Indian Oil Corp. , the country’s largest refiner, will buy at least 24 million barrels of Brazilian crude this year and next as it continues to diversify supplies, according to an executive at the state-owned firm who asked not to be identified. The country’s largest refiner purchased 18 million barrels last year, he added. India, which has leaned heavily on Russian imports since 2022, has more re...
Indian Oil Corp. , the country’s largest refiner, will buy at least 24 million barrels of Brazilian crude this year and next as it continues to diversify supplies, according to an executive at the state-owned firm who asked not to be identified. The country’s largest refiner purchased 18 million barrels last year, he added. India, which has leaned heavily on Russian imports since 2022, has more recently sought to widen its range of suppliers. Read More: Russia Oil’s Unexpected Staying Power in India Extends Into 2026 Indian Oil could add Venezuela crude, the executive said, but offers are currently at a discount of around $4 to $5 to the Dubai benchmark. That’s considerably more expensive than the $7 to $8 discounts that would appeal to the refiner, which has limited capacity to process the heavy, sour crude. Russian crude is currently $8 below the same benchmark, the person added. An Indian Oil spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hiroshi Watanabe/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction The Invesco RAFI Developed Markets ex-U.S. Small-Mid ETF ( PDN ) is off to a solid start in 2026, outperforming the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF ( VOO ). I believe key driving factors behind the robust recent returns have been rotation into smaller-cap stocks, which offer more compelling valuations (as opposed to the rich valuations of megacaps,...
Hiroshi Watanabe/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction The Invesco RAFI Developed Markets ex-U.S. Small-Mid ETF ( PDN ) is off to a solid start in 2026, outperforming the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF ( VOO ). I believe key driving factors behind the robust recent returns have been rotation into smaller-cap stocks, which offer more compelling valuations (as opposed to the rich valuations of megacaps, which dominate the S&P 500), as well as a continuation of U.S. dollar weakness, which benefits ETFs that invest exclusively outside the United States. In this article, I will outline why I think PDN offers an attractive investment opportunity over the medium to long term, with my bullish outlook underpinned by: A forward earnings yield of 6.8% for PDN holdings, more than enough to compensate for the 0.47% expense ratio and slower GDP growth expectations in countries where the ETF invests. A high-single-digit total return outlook, with a third of the gains potentially coming in the form of dividends, making PDN attractive for dividend growth investors. Broad diversification across 1,466 individual holdings and a benchmark index rebalanced according to fundamental-based factors, resulting in a value tilt for PDN. I will also discuss risks for PDN, principally stemming from the ETF's overweight position in cyclical sectors and a reversal of recent U.S. dollar weakness. ETF Overview As I have not written about PDN so far, allow me to briefly go over the ETF's key characteristics. For starters, all ETF information is available on the Invesco website here . The ETF invests in small- and mid-cap developed market equities outside the United States (average market capitalization of about $5.1 billion). The benchmark is the RAFI Fundamental Select Developed ex-US 1500 Index, which selects companies based on fundamental characteristics such as book value, cash flows, sales, and dividends. As such, PDN exhibits a distinct value tilt. The ETF's portfolio covers 1,466 individual holding...
Paris St-Germain have signed 18-year-old Barcelona midfielder Dro Fernandez, with the Spanish side's president calling the situation around the transfer "unpleasant". According to Spanish media, external, PSG have paid 8.2m euros (£7.1m) for Fernandez - a fee that is higher than his 6m euros (£5.2m) release clause - in a bid to keep good relations between the clubs. The Spanish midfielder's depart...
Paris St-Germain have signed 18-year-old Barcelona midfielder Dro Fernandez, with the Spanish side's president calling the situation around the transfer "unpleasant". According to Spanish media, external, PSG have paid 8.2m euros (£7.1m) for Fernandez - a fee that is higher than his 6m euros (£5.2m) release clause - in a bid to keep good relations between the clubs. The Spanish midfielder's departure has been controversial as he had been expected to sign a new contract at Barcelona. But he has now completed a move to PSG on a deal until 2030. "It has been an unpleasant situation," Barca president Joan Laporta told Catalunya Radio. "It came as a surprise because we had agreed on a different solution for when he turned 18. "Surprisingly, his representative told us he couldn't follow through on what we'd agreed to." Fernandez joined Barcelona's La Masia academy in 2022 and has made five senior appearances since his debut in September, including in the Champions League against Olympiacos.
Hangzhou’s space industry got off to a flying start in 2026. On January 7, China’s leading private rocket firm Space Epoch broke ground on a medium-to-large liquid rocket assembly, testing and reuse facility in Hangzhou’s Qiantang district. Basing this in the port city allows the rockets to be transported by sea to launch areas in the East China Sea and recovered the same way. Logistics alone do n...
