Richard Drury Rising geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran are reverberating through global energy markets, driving oil prices higher and complicating the path to price stability and inflation. The latest projections from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) indicate that the surge in energy costs is expected to prolong inflationary pressures across ...
Richard Drury Rising geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran are reverberating through global energy markets, driving oil prices higher and complicating the path to price stability and inflation. The latest projections from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) indicate that the surge in energy costs is expected to prolong inflationary pressures across major economies. According to the OECD, headline inflation in advanced G20 economies is now forecast to reach 4.0% in 2026—1.2 percentage points above prior estimates—largely reflecting elevated oil and energy prices linked to the conflict. While inflation is anticipated to moderate to 2.7% in 2027 as energy markets likely stabilize, the near-term outlook suggests a more persistent inflation environment. At the same time, core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, is projected to ease modestly from 2.6% in 2026 to 2.3% in 2027. However, sustained energy volatility risks delaying broader disinflation, posing ongoing challenges for central banks and policymakers worldwide. See the below chart provided by the OECD: G20 Inflation Outlook (OECD) Argentina: ( ARGT ) Turkiye: ( TUR ) Brazil: ( EWZ ), ( FLBR ), ( BRF ) Mexico: ( EWW ), ( FLMX ), ( MEXX ) United Kingdom: ( EWU ), ( FLGB ), ( EWUS ) South Africa: ( EZA ) Japan: ( EWJ ), ( DXJ ), ( FLJP ), ( JPXN ) Australia: ( EWA ) Germany: ( EWG ), ( FLGR ), ( DAX ) Korea: ( EWY ), ( FLKR ) Canada: ( EWC ), ( FLCA ) Saudi Arabia: ( KSA ), ( FLSA ) Indonesia: ( EIDO ), ( EWS ) Italy: ( EWI ) France: ( EWQ ) China: ( MCHI ), ( FXI ), ( GXC ), ( ASHR ), ( CNYA ) United States: ( SPY ), ( VOO ), ( IVV ), ( RSP ), ( SSO ), ( UPRO ), ( SH ), ( SDS ), ( SPXU ), ( FXAIX ), ( VFIAX ), ( VFFSX ), and ( SWPPX ). More on markets Exxon Mobil tops Nvidia in valuation amid the ongoing Middle East conflict Consumer staples stocks flash oversold signals as sector slides AI boom and an economic bust: Citrini Scenario gains momen...
Recurring applications for US unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in almost two years, declining by 32,000 to 1.819 million in the week ended March 14. Initial claims increased by 5,000 last week, to 210,000. Michael McKee reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
Recurring applications for US unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in almost two years, declining by 32,000 to 1.819 million in the week ended March 14. Initial claims increased by 5,000 last week, to 210,000. Michael McKee reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
A 34-year-old woman has been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of concealing a child’s birth after a newborn boy was found abandoned in a toilet rubbish bin and later declared dead at hospital. Wan Chai district crime squad officers arrested the woman in Eastern district on Thursday. She was held for questioning. A cleaner at Lee Theatre Plaza on Percival Street in Causeway Bay discovered the inf...
A 34-year-old woman has been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of concealing a child’s birth after a newborn boy was found abandoned in a toilet rubbish bin and later declared dead at hospital. Wan Chai district crime squad officers arrested the woman in Eastern district on Thursday. She was held for questioning. A cleaner at Lee Theatre Plaza on Percival Street in Causeway Bay discovered the infant – umbilical cord still attached – in a rubbish bin inside a cubicle in the women’s restroom at...
My top 10 things to watch Thursday, March 26 1. Oil prices, bond yields and Washington's apparent talks with the Iranian regime are all going the wrong way for the stock market. Futures are pointing to a lower open this morning. Very difficult backdrop to commit a lot of capital. 2. Bernstein with a big call, downgrading Qualcomm to hold from buy. Analysts lowered estimates on concerns that sky-hi...
