The dollar dropped more than 1% and wiped out its gains for the year after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, stoking investor appetite for riskier assets. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index on Wednesday fell 1.04%, the most since Jan. 27, as a wave of optimism swept through global markets on the temporary ceasefire deal. Stocks soared, while oil prices plunged. The US currency had been ...
The dollar dropped more than 1% and wiped out its gains for the year after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, stoking investor appetite for riskier assets. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index on Wednesday fell 1.04%, the most since Jan. 27, as a wave of optimism swept through global markets on the temporary ceasefire deal. Stocks soared, while oil prices plunged. The US currency had been rallying as the conflict in the Middle East escalated and energy prices soared, with investors seeking safety. On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump announced a truce and vowed to pursue talks rather than escalate the war.
Spectral AI ( MDAI ) said on Wednesday that it had appointed David McGuire as CFO, effective May 4, 2026. McGuire brings more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience, including in financial reporting, investor relations, and capital markets, and most recently served as CAO at Solo Brands. He also served as deputy CFO and chief accounting officer at EZCORP, where he oversaw financial ope...
Spectral AI ( MDAI ) said on Wednesday that it had appointed David McGuire as CFO, effective May 4, 2026. McGuire brings more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience, including in financial reporting, investor relations, and capital markets, and most recently served as CAO at Solo Brands. He also served as deputy CFO and chief accounting officer at EZCORP, where he oversaw financial operations and played a key role in capital markets activities and broader strategic initiatives. Shares -1.20%. More on Spectral AI Spectral AI, Inc. (MDAI) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Spectral AI Historical earnings data for Spectral AI Financial information for Spectral AI
Exclusive: Capital’s mayor warns people not to use next month’s elections as a referendum on Labour’s progress UK politics live – latest updates Sadiq Khan has said he can understand why some former Labour voters are “flirting” with other parties in the run-up to May’s elections, but said that they may regret seeing a Green or Reform-led council in their areas. Speaking to the Guardian at a youth ...
Exclusive: Capital’s mayor warns people not to use next month’s elections as a referendum on Labour’s progress UK politics live – latest updates Sadiq Khan has said he can understand why some former Labour voters are “flirting” with other parties in the run-up to May’s elections, but said that they may regret seeing a Green or Reform-led council in their areas. Speaking to the Guardian at a youth centre, where he was announcing new funding for facilities for young people, the London mayor also cautioned Labour MPs against considering a challenge to Keir Starmer, saying such “navel gazing” would be punished by the electorate. Continue reading...
New administration reverses expropriation of property founded by ex-Nazi Paul Schäfer, leaving victims in limbo With its Germanic crosses and colourful toy-town facades, the village square of the tiny Chilean settlement of Villa Baviera gives little indication of the horrors of its past. Until 1991, this cattle town of a few hundred people was a compound known as Colonia Dignidad. Its leader, Paul...
New administration reverses expropriation of property founded by ex-Nazi Paul Schäfer, leaving victims in limbo With its Germanic crosses and colourful toy-town facades, the village square of the tiny Chilean settlement of Villa Baviera gives little indication of the horrors of its past. Until 1991, this cattle town of a few hundred people was a compound known as Colonia Dignidad. Its leader, Paul Schäfer, a former Nazi and weapons smuggler, bought a swathe of land in the valley in 1961, eventually holding as many as 300 people in a fenced enclave with minimal contact with the outside world. He sexually abused and even tortured the children in the camp. Continue reading...
Chinese artificial intelligence company Zhipu AI open-sourced its latest flagship model, GLM-5.1, on Wednesday while raising application programming interface prices by 10 per cent, signalling a shift towards monetising advanced AI capabilities as competition with US rivals intensifies. The move marked Zhipu’s second price increase this year, following a broader overhaul in February that lifted ra...
Chinese artificial intelligence company Zhipu AI open-sourced its latest flagship model, GLM-5.1, on Wednesday while raising application programming interface prices by 10 per cent, signalling a shift towards monetising advanced AI capabilities as competition with US rivals intensifies. The move marked Zhipu’s second price increase this year, following a broader overhaul in February that lifted rates for its coding subscription plans by more than 30 per cent. While the latest adjustment was more...
Welcome to Next Africa, a daily newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. In today’s edition, we look at the close ties Russia is forging with Madagascar’s military government. And: A new rail link in Zambia may cost as much as $5 billion FirstRand plans to exit its UK motor-finance business South Africa formally accredit...
