The World Bank Group could mobilize $20 billion to $25 billion in rapid financing to countries grappling with the economic fallout of the war in Iran, according to the bank’s top official. Ajay Banga , president of the World Bank, said such liquidity could be made available “very quickly” by utilizing the lender’s crisis preparedness and response toolkit. It allows access to up to 10% of undisburs...
The World Bank Group could mobilize $20 billion to $25 billion in rapid financing to countries grappling with the economic fallout of the war in Iran, according to the bank’s top official. Ajay Banga , president of the World Bank, said such liquidity could be made available “very quickly” by utilizing the lender’s crisis preparedness and response toolkit. It allows access to up to 10% of undisbursed balances for approved projects in a country to be diverted for the purposes of crisis management. If the conflict persists, the World Bank is trying to see if it can get another $50 billion to $60 billion in capacity to help, Banga said Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg Television. Any World Bank support would add to that from the International Monetary Fund . The fund’s chief said that they expect countries to ask $20 billion to $50 billion for balance of payment needs. “What we do right now has to be done in a way in countries that it’s kind of targeted carefully, and it’s purely temporary and transparent,” Banga added. Economists anticipate the war in the Middle East — and the resulting disruptions to oil and global supply chains — to slow global growth and stoke inflation. Banga said emerging markets should be more concerned about inflation than growth right now, due to the immediate impact from the disruption of supplies from oil and gas to sulfur and helium to fertilizer. “They’re both important,” Banga said. “I’d just prioritize inflation” before growth.
DNY59/iStock via Getty Images The First Trust Vest Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF ( RDVI ) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with exposure to dividend-paying companies with an options overlay to enhance income to investors. RDVI can be best utilized for equity income by investors seeking cash flow stability and equity growth. RDVI has exhibited ...
DNY59/iStock via Getty Images The First Trust Vest Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF ( RDVI ) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with exposure to dividend-paying companies with an options overlay to enhance income to investors. RDVI can be best utilized for equity income by investors seeking cash flow stability and equity growth. RDVI has exhibited distribution growth since its inception, targeting a dividend yield 8% above the S&P 500 Index. About the First Trust Vest Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF RDVI was launched on October 19, 2022, on the Cboe BZX Exchange. RDVI exhibits strong liquidity with $2.89b in net assets, with an average of $16.13mm in share value changing hands on a daily basis. The strategy has a total expense ratio of 75 bps, a premium relative to peer equity income strategies. Despite the higher cost of ownership, RDVI has performed exceptionally well on a total return basis since inception. Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha RDVI has paid out a monthly distribution at a rate of $2.16/share over the last twelve months, yielding 8.31%. The fund derives income for dividend distributions through two methods: dividend income and options writing. The fund will generally sell call options on the S&P 500 Index, earning premium for the fund. As part of its dividend policy, RDVI targets an 8% distribution yield before fees and expenses over the current yield of the S&P 500 Index. Seeking Alpha RDVI is benchmarked to the Nasdaq US Rising Dividend Achievers Index [NQDVRIS], a subindex of the Nasdaq US Benchmark Index. The Index was designed to track large-cap stocks that have exhibited dividend growth as measured by the dividend rate paid in the last twelve months compared to the dividend rate paid three and five years ago. The Index also considers earnings growth, balance sheet durability, and the company’s capacity to increase dividend distributions. Constituents must also exhibit positive net earnings...
Alphabet currently trades at $316.84 and has been a dream stock for shareholders. It’s returned 179% since April 2021, tripling the S&P 500’s 60.2% gain. The company has also beaten the index over the past six months as its stock price is up 31.2% thanks to its solid quarterly results.
Alphabet currently trades at $316.84 and has been a dream stock for shareholders. It’s returned 179% since April 2021, tripling the S&P 500’s 60.2% gain. The company has also beaten the index over the past six months as its stock price is up 31.2% thanks to its solid quarterly results.
No longer like a man carrying a vase across a slippery floor, the 2025 winner uses attack as the best form of defence Can Rory McIlroy win back-to-back Masters titles? Jack Nicklaus will tell you that McIlroy’s already done the hardest part. “Well, the key is to win two years in a row,” Nicklaus said with a grin after hitting the honorary tee shot on Thursday morning, “and I think Rory’s the only ...
No longer like a man carrying a vase across a slippery floor, the 2025 winner uses attack as the best form of defence Can Rory McIlroy win back-to-back Masters titles? Jack Nicklaus will tell you that McIlroy’s already done the hardest part. “Well, the key is to win two years in a row,” Nicklaus said with a grin after hitting the honorary tee shot on Thursday morning, “and I think Rory’s the only one that’s got a chance to do that this year.” Nicklaus did it back in 1965 and ’66. “Rory’s talented enough,” he added. “Now he’s got that monkey off his back, I think he has a very, very good chance to repeat.” In his first 17 years coming here, McIlroy played Augusta National just about every which way he could think of: he’s attacked it, endured it, and overthought it, played it carelessly, played it cautiously, and played it consideredly. The one thing we had never seen was how he would go about it once he had finally won the thing. Turns out the answer is he would do it with a big grin and a hell of a swing. His very first shot at Augusta as Masters champion, at 10.30am on a bright, blue and dry Augusta morning, was a whistling 332-yard drive that carried the entire hill and shot off into the gallery over the left side of the fairway. Continue reading...
StockPlanets/E+ via Getty Images Summary I gave a buy rating to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. ( NCLH ) in March, as I expected strong growth given the pricing and strong booking trends. However, I am now downgrading to a hold. The business itself did not suddenly break, but the FY2026 earnings bridge is weaker than I expected. The good news is this looks more like an execution problem than a...
