Italy Cuts Fuel Taxes As Iran Crisis Drives Oil Higher; Germany Refuses Relief Despite Windfall Submitted by Thomas Kolbe A robust market economy unfolds its maximum absorption capacity precisely during external shocks. In such cases, policymakers would essentially only need to sit still, as the storm clouds usually pass on their own—true to the principle that high prices are the cure for high pri...
Italy Cuts Fuel Taxes As Iran Crisis Drives Oil Higher; Germany Refuses Relief Despite Windfall Submitted by Thomas Kolbe A robust market economy unfolds its maximum absorption capacity precisely during external shocks. In such cases, policymakers would essentially only need to sit still, as the storm clouds usually pass on their own—true to the principle that high prices are the cure for high prices. This, of course, only applies to energy markets if governments have not already removed themselves from the equation through grotesque political interventions long before the crisis. For European economies, however, the opposite holds true. They are overregulated, fiscally overburdened, and structurally fragile systems that can barely deploy effective shock absorbers in the face of the Iran crisis. High energy prices hit relentlessly, and national policy responses now diverge sharply across competing European jurisdictions. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacted swiftly to the tightening situation at the country’s gas stations. Following a cabinet decision on March 18, an immediate reduction in fuel excise taxes came into force via decree, applying to both gasoline and diesel . Prices are expected to fall by 25 cents per liter—across the board for households, businesses, and all market participants, according to government sources. In Italy, policymakers appear to keep a close ear to the ground—attuned to the realities faced by citizens, businesses, and traders alike. In stark contrast to the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Rome is opting for relief measures aimed at the private sector amid a crisis that is steadily eroding purchasing power. Meanwhile, Merz and his finance minister Lars Klingbeil are entangled in debates over tax increases—detached from the Hormuz disruption and largely disconnected from the realities of workers, commuters, and companies. Berlin’s fiscal apparatus appears self-referential and monotonous, advancing to the next act of its...
Ployker/iStock via Getty Images Energy Fuels ( UUUU ) up 4.3% pre-market Wednesday after saying it produced its first kilogram of high-purity terbium oxide at its White Mesa mill in Utah, making it "the first U.S. company in many decades to produce high-purity Tb oxide from a primary mineral feedstock and publicly disclose actual production volumes and purities that are sufficient for downstream m...
Ployker/iStock via Getty Images Energy Fuels ( UUUU ) up 4.3% pre-market Wednesday after saying it produced its first kilogram of high-purity terbium oxide at its White Mesa mill in Utah, making it "the first U.S. company in many decades to produce high-purity Tb oxide from a primary mineral feedstock and publicly disclose actual production volumes and purities that are sufficient for downstream metal/alloy validation." Using monazite ore sourced from the U.S., Energy Fuels ( UUUU ) said it achieved a purity of 99.9% Tb at pilot scale, which meets the specifications of global manufacturers of rare earth permanent magnets. The achievement follows the company's recent announcement that it had produced nearly 30 kg of 99.9% pure dysprosium oxide production, another critical "heavy" rare earth oxide used in permanent magnets. Energy Fuels ( UUUU ) said it expects to continue producing terbium oxide at the White Mesa mill at an approximate rate of one kg per week in its existing pilot circuit, followed by pilot production of Sm, Eu, and Gd oxides, and plans to expand its heavy rare earth element production capability at its existing mill circuits for the planned commercial-level recovery of Dy, Tb, Sm, Eu, and Gd. More on Energy Fuels Energy Fuels: Buy A Unique, Future Western Rare Earths Heavyweight Energy Fuels: Big Gains But Stretched Valuations Energy Fuels Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
luza studios/E+ via Getty Images Cipher Digital ( CIFR ) shares jumped nearly 10% premarket on Wednesday after the firm signed a 15-year data center campus lease with an investment-grade hyperscale tenant. Under the terms of the agreement, Cipher will develop and deliver a new HPC data center at one of its existing sites. “This agreement for our third large AI campus reinforces Cipher’s position a...
