tifonimages/iStock via Getty Images Originally Published on April 2, 2026 Copper sits at the heart of grid expansion, EV adoption, and AI infrastructure, making it a key investment theme as global electrification accelerates. Copper Is Emerging as a Strategic Bottleneck in Electrification Copper is widely viewed as a critical material for global electrification. Demand is being supported by grid m...
tifonimages/iStock via Getty Images Originally Published on April 2, 2026 Copper sits at the heart of grid expansion, EV adoption, and AI infrastructure, making it a key investment theme as global electrification accelerates. Copper Is Emerging as a Strategic Bottleneck in Electrification Copper is widely viewed as a critical material for global electrification. Demand is being supported by grid modernization, electric vehicle (EV) adoption, and the expansion of AI-powered data centers. Each of these trends requires significant electricity infrastructure, which in turn relies on copper. Electrification is often described as a materials-driven shift, and copper sits at the center of that transition. It is used across power systems, transportation, and digital infrastructure. As investment in electricity networks increases, copper demand is becoming more closely linked to long-term infrastructure buildout rather than only short-term industrial cycles. This evolving role contributes to a more complex investment case. Copper may offer exposure to structural growth trends, but it remains influenced by cyclical conditions and company-specific execution factors. Why Copper Matters for Grid Expansion, EVs, and AI Infrastructure Copper is essential to electrification because of its conductivity, durability, and broad applicability. It is used throughout the power ecosystem, including generation, transmission, distribution, EV systems, charging infrastructure, and data centers. Electrification tends to increase copper intensity. Expanding and modernizing grids requires upgrades to transmission lines, substations, and distribution networks. EVs generally require more copper than internal combustion vehicles. Data centers, particularly those supporting AI workloads, depend on both direct copper inputs and significant supporting power infrastructure. Global grid investment has been increasing as countries upgrade aging systems, expand capacity, and integrate renewable energy. At...
I’ve nothing against astronauts or scientific innovation. But what’s the point of Artemis II? It is absolutely self-evident to me that space exploration is pointless, and the more urgent the crises besetting this planet we live on, the more pointless it becomes. I can see why people got excited about it in the 1960s, back when the world was young and we still thought there might be little green pe...
I’ve nothing against astronauts or scientific innovation. But what’s the point of Artemis II? It is absolutely self-evident to me that space exploration is pointless, and the more urgent the crises besetting this planet we live on, the more pointless it becomes. I can see why people got excited about it in the 1960s, back when the world was young and we still thought there might be little green people out there – who wouldn’t want to meet them? Most serious opinion, however, has now settled on the “Where is everybody?” paradox first framed by the physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950. If there is intelligent life anywhere, why has it not sought to make contact? It’s because there isn’t. There’s nothing out there except planets infinitely less beautiful than this one we live on. All that seems pretty uncontroversial, and I almost never mention it, except for when astronauts yet again pointlessly go into space, as with the latest moon mission. Here’s what I’ve noticed: people get really annoyed. I have loads of opinions way more vexatious than that one, yet none of them attract the same ire. Everyone’s annoyed for a different reason – some of them think I’m deliberately setting out to ruin a festivity; others act as though I’m opposing innovation and modernity, which I absolutely am not. They point to all the discoveries that wouldn’t have been made without the space-based wanderlust, most of which seem to involve finding better ways to kill each other, and then they mourn the kind of world I want to live in, where nobody can see beyond their own horizon. Continue reading...
Marcos Orellana, a special rapporteur, found lax environmental standards and lack of oversight allowed pollution to accumulate Mexico is facing a “toxic crisis” and has become a “garbage sink” for the US, exposing Mexican communities to dangerous pollution, a UN expert has warned. In an interview with the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab, an investigative outlet, Marcos Orellana, an environmental ...
