Southeast Asian countries are racing to assert control over their data flows, driven by a potent mix of nationalist sentiment and security anxieties. But analysts warn that while certain measures may deliver domestic economic benefits, the broader push risks undermining innovation, deterring foreign investment and even cutting the region off from the global digital economy. On March 1, Vietnam bec...
Southeast Asian countries are racing to assert control over their data flows, driven by a potent mix of nationalist sentiment and security anxieties. But analysts warn that while certain measures may deliver domestic economic benefits, the broader push risks undermining innovation, deterring foreign investment and even cutting the region off from the global digital economy. On March 1, Vietnam became the first Southeast Asian nation to have in force a comprehensive law on artificial...
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash The yield on the 10-year note finished March 27, 2026, at 4.44%, the highest level since July 2025. Meanwhile, the 2-year note ended at 3.88%, and the 30-year yield ended at 4.98%. The chart below overlays the daily performance of several Treasury bonds, starting from the pre-recession equity market peaks, along with the Federal Funds Rate (FF...
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash The yield on the 10-year note finished March 27, 2026, at 4.44%, the highest level since July 2025. Meanwhile, the 2-year note ended at 3.88%, and the 30-year yield ended at 4.98%. The chart below overlays the daily performance of several Treasury bonds, starting from the pre-recession equity market peaks, along with the Federal Funds Rate (FFR) since 2007. This next table shows the highs and lows of yields and the Federal Funds Rate since 2007. A Long-Term Look at the 10-Year Treasury Yield Here is a long-term view of the 10-year yield starting in 1965, well before the 1973 oil embargo that triggered the era of 'stagflation' (economic stagnation coupled with inflation) Inverted Yield Curve An inverted yield curve is when longer-term Treasury yields are lower than their shorter-term counterparts. The next chart displays the latest 10-2 spread. Typically, the spread turns negative for a period before rising again prior to recessions, as illustrated in the four recessions shown on this chart. For this reason, the 10-2 spread is widely considered a reliable leading indicator for recessions. The lead time between a negative spread and the onset of a recession varies, with recessions beginning anywhere from 18 to 92 weeks after the spread goes negative. One false positive is seen in 1998, where the spread briefly went negative without leading to a recession. In the case of the 2009 recession, the spread went negative multiple times before rising again. Most recently, the spread was continuously negative from July 5, 2022, to August 26, 2024. The last time the spread was negative was on September 5, 2024. If we consider the first negative spread date as the starting point, the average lead time to a recession is 48 weeks, or about eleven months. If we instead use the last positive spread date before a recession, the average lead time is 18.5 weeks, or about 4.25 months. For another perspective on the yield curve, the ...
bymuratdeniz/iStock via Getty Images While there were no traditional IPOs this past week, three blank check companies priced, and several sizable deals joined the pipeline. The week’s three blank check IPOs were led by Inflection Point Acquisition VI (IPFXU), which raised $220 million to target technology-enabled businesses. 3 IPOs During the Week of March 23rd, 2026 Issuer Business Deal Size Mark...
bymuratdeniz/iStock via Getty Images While there were no traditional IPOs this past week, three blank check companies priced, and several sizable deals joined the pipeline. The week’s three blank check IPOs were led by Inflection Point Acquisition VI (IPFXU), which raised $220 million to target technology-enabled businesses. 3 IPOs During the Week of March 23rd, 2026 Issuer Business Deal Size Market Cap at IPO Price vs. Midpoint First Day Return Return at 03/27 Inflection Point Acq. VI (IPFXU) $220M $293M 0% +1% +1% Blank check company led by Michael Blitzer targeting technology-enabled businesses. Future Money Acq. (FMACU) $100M $141M 0% +0% +0% Blank check company targeting AI, Web3, and intelligent manufacturing. QDRO Acquisition (QADRU) $200M $250M 0% -1% -1% Blank check company targeting the financial services sector. Click to enlarge Six IPOs submitted initial filings this week, led by aerospace and defense electronics and components manufacturer Arxis ( ARXS ), which we estimate could raise up to $400 million, followed by convenience store chain Yesway ( YSWY ), which we estimate could raise up to $300 million. Three SPACs also submitted initial filings. Collective Acquisition II ( CAIIU ) plans to raise $220 million, targeting finance, defense technology, and AI. Oceanhawk Acquisition (OHACU) plans to raise $200 million, backed by investment firm OceanHawk. Research Alliance III ( RACC ) plans to raise $50 million, formed by RA Capital. 9 Filings During the Week of March 23rd, 2026 Issuer Business Deal Size Sector Lead Underwriter Alamar Biosciences ( ALMR ) $100M Health Care JPMorgan Provides a protein biomarker detection platform for disease detection research. Collective Acquisition II ( CAIIU ) $220M SPAC Clear Street Blank check company targeting finance, defense technology, and AI. Kailera Therapeutics ( KLRA ) $100M Health Care JPMorgan Phase 3 biotech developing injectable and oral GLP-1s for obesity. Yesway ( YSWY ) $300M Consumer Staples Morgan Sta...
