Maharashtra deputy chief minister dies in plane crash Ajit Pawar was one of Maharashtra's most influential leaders Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister of India's Maharashtra state, has died in a plane crash along with four other people, the country's aviation regulator has said. The plane, which had taken off from Mumbai, crash-landed at the airport in Pawar's constituency of Baramati, where it had ...
Maharashtra deputy chief minister dies in plane crash Ajit Pawar was one of Maharashtra's most influential leaders Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister of India's Maharashtra state, has died in a plane crash along with four other people, the country's aviation regulator has said. The plane, which had taken off from Mumbai, crash-landed at the airport in Pawar's constituency of Baramati, where it had been headed, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said. The cause of the crash has not been officially confirmed yet. Two members of Pawar's staff and two crew were killed along with the deputy chief minister.
The dramatic US operation that overthrew Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro this month may have left North Korean leader Kim Jong-un feeling he was also vulnerable to “decapitation”, according to a former Pyongyang envoy to Havana. In a wide-ranging interview, Lee Il-kyu, who served as Pyongyang’s political counsellor in Cuba from 2019 until 2023, said Washington’s lightning extraction in Caracas was a wo...
The dramatic US operation that overthrew Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro this month may have left North Korean leader Kim Jong-un feeling he was also vulnerable to “decapitation”, according to a former Pyongyang envoy to Havana. In a wide-ranging interview, Lee Il-kyu, who served as Pyongyang’s political counsellor in Cuba from 2019 until 2023, said Washington’s lightning extraction in Caracas was a worst-case scenario for his former boss. “Kim must have felt that a so-called decapitation operation is actually possible,” Lee, who now works for a state-backed think tank in Seoul, said. Advertisement North Korea ’s leadership has long accused Washington of seeking to remove it from power and said its nuclear and missile programmes are needed as a deterrent against alleged regime change efforts by Washington. But the ex-diplomat, who defected to the South in November 2023, said that Maduro’s capture will now spark panic among North Korea’s security-obsessed leadership. Advertisement Kim will “overhaul the entire system regarding his security and countermeasures in case of an attack against him”, he said. From his perch in Havana, a major backer of Maduro’s socialist government in Caracas, Lee was charged with promoting the interests of the nuclear-armed state in Latin America.
AlexSecret/iStock via Getty Images By Elizabeth Bebb The late-cycle economy is defined as the final phase of the macroeconomic cycle when economic activity hits its peak. The period is characterized by high but slowing growth, rising inflation that may affect profit generation, a tight labor market and volatility in interest rates. Given these conditions, many market participants are considering h...
AlexSecret/iStock via Getty Images By Elizabeth Bebb The late-cycle economy is defined as the final phase of the macroeconomic cycle when economic activity hits its peak. The period is characterized by high but slowing growth, rising inflation that may affect profit generation, a tight labor market and volatility in interest rates. Given these conditions, many market participants are considering how best to approach diversification to navigate an environment characterized by heightened market risk and uncertainty around future corporate profits and economic growth. With the S&P 500 ® currently highly concentrated in a few sectors and stocks, addressing these challenges can involve a range of strategies—from broad asset allocation to more selective stock picking. In this blog, we examine the S&P 500 Market Leaders Index as a potential strategic solution. Launched on Nov. 11, 2024, this index tracks leading companies within The 500 ® as identified by their consistently high free cash flow margins, strong returns on invested capital and significant market share. In 2025, The 500 recorded strong performance, driven by ongoing momentum. The S&P 500 Market Leaders Index also performed well compared to its benchmark. Over the long-term back-tested period, the S&P 500 Market Leaders Index delivered strong results, outperforming The 500 both in absolute terms and on a risk-adjusted basis (see Exhibit 1). Additionally, the index has historically outperformed The 500 during most market downturns while showing lower volatility and a reduced downside capture ratio. This performance can be especially notable in the late stages of the economic cycle, when markets are more prone to stress events. Fundamentally, the S&P 500 Market Leaders Index is most similar to a traditional quality strategy—tracking constituents that tend to demonstrate higher margins, strong returns on capital and lower leverage (see Exhibit 2). The strategy’s significant emphasis on higher profitability may ren...
Hong Kong authorities have said they may take legal action against a major bakery chain after a government laboratory confirmed that a foreign object found in its toast was a tooth. The case surfaced in December when a customer reported finding what appeared to be a decayed tooth inside a “Rich Milk Toast” bought from a Maxim’s Cakes branch in Sai Wan Ho. The customer described the discovery as “d...
