Australia is seeking to leverage its vast liquefied natural gas exports to Asia to secure fuel supplies in return, as the country grapples with shortages triggered by the war in Iran. Canberra has stepped up diplomatic outreach across the region, with Resources Minister Madeleine King and Foreign Minister Penny Wong engaging with leaders from South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan to ensure th...
Australia is seeking to leverage its vast liquefied natural gas exports to Asia to secure fuel supplies in return, as the country grapples with shortages triggered by the war in Iran. Canberra has stepped up diplomatic outreach across the region, with Resources Minister Madeleine King and Foreign Minister Penny Wong engaging with leaders from South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan to ensure that shipments keep flowing. Australia is a top LNG exporter to these countries, and imports the majority of its refined fuel from Asia. “We supply LNG and we seek continued reliability of the supply of liquid fuels,” said Wong in a radio interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday. “We believe we’re reliable and we ask for reliability in return,” she said. Gasoline and diesel prices at the pump have surged to records in Australia as the Middle East conflict squeezes global supplies while panic-buying boosts demand at home. Hundreds of service stations have run out of fuel across the country, with industries ranging from agriculture to mining already reporting an impact on operations. The diplomatic efforts come as three major Australian LNG plants had their output curbed due to a tropical cyclone last week. Chevron Corp.’s Wheatstone gas plant faces a weeks-long outage due to storm damage. The facility accounted for 2.4% of global LNG trade in February, shipping 11 cargoes — of which 10 went to Japan and one to Thailand, according to advisory EnergyQuest. Meanwhile, Woodside Energy Group Ltd. has said it’s working to resume normal operations at its North West Shelf facility. Australia’s ability to use its exports as a quid pro quo to secure fuel is also contingent on the government having powers to direct supplies to specific countries, said Josh Runciman, gas analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Plus, Australian LNG exports are controlled by private companies, with the government having little oversight beyond regulator...
New York-based Gao Zhen was detained in 2024 during a family visit to China and then tried for ‘defaming national heroes’ The Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen , known for making satirical sculptures of China’s former leader Mao Zedong, has been tried over accusations of “defaming national heroes and martyrs”, his wife and a rights group have said. Gao, 69, who was detained in 2024 during a visit ...
New York-based Gao Zhen was detained in 2024 during a family visit to China and then tried for ‘defaming national heroes’ The Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen , known for making satirical sculptures of China’s former leader Mao Zedong, has been tried over accusations of “defaming national heroes and martyrs”, his wife and a rights group have said. Gao, 69, who was detained in 2024 during a visit to China from the US, faces a maximum three-year prison sentence, his wife, Zhao Yaliang, and Shane Yi, a researcher at the Chinese human rights defenders group, said. Continue reading...
More than 47,000 registered Hong Kong taxi drivers have adopted the commercial version of the Octopus app or equipped their cabs with mobile card readers ahead of new electronic payment regulations taking effect on Wednesday, transport authorities have said. The new measures require cab drivers to provide at least two e-payment options, as part of a broader government push to modernise the industr...
More than 47,000 registered Hong Kong taxi drivers have adopted the commercial version of the Octopus app or equipped their cabs with mobile card readers ahead of new electronic payment regulations taking effect on Wednesday, transport authorities have said. The new measures require cab drivers to provide at least two e-payment options, as part of a broader government push to modernise the industry’s image and service quality. The Transport Department on Tuesday said the three dedicated service...
Earnings Call Insights: Phreesia, Inc. (PHR) Q4 2026 Management View Chaim Indig, Co-Founder, CEO & Director, highlighted that fiscal year 2026 was pivotal, marked by deliberate choices and disciplined execution. He stated, "We surpassed $100 million in adjusted EBITDA. We crossed $50 million in free cash flow. And for the first time in our history as a publicly traded company, we delivered positi...
