI Teammates, which was just released in beta two weeks ago to 200 customers, could expand across its client base. Asana expects these two products to add 15% of net new annual recurring revenue this year. Asana's current transition from a seat-based model to a consumption-based model could affect near-term margins. However, most analysts have found that this type of model might work better in an AI world. "Management also emphasized that while some customers are reducing seats, AI products like Studio and Teammates can offset downgrade pressure by making customers seat-agnostic, effectively converting downgrades into more complex, higher-value deployments with better unit economics," Jaluria noted. RBC maintained its $7 price target on the stock. Asana's share value has dropped more than 50% year-to-date. More on Asana Asana, Inc. (ASAN) Presents at Morgan St...
As climate volatility intensifies, water risk is becoming a critical — and often mispriced — factor in investment decisions, particularly across agriculture and real assets. In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Melanie Rua speaks with Catherine Burns of The Nature Conservancy’s NatureVest team and Alyssa Go of RRG Capital Management about how institutional capital ...
As climate volatility intensifies, water risk is becoming a critical — and often mispriced — factor in investment decisions, particularly across agriculture and real assets. In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Melanie Rua speaks with Catherine Burns of The Nature Conservancy’s NatureVest team and Alyssa Go of RRG Capital Management about how institutional capital is integrating water and climate resilience into investment strategies. They discuss the $900 millio