Malaysia’s government plans to do a cost-benefit analysis of its controversial trade agreement with the US, while warning lawmakers they should keep the accord despite concerns it may hurt the country. The review, pending the deal’s ratification, could take six to 12 months and will focus on the impact on Malaysia’s exports and trade surplus, according to Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Jo...
Malaysia’s government plans to do a cost-benefit analysis of its controversial trade agreement with the US, while warning lawmakers they should keep the accord despite concerns it may hurt the country. The review, pending the deal’s ratification, could take six to 12 months and will focus on the impact on Malaysia’s exports and trade surplus, according to Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Abdul Ghani . He was speaking a day after US President Donald Trump vowed to hike tariffs on goods from South Korea to 25%, citing what he said was the failure of lawmakers in Seoul to codify their trade deal. Read More: Trump Vows to Raise Tariffs to 25% on South Korean Goods “Malaysia has not yet received any official notice or notification from the US regarding the timeline for ratifying ART,” Johari told parliament on Tuesday, referring to the trade agreement by its acronym. “Hence, the government is currently reviewing ART’s contents to ensure that the country’s economic interests are safeguarded and to reduce the risks to the country’s trade.” However, terminating the deal altogether would spark economic uncertainty and instability, he added. The trade agreement Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signed with Trump last year fueled concerns it could infringe upon Malaysia’s sovereignty. The trade ministry in November published an FAQ to address the worries, a month before Johari took over the portfolio. Read more: Malaysia Exports Surprise as Manufacturing Shipment Hits Record Trump set a 19% tariff on Malaysia in August last year, in line with that imposed on most other Southeast Asian economies and lower than the 25% he earlier threatened. While gross domestic product expanded 4.9% last year, the government expects a slowdown to a range of 4%-4.5% this year amid heightened global volatility. Read more: Malaysian Growth Surprises as Manufacturing Defies US Tariff “Particular focus will be given to the impact of the country’s exports to the United States worth 233.1 bil...
With a market cap of $3.5 trillion , Microsoft Corporation ( MSFT ) is a global technology company that develops and supports a wide range of software, cloud services, devices, and solutions across productivity, business, cloud computing, and personal computing. It delivers products and services such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows, LinkedIn, Dynamics, and Xbox through OEMs, partners, and digital...
With a market cap of $3.5 trillion , Microsoft Corporation ( MSFT ) is a global technology company that develops and supports a wide range of software, cloud services, devices, and solutions across productivity, business, cloud computing, and personal computing. It delivers products and services such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows, LinkedIn, Dynamics, and Xbox through OEMs, partners, and digital and retail channels worldwide. Shares of the Redmond, Washington-based company have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks. MSFT stock has increased 5.9% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ( $SPX ) has gained 13.9% . Moreover, shares of Microsoft have declined 2.8% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's 1.5% rise. Looking closer, the software maker stock has also underperformed the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF's ( XLK ) return of 22.1% over the past 52 weeks. Despite beating expectations with Q1 2026 adjusted EPS of $4.13 and revenue of $77.67 billion on Oct. 29, Microsoft’s shares fell 2.9% the next day Investors focused on profitability pressures from AI investments, notably $3.1 billion ($0.41 per share) in losses related to OpenAI that weighed on GAAP results. For the fiscal year ending in June 2026, analysts expect MSFT's adjusted EPS to grow 16.4% year-over-year to $15.87. The company's earnings surprise history is promising. It beat the consensus estimates in the last four quarters. Among the 49 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Strong Buy.” That’s based on 41 “Strong Buys,” five “Moderate Buy” ratings, and three “Holds.” On Jan. 26, Raymond James reiterated a “Outperform” rating on MSFT stock with a $600 price target . The mean price target of $621.87 represents a premium of 32.2% to MSFT's current price. The Street-high price target of $678 suggests a 44.2% potential upside.
With a market cap of $3.5 trillion, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is a global technology company that develops and supports a wide range of software, cloud services, devices, and solutions across productivity, business, cloud computing, and personal computing. It delivers products and services such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows, LinkedIn, Dynamics, and Xbox through OEMs, partners, and digital an...
