Behind every cutting-edge AI chip is a critical bottleneck: the memory required to feed it data. High-bandwidth memory (HBM) is now so highly sought after that the entire industry, including SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron (MU), is completely sold out through 2026.
Behind every cutting-edge AI chip is a critical bottleneck: the memory required to feed it data. High-bandwidth memory (HBM) is now so highly sought after that the entire industry, including SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron (MU), is completely sold out through 2026.
EchoStar (SATS) has pulled off the ultimate pivot. Since mid-2025, the stock has rocketed from $15 to $127 as investors treat the company as a de facto tracking stock for SpaceX’s looming $2 trillion IPO. The catalyst? A massive $20 billion spectrum deal that swapped EchoStar's debt-ridden telecom business for a seat at Elon Musk’s table.
EchoStar (SATS) has pulled off the ultimate pivot. Since mid-2025, the stock has rocketed from $15 to $127 as investors treat the company as a de facto tracking stock for SpaceX’s looming $2 trillion IPO. The catalyst? A massive $20 billion spectrum deal that swapped EchoStar's debt-ridden telecom business for a seat at Elon Musk’s table.
This garrulous, charming story of a young man stuck in a daycare centre for disabled adults offers a vital insider’s perspective Upward Bound is a dismal adult daycare centre in the Los Angeles suburbs, with “poop-coloured” walls and a small swimming pool out the back. The name on the sign is cruelly misleading because Upward Bound serves as a dumping ground for the city’s disabled community, a pe...
This garrulous, charming story of a young man stuck in a daycare centre for disabled adults offers a vital insider’s perspective Upward Bound is a dismal adult daycare centre in the Los Angeles suburbs, with “poop-coloured” walls and a small swimming pool out the back. The name on the sign is cruelly misleading because Upward Bound serves as a dumping ground for the city’s disabled community, a pen to hold people who have aged out of school. Any inmate who manages to clamber free – be it up, down or sideways – has slipped the net, beaten the odds and might therefore be viewed as a small miracle. The author Woody Brown feels similarly touched with magic, having swerved the hell of adult care in pursuit of a professional writing career. He’s the first non-speaking autistic graduate of UCLA and a 2024 alumnus of the writing programme at Columbia University; Upward Bound, his triumphant first novel, looks back not with anger but with compassion and grace. Brown feels for the centre’s exhausted staff almost as much as he does for its mouldering, desperate “clients”, who are forced to map out their days with pointless time-wasting activities. Upward Bound – a jailbreak story of sorts – suggests that practically everyone here has been falsely imprisoned. His book is the literary equivalent of sending the ladder back down. Continue reading...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis During the Investor Day of 2024, Olin Corporation ( OLN ) set a bold milestone of reaching roughly $250 million in cost savings by 2029. This comes as the firm tries to bring in capital and operational efficiencies to counter the weak demand for its EDC and related products due to low construction activities that we have been witnessing...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis During the Investor Day of 2024, Olin Corporation ( OLN ) set a bold milestone of reaching roughly $250 million in cost savings by 2029. This comes as the firm tries to bring in capital and operational efficiencies to counter the weak demand for its EDC and related products due to low construction activities that we have been witnessing for almost a decade. Thus far, Olin is succeeding in bringing in these cost savings. For the full year of 2025, the company managed to reduce costs by $44 million, and in 2026, it estimates more than $100 million of annual cost savings. If this estimate gets hit, more margin growth is to be expected, which will enable the firm to finance debt repayments, continue to pay dividends, and put itself in a great position to navigate these trough seasons without risking liquidity. Analyzing its 2025 financials, Olin shows better growth and profitability metrics than its industry peers while trading at a massive discount. Making me keen to rate it a buy. Cost savings efforts (Q4 2025 Investor Presentation) Momentum Factor Over the past 3 years, Olin has been an underperformer compared to its peers and the broader market. Most of this underperformance can be attributed to having a lower market cap, high debt levels, and weak demand for PVC products, as the construction industry has been largely depressed in recent years. In this 3-year period, Olin lost about 45% of its value, while Westlake ( WLK ) and the S&P 500 gained roughly 11% and 67%, respectively. Data by YCharts The scatterplot below shows that in the last 3 years, most names in this industry got hit pretty bad in price action. But we have started to see a price recovery YTD, with only 3 names on the negative y-axis. Dow ( DOW ) and Westlake scored an A and an A- for momentum, as they returned roughly 77% and 62% YTD, respectively. Olin returned only 37% and received a B rating. Momentum has improved just recently on this...
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images News The war in the Middle East is set to drive up inflation and slow global growth, the head of the International Monetary Fund told Reuters ahead of the lender’s updated economic outlook due next week. The Middle East conflict has triggered an unprecedented disruption in global energy supply, with millions of barrels of oil output shut in as Iran effectively blocks the...
