Key PointsAmazon is shifting from failed hardware attempts to a software-first, social robot platform (via Fauna) that could plug directly into Alexa and Prime.
Key PointsAmazon is shifting from failed hardware attempts to a software-first, social robot platform (via Fauna) that could plug directly into Alexa and Prime.
spawns/iStock via Getty Images Wars rarely stay where they start. The Israeli and American military campaign against Iran - the most direct confrontation with Tehran in decades - has sent shockwaves well beyond the Middle East. The fog of war obscures the tactical picture almost daily, but the economic transmission mechanisms are clear enough, and investors who mistake this for a regional skirmish...
spawns/iStock via Getty Images Wars rarely stay where they start. The Israeli and American military campaign against Iran - the most direct confrontation with Tehran in decades - has sent shockwaves well beyond the Middle East. The fog of war obscures the tactical picture almost daily, but the economic transmission mechanisms are clear enough, and investors who mistake this for a regional skirmish over energy do so at their peril. One-Two Punch The first punch is inflationary. Iran is not a bit player in global commodity markets. It sits atop some of the world's most consequential supply chains - not just oil and gas, which command the headlines, but sulfur and urea, which quietly underpin the global food system. Sulfur is a critical feedstock for phosphate fertilizers. Disrupt that supply, and you are not merely raising the price of a barrel of crude; you are raising the price of wheat in Egypt, corn in Brazil, and bread in Lagos. Energy markets feel the shock first and most visibly, but the agricultural commodity complex is where the second-order damage accumulates, slowly and with devastating effect on the world's most food-insecure populations. Industrial commodities, like aluminum and helium (essential for semiconductor fabrication), have also been disrupted. The second punch destroys demand. That is the cruel arithmetic of commodity shocks. The same price surge that generates windfall revenues for producers squeezes household budgets everywhere else, sapping the consumer spending that drives global growth. It boosts input costs for many manufacturers, and corporate margins compress. Capital expenditure plans go on hold. The very inflation that appears to signal economic heat is, in this context, a leading indicator of demand destruction. Central banks find themselves in the most uncomfortable of positions: facing prices that argue for tightening while growth signals argue for caution. It is stagflation's calling card, and it arrived before most were ready to r...
'Incredibly Problematic' - Iran Destroys US AWACS Jet At Saudi Airbase In a major feat that comes weeks after the White House claimed that Iran's ballistic missile capability had been "functionally destroyed," Iran has laid waste to one of only 16 American E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft in the world , sending $500 million worth of technology up in smoke and crimpin...
'Incredibly Problematic' - Iran Destroys US AWACS Jet At Saudi Airbase In a major feat that comes weeks after the White House claimed that Iran's ballistic missile capability had been "functionally destroyed," Iran has laid waste to one of only 16 American E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft in the world , sending $500 million worth of technology up in smoke and crimping the US military's ability to maintain situational awareness. The same attack also "damaged" several aerial refueling tankers and added a dozen service members to the tally of more than 300 who've been wounded in the month-long US-Israeli war on Iran . Thirteen have been killed. In recent days, foreign satellite images showed what appeared to be major damage at Prince Sultan Air Base, a U.S. military base located in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. The images show damage on the base's main apron, which holds high-value aircraft. While high-resolution commercial satellite imagery of the region from U.S.-based geospatial companies will be delayed for days, if not weeks, new ground-level photos apparently show the aftermath of Iranian drone and missile strikes. Images have emerged revealing that the Wall Street Journal's initial report that the half-billion-dollar aircraft was merely "damaged" was an enormous understatement. Rather, a large portion of the fuselage has been obliterated, along with the distinctive 30-foot-diameter, 6-foot-thick rotating radar dome that's mounted atop AWACS aircraft. The images of the destroyed E-3 Sentry were first posted on the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page: According to military aviation aficionados , the identifier "OK 81-0005" -- visible on the severed tail -- confirms this particular aircraft was an E-3G named "Captain Planet," which deployed to the Middle East theater from Oklahoma's Tinker Air Force Base. It's not clear if any of the recently-wounded service members were associated with the aircraft, which was destroyed in a missile-and-dr...
