With the second quarter in full swing, Piper Sandler compiled a list of stocks to avoid during the period. Many of the factors that shaped stock performance during the first quarter persist into the second. The war with Iran has caused oil prices to rise and energy stocks to swell. The State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) , for example, is up 33% year to date. The S & P 500 Index , mea...
With the second quarter in full swing, Piper Sandler compiled a list of stocks to avoid during the period. Many of the factors that shaped stock performance during the first quarter persist into the second. The war with Iran has caused oil prices to rise and energy stocks to swell. The State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) , for example, is up 33% year to date. The S & P 500 Index , meanwhile, is down 3.8% year to date. To get a better sense of where investors should place their bets — and areas one should steer clear of —Piper Sandler considered the following factors: valuation, risk, governance, manipulation, sentiment, profitability and operational efficiency. The stocks in the S & P 1500 with the "most red flags relative to their peer group" made its list. Here is a sample of those names. Real estate services company Cushman & Wakefield made the cut. The firm has had a rocky year with shares down 23% year to date. Investors have seen the stock as a potential victim of artificial intelligence as more service industry tasks are automated. Still, seven of the 11 analysts covering the stock rate it a strong buy or a buy, according to LSEG. The average price target predicts nearly 43% upside could be ahead. Transportation company Uber also made Piper Sandler's list of potential underperformers. The company has been investing in its fleet over the past year, including a $1.25 billion deal with electric vehicle maker Rivian to deploy 50,000 of its self-driving cars through 2031. The announcement came in March, after Uber had already missed its robotaxi target on several occasions. Shares have dropped by 12% in 2026. Morgan Stanley has an overweight rating on Uber stock and a price target of $100. The bank cited the company's "multiple large addressable markets" for its bullish thesis. Food distribution company Aramark is also at risk, according to Piper Sandler. Unlike other at-risk stocks, Aramark is up 15% year to date, with JPMorgan listing it as one of i...
Surging energy prices amid the Iran war are worrying Wall Street, but UBS warned that higher food costs could follow. Since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, international Brent crude futures have surged 50%, while West Texas Intermediate futures have gained 66%. UBS economist Arend Kapteyn said the energy jump is subsequently pushing up fertilizer costs, particularly with the Strait o...
Surging energy prices amid the Iran war are worrying Wall Street, but UBS warned that higher food costs could follow. Since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, international Brent crude futures have surged 50%, while West Texas Intermediate futures have gained 66%. UBS economist Arend Kapteyn said the energy jump is subsequently pushing up fertilizer costs, particularly with the Strait of Hormuz being a key passage for the transport of components like urea and ammonia. When fertilizers become more expensive, costs can get passed down to food buyers, the economist said. "Rising energy prices are spilling over into fertilizer markets, which in turn is a key driver of global food prices," Kapteyn wrote in a note to clients late last month. He said supply chain risks were "amplified" by the disruption to production of natural gas, which accounts for 60% to 80% over overall fertilizer costs. Last month, Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City , home to the world's largest liquefied natural gas export facility, was the target of Iranian missile attacks. With recent energy price hikes, Kapteyn said to expect fertilizer prices to rise 48% year over year, up from the current run rate of about 32%. In turn, global food prices could grow 12% year over year, the economist found. Kapteyn said advanced economies could see an additional 50 basis points of inflation as a result. Emerging markets, on the other hand, would experience additional inflation of up to 240 basis points. "These are first-round effects only ... but absent moderation in energy prices, the food price shock in EM could rival the energy shock," Kapteyn wrote, using an acronym for emerging markets.
Warren Buffett offered a measured but cautionary read on markets in his first public comments since stepping back from the chief executive role at Berkshire Hathaway , warning of lingering fragility in the banking system while downplaying the significance of recent volatility. Speaking in an interview with CNBC, the 95-year-old investor said stress in financial institutions can quickly spill over,...