With a market cap of $3.5 trillion, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is a global technology company that develops and supports a wide range of software, cloud services, devices, and solutions across productivity, business, cloud computing, and personal computing. It delivers products and services such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows, LinkedIn, Dynamics, and Xbox through OEMs, partners, and digital and retail channels worldwide. Shares of the Redmond, Washington-based company have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks. MSFT stock has increased 5.9% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has gained 13.9%. Moreover, shares of Microsoft have declined 2.8% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's 1.5% rise. More News from Barchart Looking closer, the software maker stock has also underperformed the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF's (XLK) return of 22.1% over the past 52 weeks. www.barchart.com Despite beating expectations with Q1 2026 adjusted EPS of $4.13 and revenue of $77.67 billion on Oct. 29, Microsoft’s shares fell 2.9% the next day Investors focused on profitability pressures from AI investments, notably $3.1 billion ($0.41 per share) in losses related to OpenAI that weighed on GAAP results. For the fiscal year ending in June 2026, analysts expect MSFT's adjusted EPS to grow 16.4% year-over-year to $15.87. The company's earnings surprise history is promising. It beat the consensus estimates in the last four quarters. Among the 49 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Strong Buy.” That’s based on 41 “Strong Buys,” five “Moderate Buy” ratings, and three “Holds.” www.barchart.com On Jan. 26, Raymond James reiterated a “Outperform” rating on MSFT stock with a $600 price target. The mean price target of $621.87 represents a premium of 32.2% to MSFT's current price. The Street-high price target of $678 suggests a 44.2% potential upside. On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly ...
Olivier Le Moal/iStock via Getty Images The following segment was excerpted from the Highwood Value Partners H2 2025 Letter To Investors. Burford Capital ( BUR ) is our UK listed global market leader in litigation finance. The company makes money by funding select commercial litigation claims in exchange for a share of the settlement or court awarded judgement and by generating fees on third party...
Olivier Le Moal/iStock via Getty Images The following segment was excerpted from the Highwood Value Partners H2 2025 Letter To Investors. Burford Capital ( BUR ) is our UK listed global market leader in litigation finance. The company makes money by funding select commercial litigation claims in exchange for a share of the settlement or court awarded judgement and by generating fees on third party capital. The original thesis is here and details of the judgement against Argentina in 2023 here. Fundamentals vs thesis. Burford has compounded book value per share and realized cash proceeds from litigation matters settled and adjudicated ahead of my original underwriting assumptions. The best measure of fundamental progress of the core business ex YPF is the cash “run-off” value of the existing book of claims, which incorporates both realizations (cash in) and deployments (cash out) as well as a rate of return assumption on those deployments. My estimate of that value has increased from c. $9 to c.$12.50 per share. Meanwhile the share price is essentially unchanged from our original purchase price of $9.50. The other major asset we own through Burford is a proportional share in the YPF claim. Here, the progress to date is in line with the best case scenario I had initially envisaged. After nearly a decade of litigation, we have a clear judgement overwhelmingly in our favor and quantification of damages at the high end of my estimate. As such, our assessment of fair value has increased meaningfully over the past 3 years. Why does this opportunity exist? First, Burford is the only listed business of its kind, which means analysts have very little to compare it with and little precedent for its business model and economics. Second, earnings are difficult to forecast because the timing of realizations is dependent on the courts not the business cycle – a positive in my view. Finally, the developments in the YPF case tend to be taken out of context and draw attention away fr...
Retail sentiment around major ETFs such as SPY and QQQ stayed bearish on Stocktwits. Wall Street remains steady ahead of the Fed decision and a heavy earnings slate. Investors will also watch for remarks from President Trump, scheduled to speak in Iowa later today. UnitedHealth (UNH), RTX Corp (RTX), Boeing (BA), UPS (UPS), General Motors (GM), and American Airlines (AAL) are on the earnings radar...
