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...

格隆汇4月8日｜美军参谋长联席会议主席凯恩8日在记者会上说，美军对伊朗的军事目标已达成，停火只是一种暂时“中止”，美军仍时刻准备着恢复战斗。

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.

Why investors should use the Zacks Earnings ESP tool to help find stocks that are poised to top quarterly earnings estimates.

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.

Investors Heavily Search Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD): Here is What You Need to Know finance.yahoo.com

Investors Heavily Search Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD): Here is What You Need to Know Yahoo Finance

A Quick Look at Today's Ratings for Broadcom(AVGO.US), With a Forecast Between $375 to $500 富途牛牛

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.

A Quick Look at Today's Ratings for Broadcom(AVGO.US), With a Forecast Between $375 to $500 news.futunn.com

Amid AI-driven storage demand, Morgan Stanley hands the baton to Seagate, citing stronger margins and upside, edging out Western Digital.

Confluence users can now create visual assets within the software in addition to new third-party agents working with Lovable, Replit, and Gamma.

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 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 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 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 (...

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...

Firefly’s AI software will run on NVIDIA Jetson module onboard Elytra spacecraft in lunar orbit to enable faster data-driven insights from the Moon CEDAR PARK, Texas, April 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Firefly Aerospace (Nasdaq: FLY), a market leading space and defense technology company, today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to enable rapid on-orbit processing in lunar orbit for Firefly’s Ocula Moon imaging service. As part of the collaboration, an NVIDIA Jetson module was embedded on hig

New Arcot Smart Ruleset Revolutionizes the Future of Payment Authentication with Adaptive Intelligence, Precise Transaction Decisioning, and Auto-Regulatory CompliancePALO ALTO, Calif., April 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), a global technology leader that designs, develops and supplies semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions, today announced the Arcot Smart Ruleset, an adaptive 3-D Secure (3DS) ruleset engine powered by machine learning. The Arcot Smart Rul

Tractive’s new cat tracking collar is available in three colors. | Image: Tractive After acquiring its competitor Whistle from Mars Petcare nearly a year ago, Tractive is introducing two new pet trackers today. The Cat 6 Mini features a sleeker design than Tractive's current smart cat tracker and monitors additional vital signs. The Dog 6 XL, specifically designed for larger breeds, is now lighter and more durable with improved battery life. Both the $79 Cat 6 Mini and $89 Dog 6 XL trackers are available starting today through the company's online store and other retailers in multiple colors - beige, black, and purple for the cat's and beige and black for the dog's. Each also requires a subscription. The Basic Plan, which … Read the full story at The Verge.

It's a weird time at Xbox. Microsoft's gaming division is under new management , with its current leadership intent on what it describes as " a renewed commitment to Xbox ." But given that no one really knows what an Xbox is at this point , that could mean many things. What Xbox needs is a game to signal to players what the brand is really about, and what it is actually committing to. What Xbox needs is more games like Forza Horizon 6 , which is coming at exactly the right time. The open-world racing game launches next month , but I recently had the chance to play a preview version to get a sense of what to expect. Even with just a brief taste of … Read the full story at The Verge.

Altruist Biologics, an Innovent Biologics subsidiary and world-class contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), announced that its Hangzhou facility was granted the Drug Product Manufacturing License (C Certificate) from the Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). This is the first certificate awarded to a 20,000-liter scale biologics manufacturing facility in China, confirming that its quality systems, GMP facilities, and technologies meet the rigorous requirem

Broadcom says new tool can cut payment fraud and false declines Stock Titan

Broadcom says new tool can cut payment fraud and false declines stocktitan.net

期市夜盘开盘，国内期货主力合约多数下跌。跌幅方面，原油跌超9%，低硫燃油、燃油跌超8%，LPG跌超7%，乙二醇、甲醇跌超6%，聚丙烯、丙烯、合成橡胶跌超5%，沥青跌超4%。涨幅方面，沪银涨超5%，沪锡、国际铜、沪金、沪镍涨超1%。