Hangzhou’s space industry got off to a flying start in 2026. On January 7, China’s leading private rocket firm Space Epoch broke ground on a medium-to-large liquid rocket assembly, testing and reuse facility in Hangzhou’s Qiantang district. Basing this in the port city allows the rockets to be transported by sea to launch areas in the East China Sea and recovered the same way. Logistics alone do not explain the decision. Space Epoch is plugging into an industrial ecosystem Hangzhou has been quietly building for years. Qiantang is home to around 40 aerospace companies spanning composite materials, structural components and precision manufacturing. Commercial aerospace, however, is only one piece of Hangzhou’s blueprint for high-impact tech sectors. Last October, the city introduced its “296X” industrial cluster system, a road map to accelerate the integration of technological and industrial innovation. Advertisement “2” denotes artificial intelligence (AI) and visual intelligence, which Hangzhou will focus on cultivating into manufacturing clusters worth 2 trillion yuan (US$287 billion). “9” is the number of established trillion-yuan clusters the city will continue to support and encourage, from integrated circuits to biomedicine. “6” covers half a dozen high-potential, cutting-edge future sectors to develop, including aerospace, the low-altitude economy and brain-like intelligence. “X” is for new, as yet unknown frontiers. Hangzhou targets 530 billion yuan in total added value by these clusters by 2027, up from 441 billion yuan in 2024, counting only companies with annual revenues of 20 million yuan or more. Advertisement The motivation is structural. The city’s success in digitalisation has also exposed a vulnerability as services expanded to account for over 70 per cent of economic output, feeding a perception of imbalance. The 296X strategy is a serious attempt to re-anchor advanced manufacturing in its economy.
Shakespeare Was A Black Jewish Woman – Claims Feminist Historian Authored by 'Sallust' via DailySceptic.org, Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash. The Tempest IV.1 One of the positive sides to radical feminist historical scholarship is the opportunity to learn about revelations that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. The latest is that William Shakespeare was a “black Jewish woman” according...
Shakespeare Was A Black Jewish Woman – Claims Feminist Historian Authored by 'Sallust' via DailySceptic.org, Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash. The Tempest IV.1 One of the positive sides to radical feminist historical scholarship is the opportunity to learn about revelations that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. The latest is that William Shakespeare was a “black Jewish woman” according to a new book covered in the Telegraph . Who knew? The book, The Real Shakespeare , is by Irene Coslet. She expounds her theory on a blog page of the London School of Economics : A new piece of research evidence that I outline in my upcoming book shows that Shakespeare was not a man, but a woman: a black woman, Anglo-Venetian, of Moroccan descent, and covertly Jewish , named Emilia Bassano (London, 1569-1645). She was the daughter of a Venetian Court musician. Following the passing of her father when she was seven, Bassano was fostered into a noble household in England, where she received a high level of education. She spent her youth at the English Court as a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I before she was banished and forced into an unwanted marriage in 1592. She published a feminist theology poem, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum, in 1611. She has been associated with Shakespeare since the 1970s, when the historian Alfred Leslie Rowse of Oxford found evidence that Bassano was the mistress of the patron of Shakespeare’s acting company. The reason for why Emilia Bassano’s contribution has been overlooked, says Coslet, is that “substantial scientific or literary contributions made by women are constantly overlooked. … The pattern is so common that it could be regarded more as the rule than an exception.” Of course! Back to the Telegraph which summarises some of the book’s key content: Bassano, it is claimed, used the pen-name “Shakespeare” and wrote the Shakespearean canon of plays, only for her work to be stolen by an uneducated interloper from Stratford-upon-Avon. This interloper,...
Germany is selling 20-year bonds through banks for the first time ever, a test of investor appetite for a sector that has suffered a mixed reception in the US. The new May 2047 note is being marketed at around three basis points over comparable bonds, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. Strategists at Commerzbank AG expect the sale to raise up to €6 billio...
