A Hong Kong court has remanded in custody another 10 people in connection with the HK$1.6 billion (US$205.8 million) in JPEX cryptocurrency scandal, bringing the number prosecuted in the city’s largest alleged financial fraud in recent years to 26. The latest development came nearly three years after the scandal broke out in 2023, when police revealed that more than 2,700 people had fallen victim ...
A Hong Kong court has remanded in custody another 10 people in connection with the HK$1.6 billion (US$205.8 million) in JPEX cryptocurrency scandal, bringing the number prosecuted in the city’s largest alleged financial fraud in recent years to 26. The latest development came nearly three years after the scandal broke out in 2023, when police revealed that more than 2,700 people had fallen victim to the alleged scam involving losses of more than HK$1.6 billion. Twenty-three counts of money...
primeimages/E+ via Getty Images Market Summary International small- and mid-cap stocks ended the year with another quarter of positive performance. Speculation around artificial intelligence (AI) continued to be a dominant market theme. Sectors perceived to benefit from AI, such as materials and semiconductors, performed strongly, while more defensive sectors, like healthcare and consumer staples,...
primeimages/E+ via Getty Images Market Summary International small- and mid-cap stocks ended the year with another quarter of positive performance. Speculation around artificial intelligence (AI) continued to be a dominant market theme. Sectors perceived to benefit from AI, such as materials and semiconductors, performed strongly, while more defensive sectors, like healthcare and consumer staples, underperformed. Speculative activity was elevated, driving the outperformance of less profitable companies. Fund Performance The Virtus KAR International Small-Mid Cap Fund returned -1.82% (Class I)( VIISX ) in the quarter, underperforming the MSCI All Country World Ex USA Small Mid Cap Index's 3.13% return. Our focus on profitable companies with established competitive positions was at odds with the market's preference for perceived AI beneficiaries, whose long-term competitive positions and points of differentiation remain less clear. FinecoBank and VAT Group were the largest contributors to performance in the quarter. FinecoBank ( FCBBF ) is a savings platform in Italy offering a broad set of banking, brokerage, and wealth management services. The company continues to take wealth management and brokerage market share while management expects the banking segment to become an earnings contributor again in 2026. Switzerland-based VAT Group ( VACNY ) is a global leader in manufacturing high-performance vacuum valves that are essential to the production of semiconductors, displays, and digital technologies. VAT's shares outperformed during the quarter on the back of strong order momentum from semiconductor equipment customers. Baltic Classifieds and AJ Bell were the largest detractors from performance in the quarter. Listed in London, Baltic Classifieds operates several online classified portals across the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Stock performance was weak in the quarter, amidst a wider sector selloff in global classifieds, over concerns that AI adop...
Prime minister says government needs to show it is on families’ side as new screen-time guidance launched • UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer has promised a “fight” with social media firms amid efforts to limit children’s use of mobile phones, tablets and TVs, as new official guidance recommends children under five spend no more than an hour a day on screens. The guidance , developed ...
Prime minister says government needs to show it is on families’ side as new screen-time guidance launched • UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer has promised a “fight” with social media firms amid efforts to limit children’s use of mobile phones, tablets and TVs, as new official guidance recommends children under five spend no more than an hour a day on screens. The guidance , developed by a panel led by the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza and children’s health expert Prof Russell Viner, advises screen time for children under two should be avoided other than for shared activities. Continue reading...
Pony AI records 129% jump in 2025 robotaxi revenue Hong Kong-listed Pony AI Inc. reported a 129% revenue surge in its robotaxi business to 116 million yuan in 2025. The autonomous driving company’s total revenue grew 20% year-on-year to 629 million yuan, marking its fourth consecutive year of growth, according to a Thursday filing. In the fourth quarter of 2025, robotaxi revenue soared 160% to 46....