StockPlanets/E+ via Getty Images Summary I gave a buy rating to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. ( NCLH ) in March, as I expected strong growth given the pricing and strong booking trends. However, I am now downgrading to a hold. The business itself did not suddenly break, but the FY2026 earnings bridge is weaker than I expected. The good news is this looks more like an execution problem than a demand problem. However, until management proves it can fix the operational mistakes, I don’t think the market will re-rate the stock any higher. The Old Setup Has Clearly Weakened I no longer think NCLH's demand story is as clean as I thought previously. I don’t mean that the business suddenly broke. Just for a recap, NCLH still delivered solid 2025 results , with revenue up 3.7% to $9.8 billion, adj. EBITDA up 11% to $2.73 billion, and adj. EPS up 19% to $2.11. Q4 itself was also fine, with revenue up 6% and adj. EBITDA up 20%. The issue is the FY2026 earnings bridge. Management now expects FY2026 net yield to be roughly flat, with Q1 down 1.6%. This is a huge reset from the previous setup, where I argued that NCLH has pricing strength. Also, management noted NCLH entered 2026 slightly below its ideal booking curve, which again killed the part where I saw NCLH had strong booking trends. For better or worse, this entire situation is not because underlying demand has fallen off the cliff. This is an execution problem. One very clear example is the Caribbean. NCLH increased Caribbean capacity by 40% in Q1, but the broader commercial and on-island setup was not fully ready. Great Stirrup Cay had phase one enhancements in place, but the bigger island build-out, including the waterpark, was still not there yet. Mind you, NCLH is a ~$10 billion revenue company and has a long operating history. This type of execution mistake is really unforgivable. In a simple sense, NCLH effectively added capacity before they had things in place to capture the full revenue upside. There Is Stil...
Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR), a data analytics and AI software provider, closed Thursday at $130.49, down 7.30%. The stock dropped after criticism from investor Michael Burry about rising competition from Anthropic and the stock’s rich valuation. Investors are watching how
Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR), a data analytics and AI software provider, closed Thursday at $130.49, down 7.30%. The stock dropped after criticism from investor Michael Burry about rising competition from Anthropic and the stock’s rich valuation. Investors are watching how
CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV), an AI-focused cloud infrastructure provider, closed Thursday at $92, up 3.49%. The stock moved higher as investors responded to an expanded $21 billion long-term AI cloud capacity agreement with Meta Platforms. Investors are also watching how new debt fin
CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV), an AI-focused cloud infrastructure provider, closed Thursday at $92, up 3.49%. The stock moved higher as investors responded to an expanded $21 billion long-term AI cloud capacity agreement with Meta Platforms. Investors are also watching how new debt fin
Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) secures a spot on our list of the 15 Stocks Set to Explode in the Next 3 Years. Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) continues to be a Wall Street favorite as management strengthens its financial position to support an AI- and cloud-driven expansion phase. As of April 6, 2026, analyst consensus on Oracle Corporation […]
Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) secures a spot on our list of the 15 Stocks Set to Explode in the Next 3 Years. Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) continues to be a Wall Street favorite as management strengthens its financial position to support an AI- and cloud-driven expansion phase. As of April 6, 2026, analyst consensus on Oracle Corporation […]
Good morning . Israel agrees to direct talks with Lebanon. China’s EV market is surging amid the global energy shock. And Apple’s updated headphones fail to impress our reviewer. Listen to the day’s top stories . Market Snapshot WTI Crude Oil Futures $97.87 +3.7% S&P 500 6,824.66 +0.6% Tata Consultancy Services $2,589.00 +1.2% Reliance Industries $1,330.00 -1.3% Market data as of 05:23 PM ET. Data...
Good morning . Israel agrees to direct talks with Lebanon. China’s EV market is surging amid the global energy shock. And Apple’s updated headphones fail to impress our reviewer. Listen to the day’s top stories . Market Snapshot WTI Crude Oil Futures $97.87 +3.7% S&P 500 6,824.66 +0.6% Tata Consultancy Services $2,589.00 +1.2% Reliance Industries $1,330.00 -1.3% Market data as of 05:23 PM ET. Data is subject to provider delays. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will continue striking Hezbollah as it plans direct talks with Lebanon. The campaign against the Tehran-linked group potentially undermines the US-Iran peace talks scheduled in Pakistan on Saturday . A permanent end to the conflict will depend on negotiations, with significant differences between the US and Iran over issues such as sanctions, nuclear sites and ballistic missile capabilities. China’s last-minute push helped secure Iran’s acceptance of the ceasefire. While President Xi Jinping still hasn’t publicly commented on the conflict, the decision to step in would mark a departure from Beijing’s long-held preference for staying on the sidelines. India Wary as Pakistan Hailed by World Leaders as Peacemaker Read more With the Mideast conflict choking a fifth of global oil supply, Reliance Industries is restricting individual purchases to 1,000 rupees ($10.79) per visit at fuel stations it operates with partner BP, according to people familiar. The caps are being enforced to curb panic buying and prevent its 2,000 pumps from running dry. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely constrained by Iran , even after a shaky ceasefire took effect. Geopolitical tensions are spilling into the corporate world, and Tata Consultancy Services is curbing costs to cope with slowing demand. TCS beat quarterly profit estimates and sales climbed 9.6% to 707 billion rupees as the Indian currency weakened against the dollar and euro. Deep Dive: Electric Gains Steam China’s exports...