Hong Kong authorities have said they may take legal action against a major bakery chain after a government laboratory confirmed that a foreign object found in its toast was a tooth. The case surfaced in December when a customer reported finding what appeared to be a decayed tooth inside a “Rich Milk Toast” bought from a Maxim’s Cakes branch in Sai Wan Ho. The customer described the discovery as “disgusting” in a social media post and said a family member had vomited repeatedly from the shock. Advertisement After confirming the tooth did not belong to any family member, the household reported the case to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. On Tuesday, the complainant shared a letter from the department stating that a government laboratory had confirmed the object’s biological profile was consistent with a tooth. Advertisement “[It was a] post-traumatic stress disorder [experience],” the complainant said. “I don’t want to see a Maxim’s toast ever again.” The department said on Wednesday that after receiving the referral through the 1823 hotline, it immediately contacted the complainant and sent the food sample for testing.
Revolut Ltd. launched banking operations in Mexico on Tuesday, offering a 15% interest rate on deposits as it seeks to grab a chunk of the country’s embattled market. The London-based digital bank has deployed $100 million of capital as part of its goal of reaching two million clients by the end of the year, Juan Guerra , Revolut’s local head said at an event in Mexico City on Tuesday. Revolut wil...
Revolut Ltd. launched banking operations in Mexico on Tuesday, offering a 15% interest rate on deposits as it seeks to grab a chunk of the country’s embattled market. The London-based digital bank has deployed $100 million of capital as part of its goal of reaching two million clients by the end of the year, Juan Guerra , Revolut’s local head said at an event in Mexico City on Tuesday. Revolut will roll out a swath of services in the coming months, Guerra said. The fintech had about 40,000 clients in a trial phase and had some 250,000 on its waiting list ahead of the launch. The company is among a host of digital banks aiming to take on incumbents in the country’s highly-concentrated financial sector. Brazil’s Nu Holdings Ltd. aims to become a bank later in 2026 and MercadoLibre Inc.’s fintech arm, Mercado Pago, awaits approval from regulators while Banco Plata SA is expected to begin operations in the first half of this year. Revolut, which was founded in 2015 and recently valued at about $75 billion, is one of the largest and fastest-growing fintechs in the world with over 70 million global customers. Nu, Revolut Lead Fintech Quest for Mexico’s Middle-Class Wealth Revolut Cleared to Kick Off Banking Operations in Mexico Revolut Seeks Peru Banking License for Latin America Expansion
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images The Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF ( GOLY ) is an exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with exposure to a mix of gold and fixed income securities as an inflation hedge, generating monthly income with a 5% target yield. With the multi-year run-up in the price of gold, GOLY can be an appealing investment vehicle for those seeking a diversi...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images The Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF ( GOLY ) is an exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with exposure to a mix of gold and fixed income securities as an inflation hedge, generating monthly income with a 5% target yield. With the multi-year run-up in the price of gold, GOLY can be an appealing investment vehicle for those seeking a diversified approach to investing in gold for income. Investors should note that an investment in GOLY is not a direct investment in gold but rather the total returns of gold through the use of total return swaps. Why Invest in GOLY Thematically, gold has become one of the best-performing assets in recent years as an inflationary hedge, protecting against the devaluation of the US Dollar. Compared to the S&P 500, gold has far outperformed in terms of performance in the last 5 years, with the most prominent growth being in the last 2 years. TradingView The question at hand is whether gold will continue its price run, or if investors should expect a collapse. Given the value-preservation nature of the asset and limited industrial use, there's no telling as to where the price of gold will go from here. On the one hand, the rate of inflation hasn't expanded as previously expected following the broad rollout of US tariff policy, with the most recent inflation print coming in at 2.7% in December 2025 . On the other hand, loosening monetary and fiscal policy and the expectation of lagging tariff effects may be a driving force for higher inflation for 2026. I believe one of the suppressing factors is the contrast between consumer spending and companies' ability to pass through costs. With consumer discretionary spending expected to be relatively constrained due to the elevated cost of living, companies have been faced with the challenge of balancing cost passthrough and potential margin compression. If inflation persists, I suspect the dollar debasement trade may remain, drawing in contin...
Microsoft and Google are trusting this company to ensure their data centers stay up and running. You can't build a data center without ensuring it has reliable power. Without electricity, artificial intelligence simply doesn't work. That's why AI giants including Microsoft and Alphabet's Google are entrusting Brookfield Renewable Partners (BEP +1.91%) to help them build out their AI data centers. ...
