VP Vance Visits Hungary To Support Orban Ahead Of Election, Blasts EU "Interference" Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times, U.S Vice President JD Vance arrived in Budapest on April 7 for a two-day visit aimed at bolstering Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s campaign, ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections on April 12. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, were greeted at the Budapest ...
VP Vance Visits Hungary To Support Orban Ahead Of Election, Blasts EU "Interference" Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times, U.S Vice President JD Vance arrived in Budapest on April 7 for a two-day visit aimed at bolstering Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s campaign, ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections on April 12. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, were greeted at the Budapest airport by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. The two men greeted one another warmly, and Szijjarto presented Usha Vance with a bouquet of flowers. “I’m looking forward to seeing my good friend Viktor, and we’ll talk about any number of things related to the U.S.-Hungary relationship,” JD Vance told reporters before leaving Washington on Tuesday. He said the discussions would also cover broader relations with Europe and Ukraine. Speaking alongside the Hungarian prime minister during his two-day visit in Budapest, Vance said “the amount of interference that’s come from the bureaucracy in Brussels has been truly disgraceful.” “I won’t tell the people in Hungary how to vote,” he said, speaking ahead of this weekend’s election. “I’d encourage the bureaucrats in Brussels to do the exact same thing.” The election will decide whether Orban secures a fifth consecutive term as prime minister. Domestic concerns such as the economy and European Union relations are expected to dominate voter decisions in the parliamentary election. “The bureaucrats in Brussels have tried to destroy the economy of Hungary,” Vance said on Tuesday. “They have tried to make Hungary less energy independent. They have tried to drive up costs for Hungarian consumers. And they’ve done it all because they hate this guy.” On Feb. 15, opposition leader Peter Magyar launched the Tisza party’s election campaign in Budapest. The party has set out plans to draw Hungary closer to EU institutions. Orban, whose Fidesz party has held power since 2010, is one of the EU’s most vocal supporters of U.S. President Do...
In this article UAL DAL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A Lufthansa passenger aircraft is parked at a gate while a SASCA fuel truck services it on the apron at Toulouse Blagnac Airport in Blagnac in Occitanie in France on March 15, 2026. Isabelle Souriment | AFP | Getty Images The surging price of jet fuel isn't the airline industry's only problem. Now, it's whether it will have en...
In this article UAL DAL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A Lufthansa passenger aircraft is parked at a gate while a SASCA fuel truck services it on the apron at Toulouse Blagnac Airport in Blagnac in Occitanie in France on March 15, 2026. Isabelle Souriment | AFP | Getty Images The surging price of jet fuel isn't the airline industry's only problem. Now, it's whether it will have enough. Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, the price of jet fuel in the U.S. has nearly doubled, going from $2.50 a gallon on Feb. 27 to $4.88 a gallon on April 2, with the increases even sharper in other regions. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is choking off supplies of both crude and refined products like jet fuel, further driving up the price. That's forcing airlines to consider cutting flights, especially overseas. Carsten Spohr, CEO of Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa, told employees in a webcast last week that the carrier is assigning teams to come up with contingency plans because of the war in the Middle East, including for drops in demand or a lack of jet fuel, a spokesman said. Those plans could include grounding some of its aircraft. The U.S. produces a lot of jet fuel and isn't as exposed as other regions like Europe and parts of Asia are in comparison. But aircraft fill up locally, so some U.S. airlines could face shortages on international trips. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told reporters late last month that the carrier, which has the most service to Asia among U.S. airlines, would have to cut back its flights there. He also said it's "not impossible" that airlines collectively would have to reduce service in that region. He noted that as the price of jet fuel goes up, it could be more acute in parts of the U.S. that aren't as connected by pipelines. "There's not enough refining capacity, and so fuel price prior to this and going forward is more susceptible to supply weakness on the West Coast than anywhere else in the country," ...
Market Catalysts host Julie Hyman takes a look at some of Tuesday morning's trending tickers and stories.Shares of health insurers, including UnitedHealth (UNH), Humana (HUM), and CVS (CVS), are soaring on news that the government will increase private insurer reimbursements by 2.48%.Broadcom (AVGO) is expanding its deals with Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Anthropic (ANTH.PVT).Intel (INTC) is set to jo...