Retail sentiment around major ETFs such as SPY and QQQ stayed bearish on Stocktwits. Wall Street remains steady ahead of the Fed decision and a heavy earnings slate. Investors will also watch for remarks from President Trump, scheduled to speak in Iowa later today. UnitedHealth (UNH), RTX Corp (RTX), Boeing (BA), UPS (UPS), General Motors (GM), and American Airlines (AAL) are on the earnings radar today. U.S. stock futures were largely higher early Tuesday, as investors prepared for a busy stretch of the fourth-quarter earnings season and the Federal Reserve’s first policy meeting of 2026 this week. As of 3:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Nasdaq futures were up 0.6%, S&P 500 futures were up 0.3%, and Russell 2000 futures were up 0.4%. However, the Dow futures were flat with a negative bias. Meanwhile, retail sentiment toward the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index, moderated to ‘bearish’ from 'extremely bearish’ a day ago, and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) ETF, which tracks the Nasdaq 100 Index, has remained ‘bearish,’ amid high message volumes. Investors will also be watching for remarks from President Trump, who is scheduled to speak in Iowa later today. Trending Stocks To Watch Meta Platforms (META): Reports suggest the company is testing new subscription models across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Micron (MU): The stock is in focus after announcing plans to invest $24 billion over 10 years in a NAND manufacturing facility in Singapore. It expects to begin wafer output in the second half of 2028. Google (GOOGL): The company has reportedly agreed to pay $68 million to settle claims related to unauthorized recordings of its voice assistant, without admitting wrongdoing. Microsoft (MSFT): Local officials in Wisconsin have approved 15 additional data centers in the region. Amazon Web Services (AMZN): It has secured a $581 million U.S. Air Force Cloud One contract. Salesforce, Inc (CRM): The stock jumped 1.5% in extended trading on ...
US allies are shifting their focus to Beijing as Donald Trump doubles down on his tariff threats. After fresh US warnings, the year has started with a diplomatic rush to Beijing as European, Asian, and North American leaders seek stability through bilateral engagement with China. South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung kicked off the diplomatic pivot in early January. As the first South Korean presi...
US allies are shifting their focus to Beijing as Donald Trump doubles down on his tariff threats. After fresh US warnings, the year has started with a diplomatic rush to Beijing as European, Asian, and North American leaders seek stability through bilateral engagement with China. South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung kicked off the diplomatic pivot in early January. As the first South Korean president to visit China since 2019, his trip cemented a thaw in relations. Irish Taoiseach Micheál...
ipuwadol/iStock via Getty Images Private equity activity continued to gradually rise in 2025 as the amount of capital deployed into new deals and the number of portfolio company investments exited both increased over prior-year totals. The aggregate value of private equity and venture capital entries globally increased 20% to $468.51 billion in 2025 from $390.08 billion in 2024, according to S&P G...
ipuwadol/iStock via Getty Images Private equity activity continued to gradually rise in 2025 as the amount of capital deployed into new deals and the number of portfolio company investments exited both increased over prior-year totals. The aggregate value of private equity and venture capital entries globally increased 20% to $468.51 billion in 2025 from $390.08 billion in 2024, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. It was the second consecutive annual increase in announced deal value. Private equity exits also increased in 2025, totaling 3,149 globally, marking a 5.4% increase from the 2024 total, according to Market Intelligence data. The back-to-back annual increases in capital deployment and exit volume followed a two-year downturn for both of those key private equity metrics, and they indicate the private equity investment cycle is revving up again. But that acceleration has come at a cost: even as the number of exits increased in 2025, the announced value of those deals decreased 21.2% year-over-year, generating lower profits for fund managers and their investors. 'Swollen portfolios' Fund managers who delayed deals during the downturn are now exiting portfolio companies at lower-than-expected valuations just to keep the private equity flywheel spinning, said Steven Siesser, a managing partner at Lowenstein Sandler and chair of the law firm's private equity practice. "By and large, values are down except for the handful of hot sectors," Siesser said. Exits remain critical to fundraising. They trigger a distribution of profits to private equity fund investors, known as limited partners. Limited partners typically recycle some of those profits into new fund commitments, and the scarcity of exits during the industry’s recent downturn continues to hamper private equity fundraising. Private equity portfolio company holding times extended across a variety of sectors in 2025. "There are still a lot of swollen portfolios. I’m aware of funds who have five, ...