Earnings Call Insights: Phreesia, Inc. (PHR) Q4 2026 Management View Chaim Indig, Co-Founder, CEO & Director, highlighted that fiscal year 2026 was pivotal, marked by deliberate choices and disciplined execution. He stated, "We surpassed $100 million in adjusted EBITDA. We crossed $50 million in free cash flow. And for the first time in our history as a publicly traded company, we delivered positive GAAP net income for a full fiscal year." Indig also cited the acquisition of AccessOne and the launch of Provider Connect as milestones, explaining that AccessOne is performing in line with expectations and has reinforced the investment thesis. Regarding Provider Connect, Indig noted, "We believe our ability to align both sides of the care conversation is something no one else in the market can do as comprehensively as Phreesia." Indig emphasized the company’s ability to grow in a tough market and referenced external challenges, such as FDA guidelines, insurance coverage, and provider reimbursement, as well as shorter visibility into spending commitments from pharmaceutical manufacturers within the Network Solutions business. He added, "While we do not believe this reflects a structural shift in demand for what Phreesia offers, it is creating more variability in our financial forecast." Balaji Gandhi, Chief Financial Officer, reported, "For the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026, revenue was $127.1 million, up 16% year-over-year with growth led by Payment Solutions following the acquisition of AccessOne." He mentioned adjusted EBITDA of $29.4 million and noted that free cash flow reached $28.5 million, the company’s strongest quarterly free cash flow to date. Gandhi detailed the completion of a refinancing, replacing the bridge loan with a new $275 million senior secured revolving credit facility. Outlook Gandhi stated, "We are lowering our revenue outlook for fiscal year 2027. We now expect revenue to be in the range of $510 million to $520 million compared to our prior...
halbergman/E+ via Getty Images As shown below, it has been nearly a year now since I initiated Axon Enterprise, Inc. ( AXON ) with a sell rating. While that article was primarily focused on the technical side of things, I found 2025 guidance to be disappointing and the stock to be grossly overvalued. Even though Axon advanced after that article was published, it has now given up all those gains an...
halbergman/E+ via Getty Images As shown below, it has been nearly a year now since I initiated Axon Enterprise, Inc. ( AXON ) with a sell rating. While that article was primarily focused on the technical side of things, I found 2025 guidance to be disappointing and the stock to be grossly overvalued. Even though Axon advanced after that article was published, it has now given up all those gains and then some. As of this writing, the stock is down more than 20% over this period while the S&P500 is up over 20%. That is massive underperformance. With the company having reported earnings just in late February, today I'll be providing a much needed update to see whether the investment thesis has changed. Seeking Alpha In the below analysis, it is shown that while the long-term opportunity is large and the Q4 results are overall solid, growth guidance for 2026 may be a little disappointing. Furthermore, the company is facing some risks, such as ICE involvement, and so despite the significant contraction in the valuation, I believe the risk/reward setup for investors isn't attractive enough yet. While I've decided to upgrade Axon, I believe investors should hold off on pulling the trigger for now. The Opportunity at Hand Axon Investor Deck Before we look at the numbers specific to their 2025 Q4, let's discuss how big the long-term opportunity is for Axon. As shown in the infographic above , their TAM has now reached $159 billion, and in my view that suggests that the runway for growth is robust. Investors should note that the company saw $2.78 billion worth of revenues for 2025 as a whole, so if they are able to execute and capitalize on the size of this market, prospects are bright. As stated in the infographic, U.S. State & Local TAM is less than 15% penetrated, so the opportunity seems large as the world shifts to the next generation of enforcement equipment. In their investor deck, they highlighted the uptrend in U.S. Public Safety spending, so the market itself is set...
