Dmitry Alferov/iStock via Getty Images The semiconductor sector got off to a great start, but it lost most of the gains by the end of Q1 2026 as the sector stumbled towards the latter part of the quarter. Semiconductor stocks were able to rally higher on the back of a number of tailwinds, but semis got stopped in their tracks as headwinds arose, especially on the geopolitical front. Individual sto...
Dmitry Alferov/iStock via Getty Images The semiconductor sector got off to a great start, but it lost most of the gains by the end of Q1 2026 as the sector stumbled towards the latter part of the quarter. Semiconductor stocks were able to rally higher on the back of a number of tailwinds, but semis got stopped in their tracks as headwinds arose, especially on the geopolitical front. Individual stocks may be able to go against the grain, but Q2 2026 is likely to see more downwards pressure on stocks, unless a solution is found to what is weighing on the sector. Tailwinds have morphed into headwinds for semis A previous article at the start of Q1 2026 pointed out how semiconductor stocks look poised for gains because they had a number of powerful tailwinds in their favor, which included accommodation in terms of Fed monetary policy, but, at the same time, these tailwinds had the potential to turn into headwinds. In the end, the article concluded the sector was probably heading higher, but only if tailwinds like Fed policy and AI remained in its corner throughout the whole year. Source: Thinkorswim app These comments at the start of 2026 have begun to look rather prescient with one quarter done. For instance, the iShares PHLX Semiconductor ETF ( SOXX ), an ETF which tracks the semiconductor space, wound up with a gain of 9.13% in Q1 2026, which allowed it to outperform both the SPDR S&P500 ETF ( SPY ) with a loss of 4.63% and the Invesco QQQ trust ( QQQ ) with a loss of 6.04%. However, SOXX was up as much as 22.47% at one point in Q1 2026 and the main reason why it lost most of the quarter’s gains was because geopolitical tensions in the Middle East turned into a full-blown regional war as the U.S. and Iran came to blows at the end of February. As stated in the article at the start of the year, semis look poised to benefit from monetary easing from the Federal Reserve, which included not just lower interest rates, but also the resumption in the buying of Treasury Bills...
RandyAndy101 VICI Properties ( VICI ) deepened its Las Vegas footprint even further after the Golden Entertainment ( GDEN ) go-private transaction was approved by shareholders. The deal will add seven more Nevada casino properties to VICI's ( VICI ) real estate portfolio after the closing date sometime during the current quarter, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. Afte...
RandyAndy101 VICI Properties ( VICI ) deepened its Las Vegas footprint even further after the Golden Entertainment ( GDEN ) go-private transaction was approved by shareholders. The deal will add seven more Nevada casino properties to VICI's ( VICI ) real estate portfolio after the closing date sometime during the current quarter, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. After the deal closes, Golden Entertainment ( GDEN ) will have its operating assets owned by Blake Sartini and affiliates. The move by VICI Properties extends its strategy of buying high-quality gaming real estate and leasing them back to strong operators under long-term triple-net agreements. After the Golden Entertainment ( GDEN ) deal closes, VICI's ( VICI ) Las Vegas-area holdings will include the iconic Caesars Palace Las Vegas, MGM Grand Las Vegas, the Venetian Resort Las Vegas (next door to the Sphere (SPHR)), four championship golf courses, and about 33 acres of undeveloped and underdeveloped land adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip. It will also own the seven Golden properties in Nevada that are being sold in the transaction, including The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Tower, Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, and Arizona Charlie’s Boulder, all in the Las Vegas area; and the Aquarius Casino Resort in Laughlin, Edgewater Casino Resort in Laughlin, Pahrump Nugget Hotel & Casino, and Lakeside RV Park & Casino in Pahrump. The latest transaction fits VICI’s broader playbook of pairing with established operators and expanding through sale-leasebacks and financing partnerships across gaming and leisure. As for Las Vegas, VICI ( VICI ) continues to be one of the market's most important real estate owners. Looking ahead, VICI ( VICI ) is anticipated to continue a strategy of building a high-quality experiential portfolio and pursuing additional partnerships with top operators rather than operating casinos directly. Shares of VICI Properties ( VICI ) are down 8.6% over the last six weeks, while Cae...