Welcome to Next Africa, a daily newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. In today’s edition, we look at the close ties Russia is forging with Madagascar’s military government. And: A new rail link in Zambia may cost as much as $5 billion FirstRand plans to exit its UK motor-finance business South Africa formally accredits a new US ambassador Russia Woos Madagascar In a move straight out of Russia’s Africa playbook , the Kremlin has moved swiftly to court Madagascar’s new military rulers. Without the financial firepower to match its geopolitical rivals — the US, China and the European Union — Russia has focused on befriending fragile states. It’s propped up regimes in the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, providing protection to their leaders and broader military assistance. After Colonel Michael Randrianirina seized power in Madagascar in October amid protests over water and power shortages, Russia sent soldiers and weapons to bolster the presidential guard. It has since dispatched helicopters , armored cars and aid to the island nation. Randrianirina travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on his first overseas trip — a break from the tradition of prioritizing a meeting with the leader of France, the colonial-era power. At a recent ceremony to mark the arrival of a Russian consignment of food and equipment, he described Putin as “my brother.” The newfound closeness between Antananarivo and Moscow, which barely have a trade relationship, is alarming France. Madagascar may be impoverished, but it lies on the Mozambique Channel, through which almost a third of the world’s crude oil is shipped. It also has deposits of key critical metals and minerals like cobalt and graphite. Randrianirina says his foreign policy is aimed at forging both new relationships and strengthening old ones. France and its allies may be inclined to disagree. What’s Eve...
Billionaire investor and philanthropist Ray Dalio has called the US-China relationship the single most critical factor for global well-being, as the war on Iran shakes the world order and leaders of the two superpowers prepare to meet next month. Strong ties between Beijing and Washington could unlock immense progress for humanity, while bad relations could cause catastrophic damage, Dalio warned ...
Billionaire investor and philanthropist Ray Dalio has called the US-China relationship the single most critical factor for global well-being, as the war on Iran shakes the world order and leaders of the two superpowers prepare to meet next month. Strong ties between Beijing and Washington could unlock immense progress for humanity, while bad relations could cause catastrophic damage, Dalio warned at an event for his non-profit ocean exploration initiative OceanX in Shanghai on Wednesday. “We are...
Zacks.com users have recently been watching Baidu Inc. (BIDU) quite a bit. Thus, it is worth knowing the facts that could determine the stock's prospects.
Zacks.com users have recently been watching Baidu Inc. (BIDU) quite a bit. Thus, it is worth knowing the facts that could determine the stock's prospects.
Advanced Micro (AMD) has received quite a bit of attention from Zacks.com users lately. Therefore, it is wise to be aware of the facts that can impact the stock's prospects.
Advanced Micro (AMD) has received quite a bit of attention from Zacks.com users lately. Therefore, it is wise to be aware of the facts that can impact the stock's prospects.
Alphabet (GOOGL) has received quite a bit of attention from Zacks.com users lately. Therefore, it is wise to be aware of the facts that can impact the stock's prospects.
Alphabet (GOOGL) has received quite a bit of attention from Zacks.com users lately. Therefore, it is wise to be aware of the facts that can impact the stock's prospects.
Microsoft and Publicis Groupe expand their strategic partnership to power the future of agentic marketing for businesses worldwide Together the companies are building an AI-powered marketing solution that will unlock creativity, accelerate innovation, and empower customers to lead the future of marketing REDMOND, Wash., and PARIS — April 8, 2026 — Ten years after co-creating Marcel, an innovative ...
Microsoft and Publicis Groupe expand their strategic partnership to power the future of agentic marketing for businesses worldwide Together the companies are building an AI-powered marketing solution that will unlock creativity, accelerate innovation, and empower customers to lead the future of marketing REDMOND, Wash., and PARIS — April 8, 2026 — Ten years after co-creating Marcel, an innovative AI platform, Microsoft and Publicis Groupe announce the expansion of their strategic partnership to
PORTLAND, Ore., April 08, 2026--LegitScript, the leader in merchant and product certification and monitoring in the advertising, e-commerce, and payment sectors, today announced an expanded partnership with Google to certify pharmacies in India and telemedicine providers in New Zealand. The policy update allows eligible businesses to advertise on Google Ads using LegitScript Healthcare Certificati...
