AlexSecret/E+ via Getty Images The best way for investors to protect themselves from oil-driven inflation shocks is to hold oil itself, according to Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, UBS Global Wealth Management’s chief investment officer for the Americas and global head of equities. In an interview with CNBC, Hoffmann-Burchardi said her firm remains constructive on equities but emphasized that diversifi...
AlexSecret/E+ via Getty Images The best way for investors to protect themselves from oil-driven inflation shocks is to hold oil itself, according to Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, UBS Global Wealth Management’s chief investment officer for the Americas and global head of equities. In an interview with CNBC, Hoffmann-Burchardi said her firm remains constructive on equities but emphasized that diversification across sectors and asset classes has become crucial for navigating the current geopolitical landscape. UBS significantly shifted its investment approach at the end of last year, moving away from a concentrated bet on technology ( VGT ), ( XLK ), ( IYW ) that had defined its strategy for over two years. “We need to broaden out. We need to diversify across the different sectors of the economy,” Hoffmann-Burchardi said, noting this diversification is even more important now given the ongoing conflict involving Iran. While acknowledging significant uncertainty around geopolitics, Hoffmann-Burchardi pointed to several constraints that may limit the duration of the conflict. She cited the upcoming U.S. midterm elections in November, noting that “prolonged military conflicts have not helped presidential popularity ratings,” referencing the historical examples of Presidents Truman and Johnson. Iran’s weakened economy and military heading into the conflict, combined with international pressure over disrupted supply chains for fertilizer inputs and helium, suggest “the probability of a resolution increases, even if we might see more short-term escalation.” On the technology front, Hoffmann-Burchardi said artificial intelligence ( AIQ ), ( BOTZ ), ( DTEC ) remains underappreciated in terms of both capabilities and disruption risks. “AI used to be just a digital coworker. Now it’s autonomously writing code, and not only that, but it’s also self-checking the quality of its code,” she explained, describing the growth in coding capabilities over the past three to four months as “su...
Stocks for the week ended March 27 were 1,865 Bcf vs. 1,829 Bcf for the week ended March 20. Net change: +36 Bcf vs. -54 Bcf for the week ended March 20. Consensus: +38B ETFs: ( UNG ), ( BOIL ), ( KOLD ), ( FCG ), ( UNL ), ( HNU:CA ) Click here to read the full EIA Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report. More on Natural Gas Futures, United States Natural Gas Fund LP ETF, etc. Commodities: Oil Falls Bel...
Stocks for the week ended March 27 were 1,865 Bcf vs. 1,829 Bcf for the week ended March 20. Net change: +36 Bcf vs. -54 Bcf for the week ended March 20. Consensus: +38B ETFs: ( UNG ), ( BOIL ), ( KOLD ), ( FCG ), ( UNL ), ( HNU:CA ) Click here to read the full EIA Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report. More on Natural Gas Futures, United States Natural Gas Fund LP ETF, etc. Commodities: Oil Falls Below $100 On Optimism Over Iran War Commodities: Iran Hits UAE And Bahrain Aluminum Plants Natural Gas Recovery Gains Traction As Geopolitical Support Pushes Price Toward $3.02 The consumer cost of war Oil could spike to $200 if Hormuz ‘near-closure’ persists, Fesharaki says
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) is flat since my last coverage, but the underlying business is significantly improved. The past two months have seen the management articulate their AI strategy, committing $1.5 billion to save $1 billion in costs. They’ve accelerated their automation in claims, pharmacy, and revenue cycles. This is not just e...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) is flat since my last coverage, but the underlying business is significantly improved. The past two months have seen the management articulate their AI strategy, committing $1.5 billion to save $1 billion in costs. They’ve accelerated their automation in claims, pharmacy, and revenue cycles. This is not just efficiency but margin expansion. The operating cost ratio is targeting 12.8%, with AI processing millions of interactions daily at high resolution rates. Meanwhile, the integration of the Optum platform is resulting in increased client stickiness. The market is not seeing it. I believe the business is compounding efficiency and is ready for the next leg up. Data by YCharts $1.5 Billion AI Allocation Extracts $1 Billion to hit a 12.8% Operating Cost Ratio in 2026 In my view, AI integration and overhead cost extraction form an operating advantage for UnitedHealth as it allocates $1.5 billion toward AI platforms in 2026 to extract $1 billion in operating costs. Optum Insight and Optum Financial Services merge to process healthcare transactions. Optum Real executes point-of-care approvals and monetizes claims instantly, and this shift removes post-service reconciliation. Providers receive cash faster. As a result, UnitedHealth decreases admin labor, and operating cost ratios decrease due to this automation. UnitedHealth targets a 12.8% operating cost ratio for 2026, as the 2025 operating cost ratio is at 13.3%. AI answers 3 million calls per day, and the system hits an 18-second answer speed and resolves inquiries at a 90% rate on the first contact. With that, advocates redirect focus to escalated cases. Additionally, OptumRx removes reauthorization mandates for 180 drugs that is reducing prior authorizations by 10%, and this automation removes friction in the pharmacy supply chain. OptumRx implements cost-based reimbursement models and passes 100% of rebates to clients that hel...