Marcos Orellana, a special rapporteur, found lax environmental standards and lack of oversight allowed pollution to accumulate Mexico is facing a “toxic crisis” and has become a “garbage sink” for the US, exposing Mexican communities to dangerous pollution, a UN expert has warned. In an interview with the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab, an investigative outlet, Marcos Orellana, an environmental specialist, said pollutants ranging from imported waste to dangerous pesticides are affecting people’s right to live healthy lives. Continue reading...
Eighty-five countries have sought a roadmap to phasing out fossil fuels. A conference this month offers hope they could unite This article is published as part of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now The Iran war is also a climate war . Beyond its terrible human costs, the war’s disruptions of oil, gas, fertilizer and other shipments is another reminder of the risks inherent in...
Eighty-five countries have sought a roadmap to phasing out fossil fuels. A conference this month offers hope they could unite This article is published as part of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now The Iran war is also a climate war . Beyond its terrible human costs, the war’s disruptions of oil, gas, fertilizer and other shipments is another reminder of the risks inherent in basing the world economy on fossil fuels. The war’s jets, missiles and aircraft carriers, and the tankers, refineries and buildings they blow up, represent millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions that further imperil a climate system that is already “very close” to a point of no return, scientists say , after which runaway global warming could not be stopped. Nevertheless, petrostate leaders around the world continue doing their utmost to stave off a desperately needed course correction. Now, a little noticed ray of hope may be peeking over the horizon. Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope are co-founders of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now Continue reading...
World champions have a large try-scoring hole to fill and a rejigged side searching for eighth title win in a row How do you solve a problem like replacing Abby Dow? Yes, it is a different take on the Sound of Music song but it is a fiendish question to answer. The Red Roses winger retired after the Rugby World Cup, leaving a try-scoring hole in the world champions’ squad, whose next task is to tr...
World champions have a large try-scoring hole to fill and a rejigged side searching for eighth title win in a row How do you solve a problem like replacing Abby Dow? Yes, it is a different take on the Sound of Music song but it is a fiendish question to answer. The Red Roses winger retired after the Rugby World Cup, leaving a try-scoring hole in the world champions’ squad, whose next task is to try to win their eighth straight Women’s Six Nations title. And so while Julie Andrews’ character realised she was not a problem after all, the England head coach, John Mitchell, is left with a selection headache before his team start their campaign against Ireland on Saturday. Dow scored 50 tries in 59 caps, with her lightning pace a key characteristic to her game. She retired to pursue a career in engineering and her boots are large ones to fill. The issue, though, is not that there are no contenders to take on the jersey, it is more of who the Red Roses will select. Continue reading...
kynny/iStock via Getty Images I was looking at the educational article I wrote on the Invesco Semiconductors ETF ( PSI ) in January, and since then the fund's total return has been 6.5%. Not bad for a period of less than a quarter, and it seems like there's plenty of life left in it. Another interesting ETF that I've been planning to cover is the Xtrackers Semiconductor Select Equity ETF ( CHPS ),...
kynny/iStock via Getty Images I was looking at the educational article I wrote on the Invesco Semiconductors ETF ( PSI ) in January, and since then the fund's total return has been 6.5%. Not bad for a period of less than a quarter, and it seems like there's plenty of life left in it. Another interesting ETF that I've been planning to cover is the Xtrackers Semiconductor Select Equity ETF ( CHPS ), a much younger and smaller ETF that also seems to have legs. Seeking Alpha Since both these ETFs address the same niche but in different ways, I decided to see which one is the better pick for now. The spoiler is that PSI seems to be the smarter option, but where's this edge coming from? That's what we're about to find out. PSI and CHPS Basics Let's get the nuts and bolts out of the way before we get into the real comparison. PSI was incepted on June 23, 2005, so it's more than two decades old. CHPS is much newer, having seen its first trading day on July 12, 2023. PSI is also much larger, with an AUM of $1.32 billion against CHPS's almost minuscule $41.7 million. That's not necessarily a disadvantage, but shared liquidity might be. CHPS is traded much more thinly at $1.2 million in average daily dollar volume, compared to ~$20 million a day for PSI, which may be good or not depending on the size of your position. PSI is more concentrated than CHPS, but not because of the weight of the top 10 holdings, which is what anyone might assume. The concentration actually comes from holding far fewer equities - 32 for PSI against 53 for CHPS. What's important is that the higher concentration of PSI doesn't mean higher risk because asset turnover is one way to mitigate that risk. That checks, because PSI has a 78% annual turnover (trailing), and CHPS looks a lot more conservative at 19%. What's happening here is that the fund managers at PSI (or Invesco Capital Management, more specifically) are applying a more active rebalancing strategy than the folks over at DBX Advisors. Both ET...