Microsoft and Google are trusting this company to ensure their data centers stay up and running. You can't build a data center without ensuring it has reliable power. Without electricity, artificial intelligence simply doesn't work. That's why AI giants including Microsoft and Alphabet's Google are entrusting Brookfield Renewable Partners (BEP +1.91%) to help them build out their AI data centers. Here's what you need to know about this 5.2%-yielding AI data center play. What does Brookfield Renewable Partners do? Brookfield Renewable Partners owns clean energy assets. Its portfolio is globally diversified and includes solar, wind, hydroelectric, battery, and nuclear power. It's a one-stop shop for any company that's trying to use renewable power or zero-carbon power such as nuclear energy. Brookfield Renewable Partners signs long-term power supply contracts, generating reliable cash flows to support its hefty yield. At the end of the third quarter of 2025, the average contract length was 13 years. Roughly 70% of its contracts were indexed for inflation. And 75% of Brookfield Renewable Partners' revenue was derived from developed countries. This is a stable and reliable business that rewards income-focused investors very well. The AI opportunity is expanding The company has deals in place to supply Google with 3 gigawatts of power for data centers. The Microsoft deal is even bigger, encompassing 10.5 gigawatts. These deals are geared toward future developments. Overall, Brookfield Renewable Partners expects to make between $9 billion and $10 billion worth of capital investments over the next five years. Expand NYSE : BEP Brookfield Renewable Partners Today's Change ( 1.91 %) $ 0.54 Current Price $ 28.81 Key Data Points Market Cap $8.8B Day's Range $ 28.27 - $ 29.15 52wk Range $ 19.29 - $ 32.72 Volume 673K Avg Vol 749K Gross Margin 18.24 % Dividend Yield 5.18 % This spending is expected to drive funds from operations growth of 10% or more a year. That, in turn, will s...
SoftBank Group Corp. ( SFTBY ) is in discussions to invest as much as $30 billion more in OpenAI ( OPENAI ), a sharp increase in commitment that reflects founder Masayoshi Son’s ambitions to play a central role in developing artificial intelligence, Bloomberg News reported. The Japanese company, already one of the ChatGPT-maker’s biggest backers, is in deliberations to commit more capital toward t...
SoftBank Group Corp. ( SFTBY ) is in discussions to invest as much as $30 billion more in OpenAI ( OPENAI ), a sharp increase in commitment that reflects founder Masayoshi Son’s ambitions to play a central role in developing artificial intelligence, Bloomberg News reported. The Japanese company, already one of the ChatGPT-maker’s biggest backers, is in deliberations to commit more capital toward the fast-growing startup, people familiar with the matter said. The maximum amount SoftBank ( SFTBY ) is considering is $30 billion, one of the people said. They cautioned that the discussions are fluid and the amount of funding could change. The new investment would be part of a funding round that could bring in up to $100 billion for OpenAI, valuing the Microsoft-backed ( MSFT ) company at roughly $830 billion, Reuters reported. More on SoftBank Group Corp. SoftBank: A Great Way To Invest In OpenAI Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on SoftBank Group Corp. Historical earnings data for SoftBank Group Corp. Dividend scorecard for SoftBank Group Corp. Financial information for SoftBank Group Corp.
Key Points Nvidia is the market leader in general-purpose graphics processing units (GPUs). Taiwan Semiconductor is the largest chip foundry in the world, partnering with semiconductor leaders like Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom. Micron Technology could be on the cusp of breaking out as memory and storage chips become a necessity for powering artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. 10 stocks we like be...
Key Points Nvidia is the market leader in general-purpose graphics processing units (GPUs). Taiwan Semiconductor is the largest chip foundry in the world, partnering with semiconductor leaders like Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom. Micron Technology could be on the cusp of breaking out as memory and storage chips become a necessity for powering artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › Over the last few years, technology investors have witnessed unprecedented sums poured into artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Oracle, and OpenAI are collectively spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build data centers and equip these facilities with clusters of AI chips and networking gear. I'll reveal my top three semiconductor stocks to buy in 2026 as investment along the chip value chain continues to accelerate. For investors with available capital, a $50,000 investment spread across these three stocks could become a multibagger in the long run. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » 1. Nvidia While it may be the most obvious choice, it's just too hard to pass on Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). Nvidia's lineup of graphics processing units (GPUs) and CUDA software stack have become the default platform on which generative AI is built and trained. According to research from Gartner, revenue from AI processing semiconductors exceeded $200 billion last year. That said, Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) is forecasting the AI GPU market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% through 2033 -- ultimately reaching a total addressable market (TAM) of $486 billion. What's even more encouraging is that BI suggests Nvidia could maintain up to 75% market share through 2030. While this is good news for Nvidia's GPU empire, the company is already laying the...