When looking for the right tool or accessory for a home improvement project, a quick trip to the local hardware store can be the most convenient option, as opposed to navigating a much larger big box store. Most consumers, however, choose to visit a nearby Home Depot or Lowe's for their hardware ...
When looking for the right tool or accessory for a home improvement project, a quick trip to the local hardware store can be the most convenient option, as opposed to navigating a much larger big box store. Most consumers, however, choose to visit a nearby Home Depot or Lowe's for their hardware ...
A computer system containing Hong Kong prison employees’ personal data has been hacked, compromising the information of 6,800 current and former staffers. The Correctional Services Department said on Friday evening that a hacker had gained illegal access to one of its IT systems on Tuesday. “After a preliminary investigation, the Correctional Services Department believes the incident involved unau...
A computer system containing Hong Kong prison employees’ personal data has been hacked, compromising the information of 6,800 current and former staffers. The Correctional Services Department said on Friday evening that a hacker had gained illegal access to one of its IT systems on Tuesday. “After a preliminary investigation, the Correctional Services Department believes the incident involved unauthorised access to the internal Knowledge Management System by a hacker, through which the hacker...
Entergy Corp. (NYSE:ETR) is one of the 10 Stocks Investors Are Tracking Now. Entergy rallied for a fifth straight day on Friday, jumping 6.82 percent to close at $109.88 apiece, as investors gobbled up shares after clinching a new deal with Meta Platforms that would result in as much as $2.65 billion in customer savings […]
Entergy Corp. (NYSE:ETR) is one of the 10 Stocks Investors Are Tracking Now. Entergy rallied for a fifth straight day on Friday, jumping 6.82 percent to close at $109.88 apiece, as investors gobbled up shares after clinching a new deal with Meta Platforms that would result in as much as $2.65 billion in customer savings […]
The average one-year price target for Athabasca Oil (TSX:ATH) has been revised to $9.04 / share. This is an increase of 12.72% from the prior estimate of $8.02 dated February 21, 2026. The price target is an average of many targets provided by analysts. The la
The average one-year price target for Athabasca Oil (TSX:ATH) has been revised to $9.04 / share. This is an increase of 12.72% from the prior estimate of $8.02 dated February 21, 2026. The price target is an average of many targets provided by analysts. The la
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images How bad could it get? That is the question on the minds of many investors as the war in the Middle East slogs on with no apparent clarity about, well, anything. Let’s do a quick check-in to see where we are as of this somewhat rainy Friday morning in the Washington, DC environs where we ply our trade. When In Doubt, Equivocate The S&P 500 stock index has lost around...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images How bad could it get? That is the question on the minds of many investors as the war in the Middle East slogs on with no apparent clarity about, well, anything. Let’s do a quick check-in to see where we are as of this somewhat rainy Friday morning in the Washington, DC environs where we ply our trade. When In Doubt, Equivocate The S&P 500 stock index has lost around 7.2 percent of its value from its last record high, on January 27, to its close on Thursday. That is considerable, but the index has yet to cross either of Wall Street’s technical drawdown lines – a correction, which happens when the peak-trough reversal hits 10 percent, or a bear market, when the damage reaches 20 percent. The relatively measured pace of this drawdown suggests that a multitude of scenarios are at play, with rosier projections imagining a near-term cessation of hostilities and eventual resumption of something approximating normal energy flows from the region to export markets, and less optimistic takes assuming that the absence of an obvious exit ramp today raises the probability of a structural quagmire. What this implies is that, within the current picture of a mid-high single-digit percentage decline in stock prices, you have assumptions ranging from $200 oil to $60 oil by the time summer rolls around, with all the attendant secondary and tertiary effects in the broader economy. About that Broader Economy Let’s step back for a minute from the war and think about that broader economy as it exists today. We have finished tabulating corporate sales and earnings results from the fourth quarter of last year, and it was, in fact, a pretty good quarter. S&P 500 earnings per share grew 13.4 percent over the quarter, a much better result than the 7.1 percent consensus projection economists were making as the fourth quarter got underway. Earnings season for the first quarter of this year will kick off in a couple of weeks, and here too the outlook is fairly cheer...
Indonesia began enforcing restrictions on social media accounts for children under 16 on Saturday, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to adopt nationwide curbs as governments worldwide take a tougher approach to limit harmful online content.
Indonesia began enforcing restrictions on social media accounts for children under 16 on Saturday, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to adopt nationwide curbs as governments worldwide take a tougher approach to limit harmful online content.