The rightwing populist has been in power for 16 years but a new generation of voters are preparing to vote for his opponent, polls suggest As he rushed to finish off his cigarette before heading to class, Ákos, 20, confessed that he has more at stake than most as Hungarians prepare to head to the polls in the coming days. “If things remain the same, or get even worse, I can’t see a future here,” s...
The rightwing populist has been in power for 16 years but a new generation of voters are preparing to vote for his opponent, polls suggest As he rushed to finish off his cigarette before heading to class, Ákos, 20, confessed that he has more at stake than most as Hungarians prepare to head to the polls in the coming days. “If things remain the same, or get even worse, I can’t see a future here,” said the aspiring teacher. “There are many people who want to try living elsewhere, and that’s totally fine, but I’m not one of them. For so long I’ve dreamed of working and teaching here.” Continue reading...
From schools in Ghana to workplaces in Britain, underpinned by the colonial roots of ‘respectability’, conversations around natural hairstyle persist Last month a Jamaican woman said her teenage son had been pulled from lessons because school staff had deemed his afro hairstyle inappropriate. “The dean of discipline called me to state that my son has been removed,” Michelle Scott said. “You’re tel...
From schools in Ghana to workplaces in Britain, underpinned by the colonial roots of ‘respectability’, conversations around natural hairstyle persist Last month a Jamaican woman said her teenage son had been pulled from lessons because school staff had deemed his afro hairstyle inappropriate. “The dean of discipline called me to state that my son has been removed,” Michelle Scott said. “You’re telling me that you took him, a fifth-form student, out of classes to go and get a haircut?” Continue reading...
Regular swappers say they not only make big savings but create connections. Here is how it works About six miles from Reims, beside a golf course, is a house with a heated pool and space to sleep 10 people that would probably be perfect for many of those planning to book a family holiday in France. An hour’s drive from Disneyland Paris, the four-bedroom property is quiet, located near a village wi...
Regular swappers say they not only make big savings but create connections. Here is how it works About six miles from Reims, beside a golf course, is a house with a heated pool and space to sleep 10 people that would probably be perfect for many of those planning to book a family holiday in France. An hour’s drive from Disneyland Paris, the four-bedroom property is quiet, located near a village with a bakery, has an electric gate that provides security, and is on almost half an hectare (one acre) of land. Continue reading...
Actor who made her name in The World According to Garp and was nominated for a Bafta for Woody Allen’s Interiors The thoughtful, understated actor Mary Beth Hurt, who has died aged 79, enjoyed the good fortune of seeing her early career intersect with an unusually intellectual moment in American cinema. She earned a Bafta nomination as one of the three sisters in Woody Allen’s Chekhov-via-Bergman ...
Actor who made her name in The World According to Garp and was nominated for a Bafta for Woody Allen’s Interiors The thoughtful, understated actor Mary Beth Hurt, who has died aged 79, enjoyed the good fortune of seeing her early career intersect with an unusually intellectual moment in American cinema. She earned a Bafta nomination as one of the three sisters in Woody Allen’s Chekhov-via-Bergman experiment Interiors (1978) before causing onscreen havoc as Robin Williams ’s frisky college professor wife in the John Irving adaptation The World According to Garp (1982). In Interiors, Hurt – making her movie debut – was cast as the directionless Joey, who belatedly achieves a kind of purpose in attempting to save her overbearing mother (Geraldine Page) from drowning. By far Allen’s gloomiest vision, the film nevertheless made $10m off a $3m budget, while Hurt did more than tread water in illustrious company. Though she lost out in Bafta’s most promising newcomer category to Christopher Reeve as Superman, the film’s minor-key success prefigured Hurt’s four-decade big-screen career. Continue reading...
Strain found in 29 states and Puerto Rico carries spike mutations, but no data shows increased severity Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox BA.3.2, an Omicron variant of Covid-19 with dozens of new spike mutations, has been detected in 29 US states and Puerto Rico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , but experts say there is not y...
Strain found in 29 states and Puerto Rico carries spike mutations, but no data shows increased severity Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox BA.3.2, an Omicron variant of Covid-19 with dozens of new spike mutations, has been detected in 29 US states and Puerto Rico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , but experts say there is not yet evidence it is more severe than other recent variants. “The right response to BA.3.2 is serious attention, not alarm,” says Dr Jake Scott, a Stanford professor and infectious disease expert who authored a systematic review of Covid vaccines for the New England Journal of Medicine. Continue reading...