Warren Buffett offered a measured but cautionary read on markets in his first public comments since stepping back from the chief executive role at Berkshire Hathaway , warning of lingering fragility in the banking system while downplaying the significance of recent volatility. Speaking in an interview with CNBC, the 95-year-old investor said stress in financial institutions can quickly spill over, underscoring the interconnected nature of the sector. "They all affect each other, and the troubles from one can spread over to another," Buffett said. "If people yell fire in a crowded theater, everybody runs still — it still pays to beat people to the door," he said. "I will stand back there and say, 'Everybody stay calm,' but that's because I can't run fast." His comments come as investors increasingly scrutinize pockets of the private credit market , particularly funds exposed to riskier borrowers such as software companies. Redemption pressures have already surfaced in some vehicles, raising questions about liquidity management in an asset class that grew rapidly during years of low interest rates. The remarks point to Buffett's long-held concern that confidence shocks can accelerate stress across banks, particularly in periods of heightened uncertainty. At the same time, Buffett struck a notably calm tone on broader markets, suggesting that recent volatility doesn't come close to the kind of dislocations that historically created compelling opportunities for Berkshire. "Three times since I took over, for sure it's gone down more than 50%," he said. "This is nothing to make you get excited." Volatility on Wall Street has spiked significantly amid the Iran war as oil prices surged above the $110 level . In late March, the Dow Jones Industrial Average , Nasdaq Composite and Russell 2000 all slipped more than 10% from their recent highs, briefly dipping into correction territory before bouncing back. Buffett added that Berkshire's long-term approach remains unchanged, em...
OPEC+ Agrees To Boost Output By Another 206,000 Barrels A Day When Strait Of Hormuz Reopens With the world's attention glued to every headline out of Iran, it is understandable why today's OPEC+ meeting was largely ignored, although with roughly 12% of global oil output throttled at the Strait of Hormuz, it's not as if even OPEC+ could do much to offset the supply shock. Earlier on Sunday, the oil...
OPEC+ Agrees To Boost Output By Another 206,000 Barrels A Day When Strait Of Hormuz Reopens With the world's attention glued to every headline out of Iran, it is understandable why today's OPEC+ meeting was largely ignored, although with roughly 12% of global oil output throttled at the Strait of Hormuz, it's not as if even OPEC+ could do much to offset the supply shock. Earlier on Sunday, the oil-producing cartel (where Iran is a founding member yet was missing from the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee) warned that damage to Middle East energy assets will have a prolonged impact on oil supply even after the Iran war ends, as it approved a symbolic increase in output quotas for next month. “Restoring damaged energy assets to full capacity is both costly and takes a long time,” the group’s ministerial monitoring committee said in a statement after meeting on Sunday. Any action that jeopardizes security of supply, whether that’s an attack on energy infrastructure or disruption of export routes, increases market volatility and weakens OPEC+’s efforts , OPEC+ said. Rhetoric aside, the oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed to increase targets for May by about 206,000 barrels a day during today's video conference. The modest rise that will largely exist on paper as its key members are unable to raise production due to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Saudi Arabia and Russia saw the biggest output increases, 62 kbpd each. Here is the statement released by the OPEC+ JMMC : The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC), comprising Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Algeria and Venezuela holds its 65th Meeting via videoconference The JMMC reviewed current market conditions and emphasized the essential role of the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) in supporting the stability of global energy markets. In this context, the Committee highlighted the critical importance of safeguarding international maritime routes to ensure the uni...
Leeds United survive West Ham's fightback from 2-0 down to 2-2 as a penalty shootout victory sends the West Yorkshire side to their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987.
Leeds United survive West Ham's fightback from 2-0 down to 2-2 as a penalty shootout victory sends the West Yorkshire side to their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987.
What Season Is It? March temperatures across the Mid-Atlantic region were all over the place, swinging from the low 70s to cold and snowy the next day; the same pattern appears to be carrying into early April. Temperatures across the Washington, DC-Baltimore metro area were in the low 80s on Saturday, while New York City was in the high 60s. More of March's schizophrenic weather looks set to retur...
What Season Is It? March temperatures across the Mid-Atlantic region were all over the place, swinging from the low 70s to cold and snowy the next day; the same pattern appears to be carrying into early April. Temperatures across the Washington, DC-Baltimore metro area were in the low 80s on Saturday, while New York City was in the high 60s. More of March's schizophrenic weather looks set to return Monday night into Tuesday, with meteorologist Ben Noll forecasting a late-season round of snow showers across parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast early next week. Any meaningful accumulation is most likely at higher elevations and in the interior Northeast, while lower elevations should see lighter winter precipitation. " Fear not, as it should mark the last snow chance of the season, and much warmer temperatures are within reach ," Knoll wrote in his note. Tyler Durden Sun, 04/05/2026 - 16:05
aquaArts studio/iStock via Getty Images The economic ripple effects of the Iran conflict are pushing mortgage rates higher, adding new pressure to the U.S. housing market even as conditions tilt in favor of buyers, the Associated Press reported Saturday. Rates on a typical 30-year mortgage have climbed in recent weeks, tracking a rise in Treasury yields driven by inflation concerns tied to higher ...