China is expanding its agricultural trade with Ukraine with further opening of its wheat flour market, a move that underscores its pragmatism and balanced diplomacy as it also increases energy imports from Russia. On Monday, China’s ambassador to Ukraine, Ma Shengkun, signed a protocol with Ukrainian officials regarding inspection, quarantine and sanitary requirements for the export of Ukrainian w...
China is expanding its agricultural trade with Ukraine with further opening of its wheat flour market, a move that underscores its pragmatism and balanced diplomacy as it also increases energy imports from Russia. On Monday, China’s ambassador to Ukraine, Ma Shengkun, signed a protocol with Ukrainian officials regarding inspection, quarantine and sanitary requirements for the export of Ukrainian wheat flour to China, the embassy in Kyiv said in a social media post . The agreement would broaden...
A Taoist priest in China, dressed in a traditional Taoist robe and holding a trifold mobile phone, recently garnered attention on social media, not only for his impressive academic background but also for his life advice resonating with the younger generation. Zhang Gaocheng, 74, serves as the deputy director of the Taoist Association of China, the highest-level semi-government organisation of the...
A Taoist priest in China, dressed in a traditional Taoist robe and holding a trifold mobile phone, recently garnered attention on social media, not only for his impressive academic background but also for his life advice resonating with the younger generation. Zhang Gaocheng, 74, serves as the deputy director of the Taoist Association of China, the highest-level semi-government organisation of the religion. He came into the spotlight after attending the Chinese People’s Political Consultative...
PRAGUE, April 07, 2026--Felix (felix.so), the AI workflow platform designed to run complex professional services operations without constant human oversight, today announced $1.7M in pre-seed funding led by XYZ Venture Capital, with participation from angel investors including current and former leaders and founders at Amazon, Apple, Palantir, FlexPort, Yelp and Midjourney. Already deployed at maj...
PRAGUE, April 07, 2026--Felix (felix.so), the AI workflow platform designed to run complex professional services operations without constant human oversight, today announced $1.7M in pre-seed funding led by XYZ Venture Capital, with participation from angel investors including current and former leaders and founders at Amazon, Apple, Palantir, FlexPort, Yelp and Midjourney. Already deployed at major legal, finance, and insurance firms, the company will use the funding to expand product capabilit
CHICAGO, April 07, 2026--Monroe Capital LLC ("Monroe") announced it acted as sole lead arranger and administrative agent on the funding of a senior credit facility to support the acquisition of The Opus Group ("Opus") by private equity sponsor EagleTree Capital.
CHICAGO, April 07, 2026--Monroe Capital LLC ("Monroe") announced it acted as sole lead arranger and administrative agent on the funding of a senior credit facility to support the acquisition of The Opus Group ("Opus") by private equity sponsor EagleTree Capital.
It's not just oil and gas that are affected by the Iran war. All sorts of shortages and price spikes are starting to pop up that stand to affect people's daily lives. (Image credit: Brent Jones)
It's not just oil and gas that are affected by the Iran war. All sorts of shortages and price spikes are starting to pop up that stand to affect people's daily lives. (Image credit: Brent Jones)
H.I.G. Capital appointed Brian Schwartz as chief executive officer, making him the firm’s first non-founder to lead the private equity firm, according to a statement reviewed by Bloomberg News. Schwartz is set to take over from co-founder Sami Mnaymneh , who will become executive chairman, a role he will share with fellow co-founder Tony Tamer . As part of the changes, the firm has promoted Doug B...