Apple Stock Dips. Foldable iPhone Pushback Raises Questions

最近，全网都被张雪机车夺冠刷屏。 这是中国摩托车制造商在世界顶级赛事中的历史首冠，打破了杜卡迪、雅马哈等国际巨头数十年的垄断。消息传回国内，间接参股张雪机车的宏昌科技、鸿泉技术股价大涨，终端销售市场也迅速“爆单”。 而就在夺冠前两个月，浙江国资背景的浙创投刚刚完成对张雪机车9000万元的A轮领投，投后估值10.9亿元。 从宇树科技到强脑科技，从零跑汽车到张雪机车，一个现象反复出现：风口上的企业，浙江总能成为关键参与方。这究竟是运气，还是有一套可复制的底层逻辑？ （图源：张雪机车官网） 01 不靠整车厂，靠“隐形冠军”堆出来的产业底盘 张雪机车夺冠后，浙创投总经理程俊华在采访中反复提及一个词——“讲好浙江故事”。 这个故事的主角，不是某一家整车厂，而是一个由超7000家摩企织成的产业网络。 浙江并非传统意义上的“摩托之都”，但它拥有全球摩托车供应链中最密集的零部件供给网络。在温州瑞安，这座“中国汽摩配之都”历经近六十年的产业沉淀，拥有6000多家汽摩配企业，产品种类多达5000多种，年产值近千亿元。 2025年，瑞安市规上汽车零部件企业达462家，全年完成产值538.1亿元，同比增长16.4%，产业投资达78.16亿元。瑞安塘下镇2025年规上工业总产值达512.3亿元，首次突破500亿元大关。 在台州玉环，4000余家企业覆盖37大类6000余种零部件，年产值超500亿元，全国市场占比达11%。浙江兆翔车业垄断全球40%至50%的摩托车改装件市场。台州作为全省摩托车产业龙头，聚集了3134家摩企，占全省近半壁江山。 钱江摩托扎根温岭，拥有亚洲最大发动机基地；金浪科技作为国内踏板车发动机主要供应商，为全国半数踏板车供货。在桐乡，春风动力极核投资35亿元建厂，全面达产后可年产300万台摩托车、电动车及核心部件，预计实现年产值超100亿元。 这些数据指向一个事实： 浙江的摩托车产业不是靠一两家整车厂撑起来的，而是由数千家“隐形冠军”企业共同堆叠而成的产业集群。 2025年，温岭市助力汽摩配产业集群实施关键技术攻关项目37项，企业平均研发周期缩短15%；温岭联动贵阳中心高效化解钱江摩托海外商标共存纠纷，入选全国知识产权快速维权典型案例。这意味着浙江的产业链正在从“配套能力”向“技术标准能力”跃迁。 在整车制造端，浙江拥有钱江摩托（2025年上半年营收近百亿）和春风动力两家营...

格隆汇4月8日｜黎巴嫩总理表示，以色列无视地区和国际停火努力。

mpalis/iStock via Getty Images Citi analysts on Wednesday upgraded Clean Harbors ( CLH ) to Buy from a previous investment rating of Neutral, arguing that improving U.S. chemicals production could drive stronger demand for hazardous waste disposal. The report by analyst Bryan Burgmeier highlights that rising output, partly offsetting disruptions in the Middle East, could create more waste streams for Clean Harbors’ environmental services segment. This business is already the company’s most profitable, with exposure to chemicals making up a meaningful share of revenue. Higher complexity waste, especially from chemical production, typically commands premium pricing and could boost margins beyond current company guidance. Earnings outlook moves higher Citi increased its financial forecasts, now expecting 2026 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization to reach about $1.3 billion, above company guidance. Free cash flow estimates were also lifted to roughly $566 million. The analysts see environmental services performing at the high end of expectations, supported by volume growth and pricing gains. They also expect the Safety-Kleen segment to benefit from higher oil prices, which tend to lift margins on recycled base oils and lubricants. Oil and pricing trends support Safety-Kleen Stronger crude prices and tight supply in base oils are expected to improve profitability in the company’s oil re-refining business. Citi now projects a sharp increase in segment earnings, with gains building through the year as pricing flows through to results. Supply constraints in global energy markets, including disruptions tied to Middle East tensions, are also supporting higher prices for refined products and lubricants. That dynamic could further enhance returns in this segment. Stock seen lagging peers despite favorable setup Citi argues that Clean Harbors ( CLH ) shares have not kept pace with a recent rally in U.S. chemical stocks. Chemical companies have surged in...