(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is swinging to significant gains in mid-market trading on Tuesday, snapping the three-session losing streak, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is moving above the 8,500 level, with gains in gold
(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is swinging to significant gains in mid-market trading on Tuesday, snapping the three-session losing streak, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is moving above the 8,500 level, with gains in gold
Shares of Malaysian petrochemical producer Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd. have doubled this month as fears of a prolonged Strait of Hormuz closure drive up global fertilizer prices, with analysts predicting more gains if the waterway remains shut. The stock is set to finish the month at the top of the MSCI Asia benchmark after a 102% climb since the war in Iran began. In comparison, the Asian gauge...
Shares of Malaysian petrochemical producer Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd. have doubled this month as fears of a prolonged Strait of Hormuz closure drive up global fertilizer prices, with analysts predicting more gains if the waterway remains shut. The stock is set to finish the month at the top of the MSCI Asia benchmark after a 102% climb since the war in Iran began. In comparison, the Asian gauge has fallen more than 13%. At least seven brokerages have upgraded Petronas Chemicals this month, according to Bloomberg-compiled data. Read More: Global Funds Look to Malaysia as Iran War Shakes Up Asian Assets Competition for fertilizer is intensifying ahead of the sowing season, with the Middle East accounting for more than a third of urea exports and nearly a quarter of ammonia. That is set to lift earnings for the Malaysian company, as higher prices and margins persist if disruptions last through year-end. “Petronas Chemicals’ feedstock is stable, and will not be disrupted” as it’s obtained locally, said Kaushal Ladha , head of Thailand research for Macquarie Capital. “Most people had not been positioning for this stock so any good news can move it in a very significant way.” Malaysian stocks have stood out this month as the war in Iran upended markets globally, helped by its status as one of Asia’s few net energy exporters. Foreign investors have net bought $25.3 million of local shares in March even as they sold equities in most other emerging Asian markets. CGS International Securities raised Petronas Chemicals’ price target by 19% to 6.58 ringgit ($1.63) after boosting its 2026 core net profit estimate by 44%. A longer-than-expected closure of the strait “may cause severe feedstock shortages for Petronas Chemicals’ naphtha-based competitors and create conditions for a parabolic increase in selling prices,” CGS International analyst Raymond Yap wrote in a note.
In Hungary, the Iran war is exposing tensions. Voters may decide on 12 April that the prime minister’s geopolitical contortions are a liability On 3 March, Viktor Orbán held a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin. According to official Hungarian reporting, the discussion focused on “energy issues” and other routine matters. What followed was anything but routine. Within days, the Hungarian forei...
In Hungary, the Iran war is exposing tensions. Voters may decide on 12 April that the prime minister’s geopolitical contortions are a liability On 3 March, Viktor Orbán held a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin. According to official Hungarian reporting, the discussion focused on “energy issues” and other routine matters. What followed was anything but routine. Within days, the Hungarian foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó , had flown to Moscow, and returned with two freed prisoners of war , dual citizens of Ukraine and Hungary. Hungary is not part of the military conflict in Ukraine, but the message was unmistakable. With his PoW diplomacy, Putin was not only signalling goodwill towards Hungary, he was effectively endorsing Orbán’s re-election on 12 April. Péter Krekó is a political scientist, behavioural scientist, economist and director of the independent thinktank the Political Capital Institute in Budapest Continue reading...
Madeleine Sumption says politicians make big claims about things they only partially control to appeal to voters Keir Starmer’s pledge to “smash the gangs” profiting from small boat crossings has followed a pattern set by Conservative-led governments of employing “bullish rhetoric” with little evidence that it can be delivered, an expert has claimed. Madeleine Sumption, the director of the Univers...
Madeleine Sumption says politicians make big claims about things they only partially control to appeal to voters Keir Starmer’s pledge to “smash the gangs” profiting from small boat crossings has followed a pattern set by Conservative-led governments of employing “bullish rhetoric” with little evidence that it can be delivered, an expert has claimed. Madeleine Sumption, the director of the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, says the prime minister has repeated the mistakes of Rishi Sunak and David Cameron by making “bold claims with great certainty about things governments only partially control” . Continue reading...