H.I.G. Capital appointed Brian Schwartz as chief executive officer, making him the firm’s first non-founder to lead the private equity firm, according to a statement reviewed by Bloomberg News. Schwartz is set to take over from co-founder Sami Mnaymneh , who will become executive chairman, a role he will share with fellow co-founder Tony Tamer . As part of the changes, the firm has promoted Doug Berman , head of US private equity, to co-president alongside Rick Rosen . The leadership change comes as the Miami-based private equity firm pushes toward a previously undisclosed goal of $100 billion in assets under management within three years, Schwartz said. H.I.G. currently has $74 billion of capital under management. “That growth is important because our scale really gives us a competitive advantage,” he said. Founded more than three decades ago by Mnaymneh and Tamer, H.I.G. has grown into a global investment firm spanning private equity, credit and real assets, while focusing mostly on the middle-market. H.I.G’s strategy remains unchanged even with the leadership transition. “The middle market is core to our DNA,” Schwartz said. He added that H.I.G. could always grow by acquiring other firms. “We’re open minded about making acquisitions of other GPs in certain strategies that can accentuate our growth in a faster time clip,” he said. The last big alternative asset manager to go public in an initial public offering was TPG Inc. in 2022. Schwartz said H.I.G. isn’t in a hurry to follow. “In terms of going public, we’ll continue to review it on an opportunistic basis,” he said. “I’m quite happy we’re not public right now.” Schwartz joined H.I.G. in 1994 after business school as the firm’s fourth employee, and has served as co-president for the past six years. The transition shifts day-to-day management to Schwartz, supported by Berman and Rosen, while the founders focus more on strategy, growth initiatives and investment committee efforts. “Brian has been instrumental to...
Deutsche Bank AG ’s US distressed products group more than doubled its net profits in the first quarter, partly driven by shorting a basket of software companies debts, according to people familiar with the matter. The team booked more than $100 million in profits for the quarter ending March 31, more than double the gain in the same period last year, said the people, who asked not to be identifie...
Deutsche Bank AG ’s US distressed products group more than doubled its net profits in the first quarter, partly driven by shorting a basket of software companies debts, according to people familiar with the matter. The team booked more than $100 million in profits for the quarter ending March 31, more than double the gain in the same period last year, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The windfall extends the trading desk’s robust performance from last year, when they notched $200 million in profits in a single quarter. A Deutsche Bank spokesperson declined to comment. The gains came amid a turbulent period for traders and investors as the US and Israel initiated a war with Iran, driving up oil prices and sparking inflation concerns. Meanwhile, rapid developments in artificial intelligence triggered a selloff in the stocks, bonds and loans of software companies. Read More: Distressed Software Loans Swell by $18 Billion in Span of Weeks Concerns about how new AI tools could disrupt software businesses led a Bloomberg gauge of junk bonds to post its biggest quarterly loss since mid-2022, while the tech-heavy stock benchmark, the Nasdaq 100 ended the quarter down 6%. The distressed desk’s performance was also fueled by long positions in the debt of closely held telecommunications firm Brightspeed and the equity of chemicals company Tronox Holdings Plc , as well short positions in the debt of Xerox Holdings Corp. The group was involved in arranging a debt deal with movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. to repay its Odeon unit notes and a factoring facility for automotive supplier Marelli, which also bolstered profits. The team also made a pairs-trade on casino operator Caesars Entertainment Inc. , going long on the equity while shorting the debt. The company is back in the spotlight after reportedly attracting a bidding war between billionaire Tilman Fertitta and activist investor Carl Icahn .