aquaArts studio/iStock via Getty Images The economic ripple effects of the Iran conflict are pushing mortgage rates higher, adding new pressure to the U.S. housing market even as conditions tilt in favor of buyers, the Associated Press reported Saturday. Rates on a typical 30-year mortgage have climbed in recent weeks, tracking a rise in Treasury yields driven by inflation concerns tied to higher energy prices. After dipping below 6% in late February, rates have moved up to around 6.46%, dampening demand during what is the busiest homebuying season. “The war in Iran has seriously complicated the spring buying season,” said Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com. “I expect that many buyers will be put off by rising rates and mounting economic uncertainty, choosing to bide their time rather than jumping on board for a purchase before rates go up.” Even so, buyers who remain active are encountering a more favorable market than a year ago. Housing inventory has increased in many regions, giving shoppers more negotiating power as homes sit longer without offers. In Texas, for example, agent Matthew Crites said conditions have shifted in favor of buyers. “It’s been a really good buyer’s market to kind of start the year off with,” he said. That dynamic helped Anne King secure a deal on a home in Fort Worth below the asking price, along with additional concessions for closing costs and repairs. “Fortunately for me, the seller was in a position they needed to sell,” she said. Still, affordability remains a major hurdle. Home prices, while easing in some areas, remain high relative to incomes, and even modest increases in mortgage rates can significantly raise monthly payments. Nationally, the number of homes for sale has risen, and sellers now outnumber buyers by a wide margin. As a result, price cuts are becoming more common, particularly in major metro areas. “We have a lot of sellers who have that idea of like, ‘well, my neighbors sold for this much, and so I think ...
Britain's Chantelle Cameron put on a dominant performance to beat Michaela Kotaskova and claim the vacant WBO light-middleweight world title at the Olympia in London.
Britain's Chantelle Cameron put on a dominant performance to beat Michaela Kotaskova and claim the vacant WBO light-middleweight world title at the Olympia in London.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Syria on Sunday for talks with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa, as Kyiv seeks to promote its military expertise across the region following the outbreak of the Iran war. In recent weeks, Zelensky has visited several countries across the Middle East, offering Ukrainian expertise in countering drone and missile attacks, developed during its f...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Syria on Sunday for talks with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa, as Kyiv seeks to promote its military expertise across the region following the outbreak of the Iran war. In recent weeks, Zelensky has visited several countries across the Middle East, offering Ukrainian expertise in countering drone and missile attacks, developed during its four-year war with Russia. In Turkey on Saturday, Zelensky said he had agreed “new steps” in security...
US President Donald Trump ’s warning that he may significantly escalate the war in Iran, potentially worsening an energy-price shock that’s already upending the global economic outlook, is shadowing stock , bond and oil markets before the start of the trading week. In a profanity laced post early Sunday, Trump renewed threats to attack Iranian infrastructure if the key energy-shipping route throug...
US President Donald Trump ’s warning that he may significantly escalate the war in Iran, potentially worsening an energy-price shock that’s already upending the global economic outlook, is shadowing stock , bond and oil markets before the start of the trading week. In a profanity laced post early Sunday, Trump renewed threats to attack Iranian infrastructure if the key energy-shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. He followed it later with another that said “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!” with no further explanation. The president’s comments came as OPEC+ warned that damage to Mideast energy assets will have a prolonged impact on oil supply even after the conflict ends. Yet it’s showing little sign of progressing toward a ceasefire as attacks have continued to flare around the region, keeping key oil prices hovering around $110 a barrel. “The prediction game remains quite tricky for investors,” said Homin Lee , a strategist at Lombard Odier . “Investors’ focus will squarely be on military actions on both sides of the Persian Gulf and whether or not Hormuz vessel crossings can improve further despite these attacks.” The fallout from the war has rapidly darkened the economic outlook by threatening to cool growth and push up already elevated inflation, roiling bets on whether the Federal Reserve will resume cutting interest rates later this year. The roughly $1 per gallon increase in US gasoline pump prices is estimated by economists to have driven the March consumer price index up 1%, the most since the post-pandemic inflation surge in 2022, in a report to be released Friday. The S&P 500 is coming off its best weekly gain of the year, a 3.4% jump fueled by short covering and speculation early in the week that Trump was poised to begin wrapping up US military operations. The gains left the index just 5.7% below its January record. But on Thursday, the last trading day of the holiday-shortened week, US stocks initially opened lower after Trump’s ...