Market Catalysts host Julie Hyman takes a look at some of Tuesday morning's trending tickers and stories.Shares of health insurers, including UnitedHealth (UNH), Humana (HUM), and CVS (CVS), are soaring on news that the government will increase private insurer reimbursements by 2.48%.Broadcom (AVGO) is expanding its deals with Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Anthropic (ANTH.PVT).Intel (INTC) is set to join Elon Musk's Terafab artificial intelligence (AI) chip project with Tesla (TSLA), SpaceX, and xAI.
It won't be long before Rivian starts delivering the first of its new R2 SUVs to the lucky owners. After wowing everyone with its R1S and R1T, the startup is ready to enter more mainstream market segments, first with the midsize R2 this year. Last month, we got pricing and trim details for the new electric SUV: $57,990 for the R2 Performance, the only version that will be available until the $53,9...
It won't be long before Rivian starts delivering the first of its new R2 SUVs to the lucky owners. After wowing everyone with its R1S and R1T, the startup is ready to enter more mainstream market segments, first with the midsize R2 this year. Last month, we got pricing and trim details for the new electric SUV: $57,990 for the R2 Performance, the only version that will be available until the $53,990 R2 Premium goes on sale in late 2026. Both of these R2s use the same spec battery with a capacity of 87.9 kWh. At the time, Rivian said it expected at least 330 miles (531 km) of range from these models on 21-inch tires. But it seems that details of the actual Environmental Protection Agency range certification have leaked and were posted to the Rivian Forums . And from those documents, we now know that, when fitted with 21-inch wheels and performance, the official EPA range estimate will be 335 miles (539 km). The testing also generated an official EPA range estimate for the R2 when fitted with smaller 20-inch wheels. Usually, fitting smaller wheels to an EV increases range because the rotation of each wheel causes a lot of drag that saps range, and smaller, narrower wheels disturb less air. But in this case, the 20-inch wheels drop the EPA range estimate down to 314 miles (505 km), thanks to the knobby all-terrain tires. Read full article Comments
OPEC’s crude oil production plunged by the most in at least four decades in March as conflict in the Middle East throttled exports from key members, according to a Bloomberg survey. Output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries collapsed by 7.56 million barrels a day — or about 25% — to 22 million a day, the survey showed. The war between a US-Israeli alliance and OPEC member I...
OPEC’s crude oil production plunged by the most in at least four decades in March as conflict in the Middle East throttled exports from key members, according to a Bloomberg survey. Output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries collapsed by 7.56 million barrels a day — or about 25% — to 22 million a day, the survey showed. The war between a US-Israeli alliance and OPEC member Iran has shuttered the Strait of Hormuz, forcing Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq to slash production. The March slump is the largest for a single month in data compiled by Bloomberg extending back to 1989, though the organization did cut more supply over a two-month span in 2020 when global fuel demand collapsed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Such a drop would, at least in barrel terms, also surpass that of the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Markets experienced a “gross loss” of 5 million barrels a day between October and December of that year, according to Daniel Yergin’s history “The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power,” though this earlier shock took place in a much smaller global market. The supply losses have roiled crude prices , which hit a multi-year high of almost $120 a barrel in London last month, while soaring costs for products like jet fuel, diesel and gasoline threaten pain for consumers. Brent futures traded near $110 on Tuesday as the US attacked military targets across Iran’s Kharg Island and President Donald Trump threatened massive new bombardment unless Tehran accepts US terms. Iraq — the OPEC member most reliant on the Strait of Hormuz — suffered the biggest decline, with production declining by 2.76 million barrels a day to 1.63 million a day, according to the survey. Iran’s military said over the weekend that “Brotherly Iraq is exempt from any restrictions” on transit via the vital sea corridor. Nonetheless, tanker-tracking shows there’s no indication yet of a rush to test that dispensation. Ship traffic through Hormuz is slowly recove...
A railway planned to connect Zambia’s copper mines to global markets via the Lobito port in neighboring Angola will cost as much as $5 billion, with construction set to start his year, according to an environmental study for the project. The 830-kilometer (516-mile) line will be complete in 2030, said the report that the Zambia Environmental Management Agency published on its website on April 3. A...