luza studios/E+ via Getty Images Cipher Digital ( CIFR ) shares jumped nearly 10% premarket on Wednesday after the firm signed a 15-year data center campus lease with an investment-grade hyperscale tenant. Under the terms of the agreement, Cipher will develop and deliver a new HPC data center at one of its existing sites. “This agreement for our third large AI campus reinforces Cipher’s position as a trusted partner to develop high-quality HPC data center infrastructure for the world’s leading companies,” said CEO Tyler Page. Separately, Cipher said it secured a revolving credit facility of up to $200M supported by a syndicate of global financial institutions. Proceeds from the facility will be used to enhance liquidity, support working capital, and fund growth initiatives. The facility has a scheduled maturity of March 2030 and bears interest at the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus 1.25% to 1.75%, subject to step-down pricing based on the company’s total debt to market capitalization ratio. The facility was undrawn at close. CIFR +9.6% premarket to $16.31 Source: Press Release More on Cipher Mining Cipher Digital Inc. (CIFR) Cipher Mining Inc. Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript Cipher Digital: Pivot Proven, Re-Rating Next Cipher Mining: Ignore Earnings, Focus On The AI Future CleanSpark continues to see highest short interest among crypto firms with over $2B market cap Cipher Digital plans $669M average annualized NOI through 2036 as it pivots to hyperscale data center leases
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is in talks with American technology giants including Meta Platforms Inc. and Google for partnerships in his fast-expanding data center business, according to people familiar with the matter. Walmart Inc. ’s Flipkart is also engaged in talks with the tycoon and the Adani Group is exploring sites across Indian states for the centers, said the people, asking not to be...
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is in talks with American technology giants including Meta Platforms Inc. and Google for partnerships in his fast-expanding data center business, according to people familiar with the matter. Walmart Inc. ’s Flipkart is also engaged in talks with the tycoon and the Adani Group is exploring sites across Indian states for the centers, said the people, asking not to be identified as the negotiations are private. The talks, part of a sweeping $100 billion digital infrastructure push by Adani, seeks to position his port-to-power group as the supplier of both land and renewable energy needed for hyperscale facilities — resources critical to artificial intelligence and cloud services worldwide. Specific sites for the new facilities have yet to be finalized, and the discussions remain preliminary, the people added. Still, the move underscores intensifying competition for digital infrastructure in India. Read More: Adani Plans to Invest $100 Billion in AI-Ready Data Centers India’s landmass and fast-growing economy have made it a magnet for overseas investors and technology companies seeking scale. The surge in interest is part of a global race to build such facilities, even as China has warned of oversupply. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ’s Joe Tsai last year cautioned that much of the development there is duplicative . AdaniConnex Pvt. , a joint venture between Adani Enterprises Ltd. and EdgeConneX , in October announced a partnership with Google, which is investing about $15 billion to build India’s largest AI infrastructure hub at Visakhapatnam. The current negotiations mark a fresh phase of investment beyond those commitments, the people said. Representatives for Adani Group, Meta and Walmart declined to comment. A spokesperson for Alphabet Inc , which owns Google, said the company had no new investments to talk about. Mukesh Ambani -led Reliance Industries Ltd. , through its Digital Connexion venture, signed an $11 billion pact to build dat...
If there's one bad thing to say about health savings accounts, or HSAs, it's that not everyone is eligible for one. To participate in an HSA , you need a compatible high-deductible health insurance plan. But aside from that restriction, HSAs are pretty awesome. They give you a tax break on your contributions, allow you to invest unused funds tax-free, and offer tax-free withdrawals on qualifying m...
If there's one bad thing to say about health savings accounts, or HSAs, it's that not everyone is eligible for one. To participate in an HSA , you need a compatible high-deductible health insurance plan. But aside from that restriction, HSAs are pretty awesome. They give you a tax break on your contributions, allow you to invest unused funds tax-free, and offer tax-free withdrawals on qualifying medical expenses. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
undefined Xiaomi Corp. reported its latest financial results that painted a picture of structural divergence, pairing strong full-year growth for 2025 with acute fourth-quarter pressures. For the full year of 2025, Xiaomi posted 457.3 billion yuan ($66.4 billion) in revenue, up 25% year-on-year, while adjusted net profit climbed 43.8% to 39.2 billion yuan, according to its financial report release...
undefined Xiaomi Corp. reported its latest financial results that painted a picture of structural divergence, pairing strong full-year growth for 2025 with acute fourth-quarter pressures. For the full year of 2025, Xiaomi posted 457.3 billion yuan ($66.4 billion) in revenue, up 25% year-on-year, while adjusted net profit climbed 43.8% to 39.2 billion yuan, according to its financial report released Tuesday. However, momentum stalled in the year’s fourth quarter, when revenue growth slowed to 7.3% at 116.9 billion yuan and adjusted net profit fell 23.7% to 6.3 billion yuan. This marked Xiaomi’s first quarterly profit decline since the fourth quarter of 2022, though the figure still beat the average forecast of 5.7 billion yuan from analysts. Xiaomi’s Earnings Its market valuation remains highly contentious. Since November of last year, Xiaomi has repurchased shares aggressively, spending HK$6.3 billion ($804 million) in 2025 and another HK$4.7 billion in less than three months of 2026, yet it has failed to halt a prolonged stock slump. Since peaking near HK$60 a share after a product launch in late September, Xiaomi’s stock price has nearly halved, wiping out more than HK$800 billion in market capitalization.