A small cargo of Saudi crude is heading to Pakistan after crossing the Strait of Hormuz along a route hugging the Iranian coastline. A total of seven vessels were visible leaving the Persian Gulf on Saturday. In addition to the oil tanker, two liquefied petroleum gas tankers and four bulk carriers headed out of the Gulf on Saturday, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. All seven ships...
A small cargo of Saudi crude is heading to Pakistan after crossing the Strait of Hormuz along a route hugging the Iranian coastline. A total of seven vessels were visible leaving the Persian Gulf on Saturday. In addition to the oil tanker, two liquefied petroleum gas tankers and four bulk carriers headed out of the Gulf on Saturday, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. All seven ships appear to have followed a northerly route that passes through a narrow gap between the two Iranian islands of Larak and Qeshm as Tehran tightens its grip on the waterway. Iran’s parliament is working on a draft bill that would impose a fee on vessels seeking safe passage. Shipping through Hormuz remains at a small fraction of prewar levels. Vessel-tracking is hampered by electronic interference of ships’ signals, and some disable their AIS transponders in high-risk waters, further reducing the timeliness and reliability of tracking data. Iran-linked crude tankers continue to cross Hormuz with their transponders turned off, with the flow averaging about 1.6 million barrels a day in the first 23 days of March, according to Tankertrackers.com . It was reported this weekend that Tehran has given approval for seven Malaysian tankers to leave the Persian Gulf. The stranded vessels will be able to sail soon, the Star said, citing Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan. Iran has also agreed to allow 20 more Pakistani-flagged ships to pass through Hormuz, according to Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Outbound Transits The most notable outbound transit on Saturday was the oil tanker P. Aliki, hauling about 650,000 barrels of Saudi crude to Pakistan, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. In addition, two LPG carriers that crossed the strait Saturday — initially reported in yesterday’s tracker — are heading for India. Four bulk carriers were seen making the outbound transit on Saturday, with two Iranian-flagged vessels adding to an initial two reported yesterd...
Prediction markets are pricing in a more deliberate path for SpaceX ( SPACE ) to go public. Last week, The Information reported that the company is looking to file its IPO prospectus as early as this week. Elon Musk's company could raise around $70B to $75B, with a value of up to $1.75T, according to reports. But on Kalshi, bettors price in only a 6% chance that SpaceX officially announces its IPO...
Prediction markets are pricing in a more deliberate path for SpaceX ( SPACE ) to go public. Last week, The Information reported that the company is looking to file its IPO prospectus as early as this week. Elon Musk's company could raise around $70B to $75B, with a value of up to $1.75T, according to reports. But on Kalshi, bettors price in only a 6% chance that SpaceX officially announces its IPO before May 1 (defined as the SEC declaring the company's Form S-1 effective, the IPO pricing, or a securities exchange assigning a ticker to it). There is a 23% chance of a filing before June 1 and a 60% chance of it before July 1. On Polymarket, there is a 59% chance that SpaceX completes the entire IPO process by June 30. Kalshi More on SpaceX SpaceX IPO: What I Learned From ULA's Heydays SpaceX-xAI Deal: Building America's New Icon SpaceX IPO's $700 Billion Valuation Increase Benchmarked By Rocket Lab SA Asks: What's the most attractive space stock right now? X moves 'TweetDeck' to its $40 monthly plan without a heads-up
Apple's most legendary computer has two legacies: there's the computer itself, and there's the commercial. That commercial. Only a couple of days before Steve Jobs debuted the computer that would both help cement his legacy and contribute to his unceremonious exile from Apple, the company dropped a Super Bowl ad that is still one of the most iconic commercials of all time. It raised both the hype ...
Apple's most legendary computer has two legacies: there's the computer itself, and there's the commercial. That commercial. Only a couple of days before Steve Jobs debuted the computer that would both help cement his legacy and contribute to his unceremonious exile from Apple, the company dropped a Super Bowl ad that is still one of the most iconic commercials of all time. It raised both the hype and the stakes for the Macintosh in a big way. The Macintosh wasn't a great computer, at least at first. It didn't have enough memory; there wasn't enough software that supported it; it wasn't customizable in the ways PC users needed at the time. I … Read the full story at The Verge.
The European Union (EU) is a bystander in the Iran war, but it might end up sustaining significant collateral damage. On one hand, public opinion across Europe is opposed to a conflict that circumvents the core principles of international law. On the other, the continent remains deeply reliant on the United States for its energy and security needs. A definitive anti-war stance risks alienating Pre...
