In this article @CL.1 @LCO.2 GOOGL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Smoke emanates from smokestacks from an oil refinery in Linden, New Jersey, on March 18, 2026. Kena Betancur | AFP | Getty Images Crude prices extended gains during Asia trading as escalating attacks in the Persian Gulf and U.S. President Donald Trump 's signals on exiting the Iran conflict, even as the Strait of Ho...
In this article @CL.1 @LCO.2 GOOGL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Smoke emanates from smokestacks from an oil refinery in Linden, New Jersey, on March 18, 2026. Kena Betancur | AFP | Getty Images Crude prices extended gains during Asia trading as escalating attacks in the Persian Gulf and U.S. President Donald Trump 's signals on exiting the Iran conflict, even as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed,keep markets on edge. Brent contract for June delivery was up 1.5% at $105.56 a barrel as of 9:50 ET — prices surged more than 60% in March, in their strongest ever monthly rally dating back to 1988, with the May contract settling about 5% higher on Tuesday at $118.35 per barrel. U.S. crude oil for May was up 1.5% at $102.92 a barrel, with prices soaring about 51% in March to clock West Texas Intermediate's best month since May 2020. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Brent crude prices The U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran has triggered a severe energy supply disruption since the war began on Feb. 28, stoking fears across the global economy that relies heavily on Middle Eastern oil. The war has effectively halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that typically saw 20% of global oil flows before the war broke out. Trump said Tuesday evening stateside that he expected the U.S. military forces to leave Iran in "two or three weeks" and appeared to be declaring victory . "We leave because there's no reason for us to do this," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We'll be leaving very soon." Trump has also dismissed the idea of having to reach a negotiated deal to end the war, saying that "Iran doesn't have to make a deal ... it's a new regime. They are much more accessible." He also asserted that he had stopped Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. Later in the day, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that Trump will deliver a national address to ...
(RTTNews) - The Thai stock market on Tuesday snapped the two-day winning streak in which it had risen almost 7 points or 0.5 percent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just beneath the 1,450-point plateau although it's likely to rebound on Wednesday.
(RTTNews) - The Thai stock market on Tuesday snapped the two-day winning streak in which it had risen almost 7 points or 0.5 percent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just beneath the 1,450-point plateau although it's likely to rebound on Wednesday.
Earnings Call Insights: Sportsman's Warehouse (SPWH) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Paul Stone said results “exceeded our revised expectations,” adding that “we turned our sales trends positive in the back half of the quarter,” and that full-year comparable sales rose 1%, calling it “our first year of positive comps since 2020 and a meaningful milestone in our turnaround.” Stone said Q4 started with ...
Earnings Call Insights: Sportsman's Warehouse (SPWH) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Paul Stone said results “exceeded our revised expectations,” adding that “we turned our sales trends positive in the back half of the quarter,” and that full-year comparable sales rose 1%, calling it “our first year of positive comps since 2020 and a meaningful milestone in our turnaround.” Stone said Q4 started with pressure, noting “for several weeks prior and through the first week of December, sales softened” on “the government shutdown and weaker-than-expected Black Friday and Cyber Week performance,” and that the company “moved quickly to adjust our holiday strategy with a more promotional cadence to meet a value-driven consumer.” Stone highlighted category performance, stating “hunting and shooting sports grew more than 5% with firearm units again outperforming adjusted NICS checks,” and said this “indicat[es] continued market share gains,” while also saying “camping and softlines remain challenged.” Stone described initiatives for 2026, including “upgrading our loyalty rewards program,” “developing firearm solution bundling,” and “reinventing the omnichannel Fishing experience,” adding that for fishing “we believe we have about 1% share... and we have an ambitious omnichannel plan to double that share over the next 3 to 4 years.” CFO Jennifer Fall Jung reported, “Adjusted EBITDA for the year was $27.5 million,” and said inventory ended the year “down $29.1 million or 8.5% year-over-year,” with “net debt of $90 million... and total liquidity of $107.8 million,” adding, “We also generated positive free cash flow.” Outlook CFO Jennifer Fall Jung guided, “We estimate same-store sales to be in the range of down 1% to up 2% over last year,” and “we expect adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $30 million to $36 million,” adding capex is expected to be “between $20 million and $25 million.” Jung said store actions are planned: “we estimated we will be closing approximately 5 stores in ...
Why has the UK introduced a ban on student visas for four countries? Today in Focus talks to affected students in Sudan and Afghanistan, as well as our home affairs editor, Rajeev Syal In early March, with little warning, the UK announced a ban on student visas for four countries: Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Cameroon. It came as devastating news to Afra Elmahdi (pictured), an exceptional stude...