A railway planned to connect Zambia’s copper mines to global markets via the Lobito port in neighboring Angola will cost as much as $5 billion, with construction set to start his year, according to an environmental study for the project. The 830-kilometer (516-mile) line will be complete in 2030, said the report that the Zambia Environmental Management Agency published on its website on April 3. Africa Finance Corp. is lead developer and sponsor of the project. The railroad will be the biggest new build Zambia has seen since the 1970s, when China helped finance and construct a line running eastward from the copper-mining region to a Tanzanian port. That operation, known as Tazara, has fallen into disrepair and a group of Chinese companies is revitalizing it at a cost of about $1.2 billion. The US is providing $553 million in funding to a group including commodities trader Trafigura and Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil to upgrade the existing line in Angola that runs from the Lobito port to the border with Democratic Republic of Congo. Chinese Copper Miners Join $1.2 Billion African Rail Revamp Zambia Expects Work on Lobito Rail Link to Start This Year AFC to Invite Bids to Build Key Zambian Copper Railway Link It’s unclear if the Trump administration will offer additional funding for the link into Zambia, or focus rather on backing the refurbishment of the continuation of the existing line that runs into Congo from Angola. The report says that the European Union has expressed strategic interest in providing funding for the project. The African Development Bank has committed to financing it too. The report doesn’t mention involvement from the US. The capital cost is estimated at $3 billion to $5 billion, including rolling stock. The portions of new track in Zambia and Angola will fall under special-purpose vehicles in each country, which will count their respective governments among shareholders that will also include the AFC. Other partners will include mi...
Shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) , a semiconductor designer, were rising today after the company said late yesterday that it will continue designing new artificial intelligence processors for Alphabet' s Google over the next five years. Broadcom added to the good news by announcing an expanded collaboration with the AI company Anthropic, in which Broadcom will provide more AI compute capacity. Bo...
Shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) , a semiconductor designer, were rising today after the company said late yesterday that it will continue designing new artificial intelligence processors for Alphabet' s Google over the next five years. Broadcom added to the good news by announcing an expanded collaboration with the AI company Anthropic, in which Broadcom will provide more AI compute capacity. Both pieces of news helped Broadcom's stock jump by as much as 5% this morning, and had gained 2.8% as of 10:48 a.m. ET. Continue reading
There’s more to Elon Musk than just Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock. And soon, retail investors will be able to get a piece of a company that may very well outshine the electric vehicle (EV) and robotics powerhouse. With EV sales and shares of Tesla under considerable pressure in April, perhaps there’s no better time for another ... Here Comes SpaceX’s IPO. Should You Board on Day One?
There’s more to Elon Musk than just Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock. And soon, retail investors will be able to get a piece of a company that may very well outshine the electric vehicle (EV) and robotics powerhouse. With EV sales and shares of Tesla under considerable pressure in April, perhaps there’s no better time for another ... Here Comes SpaceX’s IPO. Should You Board on Day One?
Russian government-linked hackers are compromising popular internet routers to steal passwords for email accounts and other online services, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned. The hackers, a group known as APT28, are associated with Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, according to research published Tuesday by the UK. British cyber officials said they have observed the alle...
Russian government-linked hackers are compromising popular internet routers to steal passwords for email accounts and other online services, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned. The hackers, a group known as APT28, are associated with Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, according to research published Tuesday by the UK. British cyber officials said they have observed the alleged Russian intruders targeting routers manufactured by companies such as MikroTik and TP-Link. Attackers obtain access to the routers and modify their settings so that they redirect outgoing internet traffic through servers that they control. MikroTik and TP-Link didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Such attacks put victims at risk of credential theft, data manipulation and broader compromise, according to the alert, which also published guidance on how to mitigate the risks of an intrusion. Paul Chichester, the center’s director of operations, said the malicious activity demonstrated that vulnerabilities in commonly used routers could be leveraged by sophisticated hostile actors. Lumen Technologies’ Black Lotus Labs also published research on Tuesday on APT28’s router-hijacking campaign The researchers said they had identified thousands of potential victims from at least 120 countries communicating with the hackers’ infrastructure . “These operations primarily targeted government agencies — including ministries of foreign affairs, law enforcement and third-party email providers,” the researchers said in a report reviewed by Bloomberg News. The vulnerability of internet routers to attack has become a focus of increasing concern internationally. Last month, the US Federal Communications Commission banned the sale of new foreign-made consumer-grade internet routers, saying that they constituted a “supply-chain vulnerability” and could pose “a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt US critical infrastructure and di...
PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images A field report by Citrini Research (a macro research outlet) is passing relatively under the radar in the current news cycle about a possible ceasefire in Iran. I think this report, along with other recent developments, indicate some form of deal (and/or ceasefire) may be near. Such a deal will, in my view, undoubtedly have a positive effect on markets, alb...
PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images A field report by Citrini Research (a macro research outlet) is passing relatively under the radar in the current news cycle about a possible ceasefire in Iran. I think this report, along with other recent developments, indicate some form of deal (and/or ceasefire) may be near. Such a deal will, in my view, undoubtedly have a positive effect on markets, albeit I do expect disruption in global energy trade to reverberate for months, and potentially years, to come. ~50%+ more traffic may be passing Hormuz than what is reported Let me cut straight to the chase: the key finding of Citrini Research is that up to 50% vessel traffic through the Strait may be invisible to standard tracking systems on any given day. Vessels are reportedly disabling transponders, spoofing destinations, or entering misleading identification data to reduce targeting risk. According to this research, most of this “shadow fleet” belongs to Iran itself. Citrini Research Citrini came to this conclusion after physically sending an analyst to the Strait of Hormuz to directly observe tanker traffic. This analyst gained access by signing a declaration at an Omani checkpoint claiming no data would be collected, while smuggling in kit. Their observations contrast transponder data from the AIS (Automatic Identification System) that nearly all hedge funds, macro desks, and media use. Iran is now negotiating directly with European powers President Donald Trump recently mentioned that European powers should "go get their own oil." I have previously argued that this approach was strategically questionable , as other countries could just negotiate separate deals with Iran rather than going to war with it. This is now happening. France and Italy have both recently started negotiating with Iran, and a French-owned ship passed the Strait of Hormuz. This, in my view, is the logical outcome, given European countries (or any other country, for that matter) do not wish to join...
da-kuk Rising geopolitical tensions are putting short interest in materials stocks back in the spotlight, highlighting investor caution around steel, chemicals, and metals firms exposed to trade and supply chain disruptions. PureCycle Technologies ( PCT ) leads short interest in the commodity chemicals industry at 26.12%, while Brazil Potash ( GRO ) shows low short interest at 0.52% in fertilizers...
da-kuk Rising geopolitical tensions are putting short interest in materials stocks back in the spotlight, highlighting investor caution around steel, chemicals, and metals firms exposed to trade and supply chain disruptions. PureCycle Technologies ( PCT ) leads short interest in the commodity chemicals industry at 26.12%, while Brazil Potash ( GRO ) shows low short interest at 0.52% in fertilizers & agricultural chemicals. At the same time, the State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLB ) has climbed about 11% year to date, leading sector gains even as broader markets remain volatile. Here’s a list of the 5 most shorted small-to-micro-cap materials stocks (as a % of shares outstanding): PureCycle Technologies ( PCT ) – Commodity chemicals sector, short interest 26.12%, Quant rating 1.10 (Strong Sell) Ramaco Resources ( METC ) – Steel sector, short interest 20.24%, Quant rating 1.60 (Sell) ASP Isotopes ( ASPI ) – Specialty chemicals sector, short interest 17.93%, Quant rating 1.39 (Strong Sell) United States Antimony ( UAMY ) – Diversified metals & mining sector, short interest 17.44%, Quant rating 3.23 (Hold) American Battery Technology Company ( ABAT ) – Diversified metals & mining sector, short interest 16.20%, Quant rating 1.66 (Sell) Here’s a list of the 5 least shorted small-to-micro-cap materials stocks (as a % of shares outstanding): Brazil Potash ( GRO ) – Fertilizers & agricultural chemicals sector, short interest 0.52%, Quant rating 3.31 (Hold) Victoria Gold ( VITFF ) – Gold sector, short interest 0.67% IT Tech Packaging ( ITP ) – Paper products sector, short interest 0.76% Vista Gold ( VGZ ) – Gold sector, short interest 0.87%, Quant rating 2.67 (Hold) Mesabi Trust ( MSB ) – Steel sector, short interest 0.95% Materials ETFs: ( XLB ), ( VAW ), ( IYM ), ( FXZ ), ( MXI ), ( RSPM ) More on State Street® Materials Select Sector SPDR® ETF Market Sector Review: Extreme Market Bifurcation The Great Commoditization: How To Invest In A Post-AI World How I ...