Jonathan Ferro, Lisa Abramowicz and Annmarie Hordern speak daily with leaders and decision makers from Wall Street to Washington and beyond. No other program better positions investors and executives for the trading day. (Source: Bloomberg)
Jonathan Ferro, Lisa Abramowicz and Annmarie Hordern speak daily with leaders and decision makers from Wall Street to Washington and beyond. No other program better positions investors and executives for the trading day. (Source: Bloomberg)
Nico De Pasquale Photography/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction Silgan Holdings ( SLGN ) is a large manufacturer of rigid packaging , mainly supplying the consumer goods sector from its 120+ production facilities. Silgan is also a leading supplier of dispensing and specialty closures for fragrance and beauty, as well as for the food and beverage industry. Silgan is a " serial acquirer," a...
Nico De Pasquale Photography/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction Silgan Holdings ( SLGN ) is a large manufacturer of rigid packaging , mainly supplying the consumer goods sector from its 120+ production facilities. Silgan is also a leading supplier of dispensing and specialty closures for fragrance and beauty, as well as for the food and beverage industry. Silgan is a " serial acquirer," and while it is still digesting the acquisition of Weener Plastics in 2024 , the company has confirmed it is taking a closer look at Gerresheimer ( GRRMF ) and may consider making a bid to acquire the latter. Data by YCharts A robust earnings and cash flow result In 2025, the company generated a total revenue of just under $6.5 billion , on which it reported a gross profit of approximately $1.15 billion . The revenue increased by more than 10% due to the acquisition of Weener, which is now incorporated in the full-year results. It’s good to see the gross profit margin remained robust, and as the EBIT jumped by more than 15% to almost $600 million , Silgan’s 2025 was very decent. SLGN Investor Relations One element to keep an eye on is the total net interest expense. As Silgan funded the acquisition in 2024 with almost $1 billion in cash, the net debt has increased, and as the cost of debt is still evolving as well, Silgan had to spend almost $190 million on making the interest payments. While this number should trend down in the coming years, it is an important factor in determining the bottom line result. Due to a higher tax bill, the reported net income increased by just 4% to $288 million, which represents an EPS of $2.71. In my previous articles on Silgan, I mainly focused on the company’s cash flow profile, as the sustaining capex tends to be lower than the depreciation and amortization expenses. Looking at Silgan’s cash flow statement, we see a total reported operating cash flow of just under $730 million, but this includes an $18 million contribution from changes in t...
Ford Motor ( F ) on Thursday reported a nearly 9% decline in first-quarter U.S. sales as the auto industry struggles amid higher vehicle prices and economic uncertainty. Ford reported overall sales of 457,315 vehicles for the quarter ended March 31. Ford said the decline is the result of its shift to larger SUVs, while for the quarter, there was a tough year-to-year comparison given the ...