The European Union (EU) is a bystander in the Iran war, but it might end up sustaining significant collateral damage. On one hand, public opinion across Europe is opposed to a conflict that circumvents the core principles of international law. On the other, the continent remains deeply reliant on the United States for its energy and security needs. A definitive anti-war stance risks alienating President Donald Trump, leaving Europe strategically exposed. Talk about being caught between a rock...
There are better ways to raise money than jeopardising a model that draws visitors to Britain and has huge benefits for the wider economy Twenty-five years ago, the UK made the bold and generous gesture of making its national museums free to all. Suddenly, anyone from anywhere in the world could gaze at iconic works of art by the greatest artists in history without having to pay a penny. Many incr...
There are better ways to raise money than jeopardising a model that draws visitors to Britain and has huge benefits for the wider economy Twenty-five years ago, the UK made the bold and generous gesture of making its national museums free to all. Suddenly, anyone from anywhere in the world could gaze at iconic works of art by the greatest artists in history without having to pay a penny. Many incredible artworks were suddenly accessible to everyone: Hepworth, Turner and Hockney at Tate Britain , and Bonnard, Picasso and Bourgeois at Tate Modern (which had both always been free) were now joined by Raphael at the V&A and Kapoor at the Walker Art Gallery, dramatic seascapes at the National Maritime Museum and bustling cityscapes at the Museum of London. And maybe afterwards they would reward the gallery by buying a slice of cake in the cafe or a print of their favourite work in the gift shop. In the years that followed, this policy proved to be a huge success. It led to a dramatic and sustained increase in audiences. Within the first decade, visits to museums which used to charge rose by 151% – the uplift was 180% at the Natural History Museum and V&A, and 269% at National Museums Liverpool. Is now really the moment to reverse direction by charging international tourists to access our museums and galleries, as ministers are proposing? Karin Hindsbo is interim director of Tate, and former director of Tate Modern, London and the National Museum, Oslo Continue reading...
Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I last covered Unity Software (NYSE: U ) in October, moving from a prior "strong buy" back to a "buy" rating. At the time, I wrote that : "I'm still bullish on Unity, but the higher valuation and underwhelming Q2 results reduce my enthusiasm a bit." With the benefit of hindsight, I should have sold my position entirely at that point. Because, in...
Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I last covered Unity Software (NYSE: U ) in October, moving from a prior "strong buy" back to a "buy" rating. At the time, I wrote that : "I'm still bullish on Unity, but the higher valuation and underwhelming Q2 results reduce my enthusiasm a bit." With the benefit of hindsight, I should have sold my position entirely at that point. Because, in this market, any software companies that deliver less than exemplary results have been decimated. While Unity has continued to show operational improvement, it hasn't been enough to offset the terrible sentiment that has afflicted the overall software industry. As a result, Unity has given back its gains from the past year and finds itself once again near its multi-year lows. This improved a bit with Friday's 13% rally, but shares are still at the lower end of the trading range: Data by YCharts The stock appeared to be breaking out to new highs as recently as December. After getting cut in half year-to-date, where does that leave the investment case for Unity Software going forward? An Excellent Earnings Pre-Announcement Unity Software appeared to be on course toward another dour week, with shares down about 10% heading into Friday's session. Understandable, given the difficult backdrop the market has been facing with the Iran War concerns along with the sell-off we've been seeing in many leading software and technology companies. However, Unity was able to snap its losing streak on Friday after pre-announcing its Q1 results : Data by YCharts The following table with Unity's preliminary Q1 numbers should give a sense of why sentiment turned on Friday: Unity Preliminary Q1 Results (Corporate Press Release) As this shows, Unity now anticipates announcing roughly $506 million of revenues, which is substantially above its prior $485 million mid-point guide. This preliminary figure would represent 17% year-over-year growth. It gets better when you dig into the details. Look at ...
With emerging markets on the brink of their worst month since 2022, TT International and AllianceBernstein are making a bold wager that this is a good time to buy. They’re betting on beaten-down securities, like emerging-market bonds, on the view on that central banks, rather than raise interest rates, will instead have to cut them to stave off a growth shock. It’s a contrarian view that was pushe...
