US president says responsibility for reopening strait of Hormuz rests on countries relying on it; secretary of state says Washington must review whether Nato alliance is still serving the US well ‘Get your own oil’: Trump launches tirade against Europe for not joining Iran war Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the wider repercussions throughout the Middl...
US president says responsibility for reopening strait of Hormuz rests on countries relying on it; secretary of state says Washington must review whether Nato alliance is still serving the US well ‘Get your own oil’: Trump launches tirade against Europe for not joining Iran war Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the wider repercussions throughout the Middle East and globally. Donald Trump said on Tuesday that US forces would end operations in Iran “very soon,” suggesting a timeline of two to three weeks . The US president also told reporters that the responsibility for keeping the strait of Hormuz open will rest with countries that rely on it. “That’s not for us … That’ll be for whoever’s using the strait,” he said. Two-thirds of Americans believe that the US should work to end its involvement in the Iran war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the Trump administration , a Reuters/Ipsos poll has found. Asian markets rose sharply early on Wednesday after US stocks soared to their best day in almost a year on renewed hopes that the Iran war could soon end. South Korea’s Kospi surged 6.4% in early trading, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 1.9%, while the Shanghai Composite index was trading 1.4% higher. Thousands of additional US troops are heading to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush deployed on Tuesday and is slated to travel to the region along with three destroyers, two US officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 personnel. The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel . It said defence systems were operating to intercept the missile. Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said areas in northern, eastern and central Tehran were under attack on Wednesday morning. The broadcaster said on Telegram that explosions were heard in the capital’s north, east and centre, repor...
STORY: :: Oracle Cloud computing firm Oracle is laying off thousands of employees. That's according to reports by CNBC on Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the matter. A notice filed by the firm the same day said it would lay off nearly 500 employees in Washington state from June. The company said the job cuts are part of a "reduction in force and other terminations," adding that its Seattl...
STORY: :: Oracle Cloud computing firm Oracle is laying off thousands of employees. That's according to reports by CNBC on Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the matter. A notice filed by the firm the same day said it would lay off nearly 500 employees in Washington state from June. The company said the job cuts are part of a "reduction in force and other terminations," adding that its Seattle sites will remain open. Oracle declined to comment on the CNBC report. Several posts were seen on social media platforms, sharing details of the potential cuts, fueling uncertainty and confusion among employees. The company had about 162,000 full-time employees globally as of May 2025. :: Oracle Now the layoffs come as Oracle steps up spending on AI infrastructure. Shares in the company closed around 6% higher, but remained down about 25% this year. Tallies by website Layoffs.fyi show more than 70 tech companies have cut over 40,000 jobs so far this year, as firms increasingly reallocate resources toward AI.
malerapaso/E+ via Getty Images I believe that the ALPS O'Shares U.S. Quality Dividend ETF ( OUSA ) does not possess a mix of characteristics that would justify a bullish stance, so I leave the Hold rating I assigned to it in June 2021 and maintained a few times throughout the years, including in the previous article in June 2025, unchanged. In other words, I expect OUSA to underperform the iShares...
malerapaso/E+ via Getty Images I believe that the ALPS O'Shares U.S. Quality Dividend ETF ( OUSA ) does not possess a mix of characteristics that would justify a bullish stance, so I leave the Hold rating I assigned to it in June 2021 and maintained a few times throughout the years, including in the previous article in June 2025, unchanged. In other words, I expect OUSA to underperform the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF ( IVV ) this year (i.e., deliver only a mid-single-digit gain, while IVV should hopefully achieve a high single-digit gain in my base case). It is my observation that the markets have recently rediscovered the buzzword of February–March 2020: complacency. The buy-the-dip mentality (having a moment as of March 31) is now clashing with realism and even pessimism. So, it seems this is a moment when ETFs that have a value tilt, high quality, and a touch of low volatility should attract more attention from investors who have something of a capital preservation orientation with a goal of minimizing possible drawdowns without exiting equities completely. However, the issue I see here is that vehicles that offer this combination have a significant risk of underperformance during recoveries, mostly because of their exposure to the low volatility factor. And OUSA has that problem too—its historical upside capture of 78.25% (with IVV used as a benchmark) is a warning that even if it slightly outperforms IVV in a scenario with markets moving from euphoria they entered on March 31 to deep depression, it will more likely fail to capture its upside during the post-conflict recovery, leading to underperformance this year and beyond. However, I should clarify that I am not constructing a bearish thesis today for two reasons. First, the trajectory of the conflict is highly uncertain. And any clear signs of de-escalation will, without a doubt, pulverize bearish bets in the blink of an eye. For example, as I am writing this on March 31, the S&P 500 has rallied around 2.75% am...
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: These early spring bloomers are a favourite of mine, a model of nature’s generosity, yet so often ignored The drier days of March are always marked by the hum of dutiful grass-cutting on our urban Midlands housing estate , and so I know I will have to look to the gutters and pavements to spot my favourite spring flower. Sure enough, the first one I see is blooming in...
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: These early spring bloomers are a favourite of mine, a model of nature’s generosity, yet so often ignored The drier days of March are always marked by the hum of dutiful grass-cutting on our urban Midlands housing estate , and so I know I will have to look to the gutters and pavements to spot my favourite spring flower. Sure enough, the first one I see is blooming in a crack beside a crumbling wall on the busy main road. I can’t help but let out a joyful shout, leaning down to cradle its fierce lion head in my fingers. Hello, dandelion, how I’ve missed you! Perhaps it’s being a wheelchair user, closer to the ground than most, that has given me a special place in my heart for them, or perhaps it’s because I’ve always felt like a weed myself, inconvenient and growing in the wrong place. Either way, I have long been kindred spirits with keen-eyed toddlers who love to carry them in their fists. I’ve often joked that my bridal bouquet will be dandelions, please. I can honestly think of no finer flower. Why? Because there is no better example of nature’s generosity than a dandelion. Continue reading...