PORTLAND, Ore., April 08, 2026--LegitScript, the leader in merchant and product certification and monitoring in the advertising, e-commerce, and payment sectors, today announced an expanded partnership with Google to certify pharmacies in India and telemedicine providers in New Zealand. The policy update allows eligible businesses to advertise on Google Ads using LegitScript Healthcare Certification, and LegitScript-certified organizations will be able to apply for Google certification once the
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Previewing TSMC's Upcoming Earnings My previous article on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited ( TSM ) came out in mid-January 2026 with a “Buy” rating—I was previewing the Q4 earnings, seeing great odds that the print would have brought another rally acceleration, which indeed happened, but only for the short term. TSM went up after that ...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Previewing TSMC's Upcoming Earnings My previous article on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited ( TSM ) came out in mid-January 2026 with a “Buy” rating—I was previewing the Q4 earnings, seeing great odds that the print would have brought another rally acceleration, which indeed happened, but only for the short term. TSM went up after that earnings print but then lost most of its gains as the macro/geopolitical landscape changed. Anyway, TSM has managed to outperform the S&P 500 index ( SP500 ) since January, which is nice to see amid the meltdown in most mega-cap names on a YTD basis. Seeking Alpha, Oakoff's coverage of TSM We're approaching yet another earnings update from Taiwan Semiconductor— according to Seeking Alpha , the firm reports for its Q1 2026 next week, on April 16th, 2026: Seeking Alpha, TSM As you can see, all analysts covering the stock upgraded their estimates for Q1 after they saw the Q4 numbers and heard the guidance. Indeed, the previous print looked quite bullish, even historic in some regard. The consolidated revenues came in at $33.73 billion (+25.5% YoY), beating the management's own guidance of $32.20 billion and also exceeding the consensus estimate by over $400 million (by 1.23%). The gross margin was at 62.3%, which was 1.3% above the high end of the guidance, and it helped the EBIT margin climb to 54% (+3.4% in a single quarter). The net margin was at 48.3%, which is extraordinary for a chip manufacturing company of this scale, in my opinion. The resulting adjusted EPS of $3.14 (+40.1% YoY), according to Seeking Alpha , beat the consensus by 5.53%, continuing the winning streak: Seeking Alpha, TSM HPCs, high-performance computing chips, started to account for 55% of the total net revenues, up 48% on a YoY basis. The advanced tech, such as 7nm (and below 7nm), now accounts for 77% of total wafer revenue, while the 3nm node alone contributes 28% of Q4 sales. It's very important be...
ISerg/iStock via Getty Images The temptation always exists to reach for high yield as a source of income and a buffer against volatility. But the yield you see is not always the yield you get. Companies can and will cut their dividends at any time, though they generally avoid doing so as long as possible. Even in the best of times, there are always mousetrap REITs. These companies offer alluringly...
ISerg/iStock via Getty Images The temptation always exists to reach for high yield as a source of income and a buffer against volatility. But the yield you see is not always the yield you get. Companies can and will cut their dividends at any time, though they generally avoid doing so as long as possible. Even in the best of times, there are always mousetrap REITs. These companies offer alluringly high dividend yields, but in reality, those yields often turn out to be an illusion. In fact, sometimes the reason the yield is so high is precisely because the company is doing poorly, and shares have sold off, but the dividend cut hasn't happened yet. And let's face it. These are not the best of times. All the capital markets are jittery over the unknowns surrounding the war on Iran. Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says that the cumulative impact of the damage already done to energy assets will be worse than the two oil shocks of the 1970s and the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis combined. Oil prices, interest rates, and inflation are likely to remain persistently higher for longer. The last thing you want to do is get caught holding a mousetrap in such a scenario. Identifying Mousetraps is a great way to avoid underperformance. I published a similar list last April and another last October . However, the list has changed, and it's always a good idea to check again periodically to make sure your portfolio is free of mousetraps. The group of Mousetraps I identified in December of 2023 lost (-6.54)% on average in 2024, while the average REIT gained 14.40%. So those Mousetraps underperformed by a whopping 2094 bps (basis points) over the ensuing 12 months. The Mousetraps I identified in August of 2024 lost an average of (-8.17)% in total return, while the average REIT gained 1.41%, for a total underperformance of 958 bps. Here's how the April 2025 mousetraps have fared over the past 12 months: Ticker Open Close Gain YAP Div. Pd YOC Tot Return ( BDN ) $3.90 $2.64 (...