With emerging markets on the brink of their worst month since 2022, TT International and AllianceBernstein are making a bold wager that this is a good time to buy. They’re betting on beaten-down securities, like emerging-market bonds, on the view on that central banks, rather than raise interest rates, will instead have to cut them to stave off a growth shock. It’s a contrarian view that was pushed into the spotlight this week after Pacific Investment Management Co. touted “opportunities to invest against the prevailing narrative.” “The market has priced the wrong risk,” said Jean-Charles Sambor , head of emerging-market debt at TT International Asset Management. “We’ve started to buy emerging-market credit and local bonds.” He said he recently added Polish and Czech local-currency bonds, as well as dollar-denominated Venezuelan and Lebanese securities. Dip-buying investors are in the minority after a bruising selloff across emerging markets. Emerging stocks have fallen about 10% this month, while average yields on local-currency bonds have risen to the highest in almost two years. Energy importing nations have seen even bigger selloffs, with bond yields jumping by 50-100 basis points in Poland, South Africa and Thailand. Some currencies have slid more than 5%. Other investors have made similar calls, and money markets that had almost fully priced a Federal Reserve rate increase earlier in the week, have since trimmed those wagers. By Friday, they saw a less than 50% chance that a hike will materialize this year. The Fed “is biased towards offsetting recession risk and would likely tilt dovish if the oil price shock intensified,” JPMorgan Chase & Co. strategists said in a March 20 report. Christian DiClementi , director of emerging debt at AllianceBernstein LP, said he sees buying opportunities in markets with the steepest declines. He declined to disclose specific trades. “Initially the shock is inflationary, but the longer it drags on, the higher the probability t...
Richard Drury/DigitalVision via Getty Images The BlackRock Science and Technology Trust ( BST ) is a hold in my view - more so in a regime of flat markets that I expect for the next few quarters. BST shows some structural drawbacks that require specific market conditions to work. Over the past 5 years, performance (in terms of total returns) has not been great. The gap is large enough to make othe...
Richard Drury/DigitalVision via Getty Images The BlackRock Science and Technology Trust ( BST ) is a hold in my view - more so in a regime of flat markets that I expect for the next few quarters. BST shows some structural drawbacks that require specific market conditions to work. Over the past 5 years, performance (in terms of total returns) has not been great. The gap is large enough to make other alternatives a better buy both from an income and total return perspective. Portfolio Structure and Income The portfolio emphasis on semis and equipment is evident with around 25% allocation to the theme in the top 4 holdings themselves. The overall semis exposure is ~38%. That places BST somewhere leaning more toward QQQ (~15-20% semis exposure) than SOXX (full semis exposure) - but both remain relevant benchmarks. In terms of mega cap platforms, Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet together account for ~14% of the BST portfolio (within the top 10 holdings alone). QQQ appears to be a little more heavily tilted to big tech, even within the top 10 holdings alone. Top 10 Holdings - BST (BST Website) Sector Allocations - BST (BST Website) The key differentiator for BST is the exposure to a private AI layer. We have Databricks, Anthropic, and Anduril, together accounting for ~13%, and this is just the data we have in the top 10 holdings. That differentiator is what could tilt a buy in BST in itself if we are in a regime where the AI trade is going strong. But on the other hand, it introduces valuation opacity and long-duration growth risks that may not do well in adverse conditions. Overall, from the portfolio construction, BST is around 55-60% QQQ, 25-30% SOXX and 10-20% private venture layer, as far as I see it (quant style attribution to broadly help map the positioning mentally). The strategy used to implement a covered call writing mechanism in the past. I found a dated semiannual report (mid-2024) that mentions around 32% covered call writing activity. This was mentioned in m...
In this article DRI FANG DRI Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT The New York Stock Exchange welcomes directors, executives and guests of Crescent Energy Company (NYSE: CRGY), on Mon. Dec. 13th, in celebration of its listing on the NYSE. To honor the occasion, David Rockecharlie, Chief Executive Officer, joined by Chris Taylor, NYSE Vice President and Head of Listings and Services, rin...