Ford Motor ( F ) on Thursday reported a nearly 9% decline in first-quarter U.S. sales as the auto industry struggles amid higher vehicle prices and economic uncertainty. Ford reported overall sales of 457,315 vehicles for the quarter ended March 31. Ford said the decline is the result of its shift to larger SUVs, while for the quarter, there was a tough year-to-year comparison given the surge in new-vehicle sales last year. Ford's luxury brand, Lincoln, reported a sales dip of 0.5% to 23,610 vehicles sold in the first quarter compared with the year-ago period. Sales of electrified vehicles, which includes hybrids, fell 34.8% to 48,019 units sold. However, Ford said its F-Series still remains a top seller in the United States. Combined sales of its Bronco, Explorer and Expedition rose 17.9% during the quarter. A spike in oil and gas prices due to the ongoing Middle East conflict has put pressure on consumer spending. Higher borrowing costs and a surge in average car prices also kept buyers on the sidelines in the United States. Other top carmakers including General Motors ( GM ) and Toyota ( TM ) also reported lower first-quarter sales in the U.S. Tesla ( TSLA ) also disclosed on Thursday that it delivered 358,023 vehicles in Q1 to fall short of the consensus estimate for a tally of 365K vehicles. Despite the decline in total sales, Ford estimated it grew its retail share by 0.2 percentage points to 11.6% for the first quarter. More on Ford Ford Is A Compelling Deep Value Play - Initiating With A Buy Ford's Meltdown Is A Gift: Diversified Growth, Resilient Dividends More Compelling Now Ford Motor Switches To Chinese Battery Tech For Its New $30,000 Electric Pickup Auto demand remains solid amid geopolitical headwinds, buoyed by higher-income buyers Ford recalls more than 250K SUVs due to software issue
Stocks slumped and oil prices soared on Thursday after President Donald Trump vowed the US will continue to attack Iran and failed to offer a clear timetable for ending the conflict in the Middle East. The S&P 500 fell 1.1 per cent, with three out of every four stocks in the benchmark index losing ground. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 545 points, or 1.2 per cent, as of 9.52am Eastern. The ...
Stocks slumped and oil prices soared on Thursday after President Donald Trump vowed the US will continue to attack Iran and failed to offer a clear timetable for ending the conflict in the Middle East. The S&P 500 fell 1.1 per cent, with three out of every four stocks in the benchmark index losing ground. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 545 points, or 1.2 per cent, as of 9.52am Eastern. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.6 per cent. Major indexes throughout Europe and Asia also fell. The broad...
Simplilearn, a global leader in digital upskilling, announced the launch of Applied Agentic AI: Systems, Design & Impact program, in partnership with Virginia Tech Continuing and Professional Education. Best suited for product managers, designers, and tech leaders, the program emphasizes planning systems, agent coordination, multi-agent orchestration, and communication protocols. The program combi...
Simplilearn, a global leader in digital upskilling, announced the launch of Applied Agentic AI: Systems, Design & Impact program, in partnership with Virginia Tech Continuing and Professional Education. Best suited for product managers, designers, and tech leaders, the program emphasizes planning systems, agent coordination, multi-agent orchestration, and communication protocols. The program combines technical underpinnings with business applications, and will be conducted through live virtual c
In early trading on Thursday, shares of Diamondback Energy topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 5.4%. Year to date, Diamondback Energy, registers a 33.6% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the
In early trading on Thursday, shares of Diamondback Energy topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 5.4%. Year to date, Diamondback Energy, registers a 33.6% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the
APW Avenue Group, a leading real estate investment and development firm, today announced its acquisition of The Village at Iron Blossom, a 401-unit apartment community in South Reno, Nevada. APW Avenue Group served as the principal partner in the $96 million transaction.
APW Avenue Group, a leading real estate investment and development firm, today announced its acquisition of The Village at Iron Blossom, a 401-unit apartment community in South Reno, Nevada. APW Avenue Group served as the principal partner in the $96 million transaction.