Germany is selling 20-year bonds through banks for the first time ever, a test of investor appetite for a sector that has suffered a mixed reception in the US. The new May 2047 note is being marketed at around three basis points over comparable bonds, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. Strategists at Commerzbank AG expect the sale to raise up to €6 billion ($7.1 billion). The government is aiming to increase its debt sales by expanding the range of offerings, coming after strict limits on borrowing were loosened early last year. The finance agency is also selling €6 billion of a new two-year note through a conventional auction. “The 20-year segment is being developed to meet demand,” said Tammo Diemer , the finance agency’s co-director, when the plan was announced last month. He sees growing interest in that tenor given an overhaul of the Dutch pension system is reducing appetite for longer 30-year bonds. German 20-year yields are hovering around 3.38%, close to a 14-year high reached last month. The sector is also close to the cheapest in more than a decade when compared to 10- and 30-year peers, which may appeal to investors. Such debt has been sold on occasion this decade, but those bonds were originally offered with longer maturities that then shortened to 20 years over time. Still, the US struggled to find consistent buyers when it relaunched 20-year bonds five years ago, with a notably poor auction in May triggering a broader selloff. Steven Mnuchin , the Treasury Secretary who brought the bond back during President Donald Trump’s first term, later admitted the move was “costly to the taxpayer.” However, appetite for the maturity is improving, as shown by last week’s US sale that was oversubscribed by the second most on record. Such debt syndications are typically more expensive than conventional auctions, but they allow governments to raise large sums quickly while diversifying their investor base. Bookrunners on the...
After a remarkable run in 2025, and a great start to 2026, Micron just got an insider buy. Two other big-name stocks are seeing insider activity as well.
After a remarkable run in 2025, and a great start to 2026, Micron just got an insider buy. Two other big-name stocks are seeing insider activity as well.
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander who has become the public face of the Trump administration’s on-the-ground immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, is expected to leave the city on Tuesday, as the Trump administration reshuffles leadership of its immigration enforcement operation and scales back the federal presence after a second fatal shooting by officers. A senior Trump administration ...
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander who has become the public face of the Trump administration’s on-the-ground immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, is expected to leave the city on Tuesday, as the Trump administration reshuffles leadership of its immigration enforcement operation and scales back the federal presence after a second fatal shooting by officers. A senior Trump administration official told Reuters that the 55-year-old, who has been a lightning rod for criticism from Democrats and civil liberties activists, would be leaving Minnesota along with some of the agents deployed with him. A different person familiar with the matter said Bovino had been stripped of his specially created title of “commander at large” of the Border Patrol and would return to his former job as a chief patrol agent along California’s El Centro sector of the US-Mexico border. Donald Trump announced on Monday that he was sending Tom Homan, his “border czar”, to Minnesota to oversee operations on the ground there – dubbed Operation Metro Surge – reporting directly to the president. Bovino’s departure comes amid a sharp shift in strategy from the White House after the fatal killing of the 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti. Earlier on Monday, Donald Trump said he had held conciliatory calls with the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, and the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey – Democrats he had previously blamed for the turmoil that escalated into two fatal killings of US citizens by federal agents. View image in fullscreen Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by US federal agents on Saturday. Photograph: US Department of Veterans Affairs/Reuters Word of Bovino’s demotion was first reported by the Atlantic on Monday, citing an official from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and two others with knowledge of the change. The Atlantic said Bovino was expected to retire soon. The Department of Homeland Security pushed b...
Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is one of the AI Stocks Analysts Are Watching. On January 22, William Blair analyst Sebastien Naji initiated coverage on the stock with an “Outperform” rating. The firm sees Micron well-positioned to deliver sharp profit growth amid AI-fueled memory bottlenecks. According to William Blair, the AI-driven memory boom is sustainable, at least for the next couple of...
Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is one of the AI Stocks Analysts Are Watching. On January 22, William Blair analyst Sebastien Naji initiated coverage on the stock with an “Outperform” rating. The firm sees Micron well-positioned to deliver sharp profit growth amid AI-fueled memory bottlenecks. According to William Blair, the AI-driven memory boom is sustainable, at least for the next couple of years. While valuation increasingly embeds significant growth expectations, we believe shares can continue to work on the back of a multiyear, AI-driven product cycle characterized by tight supply. We estimate a fair value for shares of roughly $450. The firm believes that a multiyear memory upcycle will lift pricing and margins, particularly by HBM (high-bandwidth memory). Customers have been pursuing higher-performance products with higher average selling prices, particularly because memory has become a bottleneck in AI systems. The firm anticipates Micron to grow its HBM revenue 164% in fiscal 2026 and 40% in fiscal 2027, being the number two player in the market. Since HBM chips cost more and have better margins than Micron’s other products, its sales are likely to result in a 275% rise in adjusted EPS over the next two years, it noted. William Blair forecasts MU to report an adjusted earnings of $41.77 a share in fiscal 2027, up from $8.29 in fiscal 2025. Memory Supercycle Driving Record Profitability. Micron has been a U.S. semiconductor stalwart serving as one of the three major global memory suppliers (alongside Samsung and SK Hynix). Access to memory has become a key bottleneck in AI racks/systems, increasing demand for more performant, higher bandwidth memory solutions. Against a backdrop of limited supply that is likely to remain in place into 2027, Micron is poised to benefit from significant ASP growth and higher margin products. We expect the company to grow non-GAAP EPS over 275% over the next two years. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) develops and sells...