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images News The war in the Middle East is set to drive up inflation and slow global growth, the head of the International Monetary Fund told Reuters ahead of the lender’s updated economic outlook due next week. The Middle East conflict has triggered an unprecedented disruption in global energy supply, with millions of barrels of oil output shut in as Iran effectively blocks the Strait of Hormuz. Even if hostilities ease quickly, the IMF is still expected to trim its global growth projections while raising its inflation outlook, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said. The IMF is set to publish multiple scenarios in its World Economic Outlook on April 14, after already signaling a potential downgrade in a March 30 blog post that cited the war’s asymmetric shock and tighter financial conditions. Prior to the conflict, Georgieva said the IMF had expected a small upgrade in its projection for global growth of 3.3% in 2026 and 3.2% in 2027 as economies continue to recover from the pandemic. “Instead, all roads now lead to higher prices and slower growth ,” Georgieva said, adding that she will outline the IMF’s latest thinking in a speech later this week, while World Bank President Ajay Banga is also set to speak on the outlook. “We are in a world of elevated uncertainty,” she said, pointing to geopolitical tensions, technological disruption, climate shocks and demographic shifts. “All of this means that after we recover from this shock, we need to keep our eyes open for the next one.” The war has already reduced global oil supply by around 13%, with knock-on effects spreading across gas shipments and related supply chains, including helium and fertilizers. The impact has been uneven, hitting energy-importing economies hardest, though exporters such as Qatar have also been affected by strikes on production facilities. Qatar may need three to five years to restore roughly 17% of its natural gas capacity following the damage, while the Internatio...
The answer to the question of whether working longer always increases your monthly Social Security benefits is yes -- almost always. However, one exception involves Social Security spousal benefits. Here's why: Image source: Getty Images. The formula used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to calculate your monthly benefits is based on your highest 35 years of indexed earnings (earnings t...
The answer to the question of whether working longer always increases your monthly Social Security benefits is yes -- almost always. However, one exception involves Social Security spousal benefits. Here's why: Image source: Getty Images. The formula used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to calculate your monthly benefits is based on your highest 35 years of indexed earnings (earnings that have been adjusted to account for wage inflation). If you've never earned much, it's possible that your Social Security benefits will be minimal, and claiming spousal benefits is your best financial bet. Continue reading
(RTTNews) - After a cautious start, the German stock market gained in strength on Tuesday, as investors picked up stocks despite lingering concerns about the conflict in the Middle East.
(RTTNews) - After a cautious start, the German stock market gained in strength on Tuesday, as investors picked up stocks despite lingering concerns about the conflict in the Middle East.
Pakistan and Egypt ramped up diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war with a flurry of calls in the past 24 hours before President Donald Trump’s deadline to escalate the conflict expires. Both Pakistan and Egypt have been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran to help de-escalate the conflict, which is now in its fifth week. Trump said Monday that Vice President JD Vance was talking to Ira...
Pakistan and Egypt ramped up diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war with a flurry of calls in the past 24 hours before President Donald Trump’s deadline to escalate the conflict expires. Both Pakistan and Egypt have been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran to help de-escalate the conflict, which is now in its fifth week. Trump said Monday that Vice President JD Vance was talking to Iran through Pakistani intermediaries. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Tuesday he held talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff , as well as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar . Iran has so far refused to agree to the ceasefire terms relayed via Pakistan. Leaders in Iran have instead called for a permanent end to the war, reconstruction efforts and the lifting of sanctions, in addition to protocols for ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. On Tuesday, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan signaled there may be some progress, saying Islamabad’s efforts were at a “critical and sensitive” stage. Other nations are also stepping up efforts to find a peaceful resolution. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday she is seeking talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Trump. On Monday, Dar spoke to his counterparts from Canada, Portugal and Japan, as well as Hamish Falconer, a UK Foreign Office minister. According to readouts from Pakistan, the talks focused on the evolving situation in the Middle East and calls for de-escalation and dialog. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday Abdelatty held calls with Witkoff, Dar and Iraq’s foreign minister. He reviewed efforts being made by Egypt to de-escalate tensions and stressed the importance of dialog and diplomacy to reach a solution that avoids “a catastrophic scenario” from which no party would be immune, the ministry said. Islamabad has been positioning itself as a possible facilitator of talks, hosting the foreign ministers from Egy...
Minister says change for plan 2 and 3 loans in England and Wales will ‘protect borrowers’ from impact of global conflict UK politics live – latest updates The interest rate on plan 2 and plan 3 student loans will be capped at 6%, the Department for Education has announced. Graduates with plan 2 loans currently pay interest rates based on the retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation, plus up t...
Minister says change for plan 2 and 3 loans in England and Wales will ‘protect borrowers’ from impact of global conflict UK politics live – latest updates The interest rate on plan 2 and plan 3 student loans will be capped at 6%, the Department for Education has announced. Graduates with plan 2 loans currently pay interest rates based on the retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation, plus up to 3% based on their earnings. Current students on plan 2 and plan 3 loans attract an interest rate of RPI +3% while they are studying. Continue reading...