Quantum computing is growing, but it's still a work in progress. Technology investors have won big in the past by spotting new technologies and getting in early on companies developing or benefiting from them. Think internet companies several years ago, or in more recent times, social media players and artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. And that's why the area of quantum computing has caught the...
Quantum computing is growing, but it's still a work in progress. Technology investors have won big in the past by spotting new technologies and getting in early on companies developing or benefiting from them. Think internet companies several years ago, or in more recent times, social media players and artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. And that's why the area of quantum computing has caught the attention of investors over the past couple of years. Quantum computing offers the possibility of solving problems that are impossible for even today's most advanced supercomputers. So these computers could be one of the world's next game-changing technologies. With this in mind, is quantum computing pure play Rigetti Computing (RGTI 7.21%) stock a buy for 2026? Let's find out. Classical vs quantum computing First, a quick bit about quantum computing. The technology, relying on the ideas of quantum mechanics, involves the interaction of subatomic particles to solve problems. While classical computers use bits to process data as 0s and 1s, quantum computers use qubits, which can process data as a 0, a 1, or both at the same time. This allows these machines to scale exponentially and achieve speed and scope that's not possible with today's classical computers. Many companies are involved in the field, from tech giants such as Microsoft to pure play companies focused uniquely on this technology. Rigetti is a pure play company and far from a new kid on the block in this area. This quantum specialist was founded back in 2013 and has since launched 18 quantum systems. Rigetti is vertically integrated, meaning it handles the entire process, from chip design and manufacturing to deployment in the cloud. This is a strength, and sets Rigetti apart from rivals, as it offers the company more control over its progress and favors speed-to-market. And speaking of speed, the company's technology, using superconducting qubits, also is known for its fast processing of information -- though ...
NATO Secretary General Admits EU Incapable Of Defense Without US Help The globalist frenzy of the Davos Summit is subsiding and the geopolitical world is left to ponder (and question) some of the more "optimistic" comments made by world leaders. One such claim was made by Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who argued that Europe 'unequivocally' has the ability to defend itself without US support. ...
NATO Secretary General Admits EU Incapable Of Defense Without US Help The globalist frenzy of the Davos Summit is subsiding and the geopolitical world is left to ponder (and question) some of the more "optimistic" comments made by world leaders. One such claim was made by Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who argued that Europe 'unequivocally' has the ability to defend itself without US support. The claim coincided with the Finnish leader's assertion that a " new world order" is rising with the UN at the helm. NOW - Finland's President, Alexander Stubb, says Europe can "unequivocally" defend itself, without the Americans. pic.twitter.com/AeHFshxBr5 — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 21, 2026 The suggestion has, of course, drawn scrutiny as being overly optimistic. Stubb tried to qualify his argument with the assertion that Finland has the best cold weather troops in the world and the future of warfare is focused on the Arctic Circle. An army accustomed to cold weather warfare is certainly useful, but that does not mean they are accustomed to attrition warfare - A strategic method which is serving the Russians well in Ukraine and a method western armies have not trained for since the conflict in Korea in 1950. Finland claims to be able to field an army of 1 million through mandated conscription, but unwilling conscripts and trained soldiers are two very different things. Currently, the country's army consists of only 24,000 active duty personnel. Russia has 1.32 million, many of them battle tested after years in Ukraine. Furthermore, the Russians have now adapted to the demands of drone warfare. This is something European armies are still integrating, and with no real world experience. Stubb's assertions are absurd, but it is this kind of fantasy mentality that is driving Europe to rattle their sabers against Russia at a time when they can't even fill basic recruitment quotas and the average citizen with the ability to fight has no interest in dying for the existin...