My top 10 things to watch Thursday, March 26 1. Oil prices, bond yields and Washington's apparent talks with the Iranian regime are all going the wrong way for the stock market. Futures are pointing to a lower open this morning. Very difficult backdrop to commit a lot of capital. 2. Bernstein with a big call, downgrading Qualcomm to hold from buy. Analysts lowered estimates on concerns that sky-high memory prices are pressuring the smartphone market this year. Qualcomm has fallen out of favor. I think Wall Street prefers Arm Holdings here after Arm unveiled its first in-house chip for data centers. That's also a new pursuit for Qualcomm. 3. Adobe is back under fire. William Blair downgraded the stock to a hold from buy, citing on intense AI competition in its core creative cloud business. My take: This is one of those companies that is just way too highly valued for what it does. It charges too much, has no dividend and has declining earnings power. 4. Mizuho started coverage of Tyson Foods with a buy, saying increased protein demand from consumers seeking nutrient-rich diets is a tailwind for the Jimmy Dean owner. Analysts also said Tyson's heavy reinvestment over the past five years to improve its supply chain should make it more profitable. It's an interesting idea, but Tyson is a chronically weak reporter. 5. UBS upgraded Nucor to a buy from hold and upped its price target to $190 from $184. The firm argued the stock's recent decline is overblown and that U.S. steel producers are largely protected from the Iran-U.S. war. I really like this call. Business is very good, but people don't want to buy a steel company in an economic slowdown. They want to buy the drugmakers. 6. Some analysts are going to bat for Celsius after the stock has tumbled 13% this week on headlines about Costco's new, much cheaper Kirkland Signature energy drink. JPMorgan called the sell-off overdone. Citi said private label has historically failed to win share. We still like Costco for the C...
jittawit.21/iStock via Getty Images OPKO Health, Inc. ( OPK ) is one of my oldest positions in my portfolio. It has not been a good performer for me, but I do continue to hold the stock. The company has been going through a transition in the business. It is slimming down and putting more focus back on drug development and getting its pipeline through the FDA approval process. The company has long-...
jittawit.21/iStock via Getty Images OPKO Health, Inc. ( OPK ) is one of my oldest positions in my portfolio. It has not been a good performer for me, but I do continue to hold the stock. The company has been going through a transition in the business. It is slimming down and putting more focus back on drug development and getting its pipeline through the FDA approval process. The company has long-term potential due to that drug pipeline. It has a lot of good candidates and has partnered with a few different companies to help develop and bring those drugs to market. At this point in time, those drug candidates are in the early stages of the process. Nothing is likely to see much movement during 2026. I see the long-term potential but don't see a lot of movement happening in the near future. Diagnostic Business The company operates in two segments, one of those being the diagnostics business. The company is in the process of reducing the size of the operations in the diagnostics business. A big part of that is the sale of the BioReference business. This is a nationwide, full-service clinical laboratory. The company has sold the majority of this business and is now in the process of reducing the headcount and operations. I went into more detail on this process in previous articles . I expect this process will take a good part of 2026 to get fully cleaned up and running efficiently. They are focusing on rightsizing the ship and becoming profitable within the unit. The company completed the sale of the BioReference business during the third quarter, which means that the fourth quarter is the first full quarter since the transaction closed. Management noted on the earnings call that the post-transaction operations represented $300 million in revenue during 2025. They also stated that they expect the BioReference business will "deliver positive operating income and cash flow in 2026." The quarter showed that the company still has some progress to make if they want to hit t...
Skoda entered China in 2005 through a partnership with SAIC Motor Corp. Photo: VCG Volkswagen AG’s Skoda brand will stop selling cars in China by mid-2026, marking another retreat by a legacy global automaker from the world’s most competitive auto market. Volkswagen Group China confirmed the decision on March 26, saying Skoda will pivot to faster-growing markets such as India and Southeast Asia. T...
Skoda entered China in 2005 through a partnership with SAIC Motor Corp. Photo: VCG Volkswagen AG’s Skoda brand will stop selling cars in China by mid-2026, marking another retreat by a legacy global automaker from the world’s most competitive auto market. Volkswagen Group China confirmed the decision on March 26, saying Skoda will pivot to faster-growing markets such as India and Southeast Asia. The brand has struggled to keep pace with China’s rapid shift to electric vehicles and bruising price competition.
Despite the sluggish start to 2026, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) remains at the very front of the AI chip race, and its CEO Jensen Huang arguably remain the face of the AI revolution. With Vera Rubin chips ahead, and circular deals that might actually be creating great loyalty on the part of firms getting in on the ... NVIDIA Owns the Spotlight, But the Smart Money is Moving Downstream
Despite the sluggish start to 2026, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) remains at the very front of the AI chip race, and its CEO Jensen Huang arguably remain the face of the AI revolution. With Vera Rubin chips ahead, and circular deals that might actually be creating great loyalty on the part of firms getting in on the ... NVIDIA Owns the Spotlight, But the Smart Money is Moving Downstream