As Israel expands its invasion of southern Lebanon, people are having to bury their dead in temporary graves In Lebanon, the dead are usually given one last glimpse of their home town before they are laid to rest. Hoisted high above the heads of the living, their casket is slowly marched through the streets where they grew up. It is the hands of their loved ones that guide them into their final re...
As Israel expands its invasion of southern Lebanon, people are having to bury their dead in temporary graves In Lebanon, the dead are usually given one last glimpse of their home town before they are laid to rest. Hoisted high above the heads of the living, their casket is slowly marched through the streets where they grew up. It is the hands of their loved ones that guide them into their final resting place, already dug, and gently sprinkle dirt on their body. Continue reading...
The president’s son-in-law is acting as an envoy even as he looks to secure billions for his company from foreign governments After Donald Trump returned to the White House, his son-in-law and former senior adviser Jared Kushner declined to take a job in the new administration and instead planned to focus on running his Miami-based private equity firm. Kushner said he would also forgo raising more...
The president’s son-in-law is acting as an envoy even as he looks to secure billions for his company from foreign governments After Donald Trump returned to the White House, his son-in-law and former senior adviser Jared Kushner declined to take a job in the new administration and instead planned to focus on running his Miami-based private equity firm. Kushner said he would also forgo raising more money for his company while Trump was in office, to avoid any appearance of a conflict. But since last summer, Kushner has re-emerged as a high-level peace envoy for Trump , helping broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza; steering negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine; and, most recently, playing a central role in the aborted negotiations between Iran and the US over Tehran’s nuclear program. Kushner still doesn’t hold an official government position – he’s a private citizen who has been negotiating some of the most important foreign policy agreements on behalf of the Trump administration, with a direct line to the president. Continue reading...
Easter Monday race will lead runners through minster, town hall and Piece Hall in what is thought to be first UK event of its kind Hear the words “trail race in West Yorkshire,” and thoughts of mud-streaked runners traipsing across the moors may come to mind. But at the launch of the inaugural Halifax Urban Trail this Easter weekend the phrase will take on a whole new meaning as runners swap paths...
Easter Monday race will lead runners through minster, town hall and Piece Hall in what is thought to be first UK event of its kind Hear the words “trail race in West Yorkshire,” and thoughts of mud-streaked runners traipsing across the moors may come to mind. But at the launch of the inaugural Halifax Urban Trail this Easter weekend the phrase will take on a whole new meaning as runners swap paths for pavements and stiles for staircases while racing through the town’s historic buildings. Continue reading...
Despite hostile rhetoric Trump let a Russian ship break his blockade – could it herald a Venezuela-style outcome? When a sanctioned Russian oil tanker, the Anatoly Kolodkin, docked at Cuba’s Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, unloading 700,000 barrels of crude , it was not immediately clear why the ship had been allowed to pass through Donald Trump’s oil blockade. In January, the US president had p...
Despite hostile rhetoric Trump let a Russian ship break his blockade – could it herald a Venezuela-style outcome? When a sanctioned Russian oil tanker, the Anatoly Kolodkin, docked at Cuba’s Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, unloading 700,000 barrels of crude , it was not immediately clear why the ship had been allowed to pass through Donald Trump’s oil blockade. In January, the US president had proclaimed on social media: “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!” yet last week he told reporters, “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with it” – and waved the Russian ship through. Continue reading...
The International Atomic Energy Agency on Saturday said that it has been informed by Iran about a projectile striking close to the premises of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The IAEA said in an X post that one of the site’s physical protection staff members was killed by a projectile fragment and that a building on site was affected by shock waves and fragments. “No increase in radia...
The International Atomic Energy Agency on Saturday said that it has been informed by Iran about a projectile striking close to the premises of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The IAEA said in an X post that one of the site’s physical protection staff members was killed by a projectile fragment and that a building on site was affected by shock waves and fragments. “No increase in radiation levels was reported,” the IAEA said. Iran’s Tasnim news agency said earlier on Saturday the...