Why has the UK introduced a ban on student visas for four countries? Today in Focus talks to affected students in Sudan and Afghanistan, as well as our home affairs editor, Rajeev Syal In early March, with little warning, the UK announced a ban on student visas for four countries: Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Cameroon. It came as devastating news to Afra Elmahdi (pictured), an exceptional student from Sudan. Having survived civil war and been exiled to the United Arab Emirates, she hoped to further her medical career in the UK. But after being offered a place at the University of Oxford – and as she was waiting to find out whether she’d be offered a prestigious scholarship – she saw the announcement. She tells Helen Pidd of “the feeling that the ground had been pulled from my under of my feet” and that “there was nothing I could do to stop it”. Continue reading...
Hong Kong stocks surged on Wednesday on optimism that the US-Israel war against Iran was nearing an end. The Hang Seng Index rose 2.1 per cent to 25,307.72 as of 9.45am local time. The Hang Seng Tech Index gained 1.9 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 1.3 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 1.2 per cent. US President Donald Trump said Iran could strike a deal with the...
Hong Kong stocks surged on Wednesday on optimism that the US-Israel war against Iran was nearing an end. The Hang Seng Index rose 2.1 per cent to 25,307.72 as of 9.45am local time. The Hang Seng Tech Index gained 1.9 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 1.3 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 1.2 per cent. US President Donald Trump said Iran could strike a deal with the US, adding that an agreement with Tehran was not a prerequisite for the war to conclude. Iran...
Japan has moved swiftly to contain the diplomatic fallout after a member of its Self-Defence Forces broke into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo last week. But observers and local media say the incident has given Beijing an opening to reinforce claims of rising militarism and anti-China sentiment in Japan. Yoshinobu Kusunoki, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, on Monday called the brea...
Japan has moved swiftly to contain the diplomatic fallout after a member of its Self-Defence Forces broke into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo last week. But observers and local media say the incident has given Beijing an opening to reinforce claims of rising militarism and anti-China sentiment in Japan. Yoshinobu Kusunoki, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, on Monday called the break-in on March 24 “extremely unusual and serious”, adding that it “should not have happened”. His...
China has finished digging the underwater section of a high-speed rail tunnel stretching more than 14km (9 miles) under a busy segment of the Yangtze River, as the country increasingly turns to vast subterranean passages to expand its railway network. The tunnel beneath China’s longest waterway, which will link Shanghai’s Chongming Island with Taicang city in neighbouring Jiangsu province, is on t...
China has finished digging the underwater section of a high-speed rail tunnel stretching more than 14km (9 miles) under a busy segment of the Yangtze River, as the country increasingly turns to vast subterranean passages to expand its railway network. The tunnel beneath China’s longest waterway, which will link Shanghai’s Chongming Island with Taicang city in neighbouring Jiangsu province, is on track to be completed by the end of the year, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The project will allow...
ARMMY PICCA/iStock via Getty Images Quarterly commentary 1 - Market review and outlook The U.S. bond market posted positive returns in the fourth quarter, capping a solid year of performance. Despite further declines in consumer sentiment, the U.S. economy posted its fastest quarterly growth rate in two years in the third quarter, led by strong consumer spending. Nonetheless, continued weakness in...
ARMMY PICCA/iStock via Getty Images Quarterly commentary 1 - Market review and outlook The U.S. bond market posted positive returns in the fourth quarter, capping a solid year of performance. Despite further declines in consumer sentiment, the U.S. economy posted its fastest quarterly growth rate in two years in the third quarter, led by strong consumer spending. Nonetheless, continued weakness in the labor market, including a four-year high in the unemployment rate, led the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) to cut short-term interest rates twice during the quarter. The Fed's decision-making was complicated by the longest federal government shutdown in the nation's history, which caused delays and hiccups in the government's economic data collection and reporting. The yield curve steepened during the quarter as short-term bond yields declined, reflecting the Fed rate cuts, while intermediate-term bond yields were largely unchanged, and long-term bond yields rose slightly. From a sector perspective, high-yield corporate bonds and residential mortgage-backed securities led the market's advance, while investment-grade corporate bonds and U.S. Treasury securities lagged. Contributors and detractors The fund outperformed its benchmark and performed in line with the overall preferred securities market in the fourth quarter. The portfolio's primary contributor to performance was security selection within the banking and electric utility sectors, where strong individual security performance offset broader market challenges. The significant leverage position and unique exposure to interest rate derivatives provided additional return enhancement, although pricing differences created headwinds. Notable individual security performance ranged from exceptional gains in utility and technology holdings to significant losses in energy and utility preferred securities affected by regulatory changes and legal disputes. Portfolio positioning Diversification across sectors such as electric uti...