In this article DRI FANG DRI Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT The New York Stock Exchange welcomes directors, executives and guests of Crescent Energy Company (NYSE: CRGY), on Mon. Dec. 13th, in celebration of its listing on the NYSE. To honor the occasion, David Rockecharlie, Chief Executive Officer, joined by Chris Taylor, NYSE Vice President and Head of Listings and Services, rings The Opening Bell®. NYSE The U.S. stock market continues to be volatile due to tensions in the Middle East. Investors seeking some portfolio stability can opt for dividend-paying stocks with attractive upside potential. Recommendations from top Wall Street analysts can help investors turn up stocks that pay dividends consistently and have the ability to generate long-term capital appreciation. Insight from these experts informs investors on their search as their ratings are backed by an in-depth analysis of macro and micro factors. Here are three dividend-paying stocks that are highlighted by Wall Street's top pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. Diamondback Energy Independent oil and natural gas company Diamondback Energy ( FANG ) is this week's first dividend pick. The company is focused on the exploration of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin in West Texas. It recently paid a base cash dividend of $1.05 per share. FANG offers a dividend yield of about 2%. Recently, Goldman Sachs analyst Neil Mehta discussed the impact of ongoing commodity volatility on exploration and production companies. Assuming Brent and WTI at $75 and $70 per barrel, respectively, and Henry Hub natural gas at $3.75/MMBtu as his 2027-2030 normalized price average, the analyst is bullish on the prospects of Ovintiv (OVV), Permian Resources (PR), Diamondback, and FANG's subsidiary Viper Energy (VNOM). He expects these stocks to generate an average total return of 22%. Specifically, Mehta reiterated a buy r...
Aluminium Bahrain, which runs one of the world’s largest smelters, said on Sunday it was assessing the damage following Iranian strikes on the facility and another major aluminium producer in the United Arab Emirates. Two employees at Aluminium Bahrain were hurt in Saturday’s attack, the state-controlled company said, while regional peer Emirates Global Aluminium’s site sustained significant dama...
Aluminium Bahrain, which runs one of the world’s largest smelters, said on Sunday it was assessing the damage following Iranian strikes on the facility and another major aluminium producer in the United Arab Emirates. Two employees at Aluminium Bahrain were hurt in Saturday’s attack, the state-controlled company said, while regional peer Emirates Global Aluminium’s site sustained significant damage from missile and drone strikes the same day. Most Gulf aluminium producers, which account for...
Chinese jewelry company Laopu Gold still has significant upside, despite recent volatility in prices of the precious metal, analysts said. In the last two years, Hong Kong-listed Laopu has become an upstart in China's luxury scene , drawing local crowds — and reportedly LVMH Chair Bernard Arnault — for its artisanal take on gold jewelry. Laopu's popularity surged last year, with the stock posting ...
Chinese jewelry company Laopu Gold still has significant upside, despite recent volatility in prices of the precious metal, analysts said. In the last two years, Hong Kong-listed Laopu has become an upstart in China's luxury scene , drawing local crowds — and reportedly LVMH Chair Bernard Arnault — for its artisanal take on gold jewelry. Laopu's popularity surged last year, with the stock posting a total return of more than 160%, as gold prices soared. But the precious metal has tumbled about 20% from a high in January, to hit a four-month low of $4,097.99 on March 23 . The jewelry company's stock is only 0.16% lower year to date, after Laopu disclosed on March 23 that first-quarter net profit was at least 3.6 billion yuan (roughly $520.8 million). "Laopu is our top pick in the China consumer sector," JPMorgan analysts said in a report Wednesday, noting the company's "strategic resilience amid current gold market volatility." "We see Laopu as best positioned to benefit from experience-led growth with a systematic approach (disciplined store count, a direct to consumer [DTC] model and differentiated service quality upheld by a highly selective/trained team)," the analysts added. They also noted Laopu's 17 years of experience in pricing products, even when gold is in a downturn, although both the jeweler and JPMorgan expect gold prices will remain elevated this year. JPMorgan rates the stock overweight, with a price target of 1,296 Hong Kong dollars (about $165.63). That's more than two times Laopu's close Friday of 617 HKD. Building a following The Beijing-based Chinese jewelry company has built a following not just with its unique, locally inspired designs, but also with regular product price hikes and limited discounts, reinforcing a concept of investment pieces. Laopu also typically only opens stores in the highest-end malls in China. "While gold prices retracted from its peak of USD5,500/oz on 29 Jan 2026 to USD4,500/oz on 23 March, Laopu conducted a price hike o...