Pony AI records 129% jump in 2025 robotaxi revenue Hong Kong-listed Pony AI Inc. reported a 129% revenue surge in its robotaxi business to 116 million yuan in 2025. The autonomous driving company’s total revenue grew 20% year-on-year to 629 million yuan, marking its fourth consecutive year of growth, according to a Thursday filing. In the fourth quarter of 2025, robotaxi revenue soared 160% to 46.6 million yuan, with passenger fare income jumping more than 500%. As of March, Pony AI’s robotaxi fleet exceeded 1,400 vehicles, with plans to expand it to over 3,000 by the end of the year.
Palantir’s Maven program is now a Pentagon system of record, turning government dependency into durable growth and strengthening PLTR’s long-term outlook
Palantir’s Maven program is now a Pentagon system of record, turning government dependency into durable growth and strengthening PLTR’s long-term outlook
Still confused about quantum investing? A fund like the Defiance Quantum ETF (QTUM) can make it easier to get started. At its core, QTUM is an exchange-traded fund that gives investors access to companies tied to next-gen tech. This includes quantum computing, AI, and advanced chips. Instead of picking one stock, the fund spreads money across many firms in the same space. As of now, QTUM trades ne...
Still confused about quantum investing? A fund like the Defiance Quantum ETF (QTUM) can make it easier to get started. At its core, QTUM is an exchange-traded fund that gives investors access to companies tied to next-gen tech. This includes quantum computing, AI, and advanced chips. Instead of picking one stock, the fund spreads money across many firms in the same space. As of now, QTUM trades near $111 and is up about 42% over the past year. Over three years, the gain is close to 148%. This sh
The oil market has gone haywire this year. WTI, the primary U.S. oil benchmark, started the year below $60 a barrel. However, the war with Iran has sent WTI soaring. It peaked at more than $119 per barrel at one point after energy infrastructure became a target of the war. WTI was down more recently, closer to $90 a barrel, as tensions have eased a bit. Crude prices could rise or fall sharply depe...
The oil market has gone haywire this year. WTI, the primary U.S. oil benchmark, started the year below $60 a barrel. However, the war with Iran has sent WTI soaring. It peaked at more than $119 per barrel at one point after energy infrastructure became a target of the war. WTI was down more recently, closer to $90 a barrel, as tensions have eased a bit. Crude prices could rise or fall sharply depending on developments in the war. However, no matter what happens with oil prices, MPLX (NYSE: MPLX) should continue paying its high-yielding distribution (7.3% current yield). That makes the pipeline stock a source of stability in these uncertain times. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a rally against the SAVE America Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, United States, on March 18, 2026. Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Getty Images The Senate early Friday morning advanced a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security , in a move to end the partial government shutdown that has disrupted air travel across ...
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a rally against the SAVE America Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, United States, on March 18, 2026. Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Getty Images The Senate early Friday morning advanced a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security , in a move to end the partial government shutdown that has disrupted air travel across the U.S. After weeks of Republicans fighting Democrats on their calls to remove funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement from any potential deal, the bill does exactly that. It would fund all of DHS except for ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection, though it does not include the changes to ICE's immigration enforcement practices that Democrats had demanded. It now moves to the House for final approval. A vote could be held as soon as Friday as lawmakers seek to leave Washington for a scheduled recess. "This could've been accomplished weeks ago if Republicans hadn't stood in the way," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., said from the Senate floor Friday. "Democrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump 's rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms, and we will continue to fight for those reforms." Read more CNBC politics coverage Trump says Iranian negotiators ‘better get serious soon, before it is too late’ Reps Ro Khanna and Tim Burchett to push fraud probe across all 50 states Prediction market bets on sports, election, war would be verboten under new legislation The Senate vote is an encouraging step toward ending the shutdown, which resulted in missed paychecks for Transportation Security Administration agents and long lines at airports. The deal comes just in time for lawmakers to leave town for a pre-planned two-week recess beginning at the end of this week. Lawmakers scrambled much of the week to strike a deal before the recess, but as talks broke down late Thursday, Trump intervened and announced v...