Booms in defense spending pose a risk to economies in the medium term, as these expenditures are mainly financed through higher deficits, according to a report from the International Monetary Fund . Defense buildups typically boost economic activity in the short term by lifting consumption and investment, but overtime they add to public debt, the IMF said in a report. “More frequent conflicts and ...
Booms in defense spending pose a risk to economies in the medium term, as these expenditures are mainly financed through higher deficits, according to a report from the International Monetary Fund . Defense buildups typically boost economic activity in the short term by lifting consumption and investment, but overtime they add to public debt, the IMF said in a report. “More frequent conflicts and rising geopolitical tensions have also prompted many countries to reassess their security priorities and increase defense spending,” IMF researchers Hippolyte Balima, Andresa Lagerborg and Evgenia Weaver said in a blog post. “Others plan to do so. This situation presents policymakers with a crucial question about trade-offs involved.” Countries from Germany to France have lifted military expenditures in recent years, confronted with the war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump’s pressure to make Europe take greater responsibility for its own defense . In the US, the Trump administration in its latest budget asked Congress for a significant boost in defense spending, after launching a military strike in Venezuela to capture then President Nicolas Maduro and starting a war against Iran. Drawing on data from more than 160 countries since 1946, the IMF identified 215 cycles of increased spending in defense, saying many were concentrated in the 1970s and 1980s but that large booms have become more frequent. The economists found that in a typical defense boom, which lasts more than two and a half years, about two-thirds of expenditures are financed through borrowing. But the cost is higher during wartime, they said. “Wartime booms are especially costly, with public debt jumping by about 14 percentage points of GDP and social spending falling in real terms,” the IMF said in the report, which is part of the World Economic Outlook to be published next week. “Defense spending booms are front-loaded and financed primarily through higher deficits.” With the US and Iran agreeing to ...
Boarding1Now/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Exchange traded funds with significant exposure to Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) are drawing attention on Wednesday after the carrier’s shares surged 12.5% following its latest earnings release. The rally was supported by stronger-than-expected first-quarter results and overnight easing oil prices. Delta Air Lines is widely held across the ETF landscape, wi...
Boarding1Now/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Exchange traded funds with significant exposure to Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) are drawing attention on Wednesday after the carrier’s shares surged 12.5% following its latest earnings release. The rally was supported by stronger-than-expected first-quarter results and overnight easing oil prices. Delta Air Lines is widely held across the ETF landscape, with positions in 304 funds totaling approximately 122.2M shares. Due to this broad ownership and several outsized allocations, funds with heavier weightings in Delta Air Lines are seeing amplified moves in early trading. The stock’s sharp advance is boosting performance among these ETFs, placing them in focus for investors seeking indirect exposure. Below is a list of the ten exchange traded funds with the largest allocations to Delta Air Lines shares. U.S. Global Jets ETF ( JETS ), 11.79% allocation. iShares U.S. Transportation ETF ( IYT ), 5.12% allocation. Cambiar Aggressive Value ETF ( CAMX ), 4.70% allocation. First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF ( FTXR ), 4.39% allocation. NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF ( NLSI ), 4.27% allocation. Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares ( TPOR ), 3.49% allocation. Direxion Daily Travel & Vacation Bull 2X Shares ( OOTO ), 3.46% allocation. Amplify Cash Flow Dividend Leaders ETF ( COWS ), 3.18% allocation. First Trust Dorsey Wright Momentum & Value ETF ( DVLU ), 3.09% allocation. Amplify Cash Flow High Income ETF ( HCOW ), 3.05% allocation. Other Airline ETFs: ( JETU ) and ( JETD ). More on markets Why this oil rally isn’t crashing stocks—Deutsche Bank breaks it down Ceasefire uncertainty looms large as prediction markets signal a long road to de-escalation Cantor Fitzgerald calls the market pullback a buying opportunity despite Middle East risks From oil surge to economic slowdown: SA analysts see recession risks rising 15 dividend stocks to watch as the Middle East conflict continues
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...