Combination of US and Spanish companies would create $40bn fashion and beauty group Business live – latest updates US cosmetics company Estée Lauder is in talks over a potential merger with Spanish group Puig, the owner of brands including Jean Paul Gaultier and Rabanne, to create a $40bn fashion and beauty giant. Estée Lauder is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of skin care, makeup and fr...
Combination of US and Spanish companies would create $40bn fashion and beauty group Business live – latest updates US cosmetics company Estée Lauder is in talks over a potential merger with Spanish group Puig, the owner of brands including Jean Paul Gaultier and Rabanne, to create a $40bn fashion and beauty giant. Estée Lauder is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of skin care, makeup and fragrances with a portfolio that includes Clinique, Bobbi Brown and Tom Ford Beauty. Continue reading...
champpixs/iStock via Getty Images Transcript This week, I want to talk about the changes that we’re making to BlackRock's tactical investment views. 1) A durable disruption First: the backdrop. The energy forward market is now pricing in a durable disruption, reflecting the attack on energy infrastructure in the region that will take time to recover from and a possible prolonged closure of the Str...
champpixs/iStock via Getty Images Transcript This week, I want to talk about the changes that we’re making to BlackRock's tactical investment views. 1) A durable disruption First: the backdrop. The energy forward market is now pricing in a durable disruption, reflecting the attack on energy infrastructure in the region that will take time to recover from and a possible prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This ushers in a supercharged version of a world shaped by supply. And unless there is tangible evidence of action that could shorten the duration of this broad supply disruption, in our view there is little basis to think that the market expectations for elevated energy prices next year are too high. These levels represent an inflation, growth and rate shock that is not consistent with overall risk asset pricing at the moment. Meanwhile, the calculus facing central banks, including the Fed, has become more challenging. And the window for the Fed to have cover for their rate cuts is closing. 2) Dialing down risk-taking - for now Second: so, what are the changes? We dial down risk-taking tactically. In equities, we bring U.S. equities broadly from modest overweight to neutral, noting that it’s actually not that far away from the all-time high hit in January. We also bring Japanese equities down from modest overweight to neutral, given its outsized reliance on energy. It’s still up high single digits on the year, so locking in some gains here and [remembering] we went overweight in 2023 midyear. So across equities we’re now flat, neutral - for now. In fixed income, especially in [the] Treasuries market, we continue to favor the front end and the belly of the curve over long-dated Treasuries. We also bring up short-duration European government bonds from neutral to modest overweight to add a bit of cash buffer, and also [recognizing] that market repricing for ECB hikes has been very notable. 3) Looking ahead Third: looking ahead. While things could get worse sti...
International Energy Agency Pushes Rationing Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times, The International Energy Agency in Paris has released a new and urgent document that it wishes all nations with energy struggles to adopt. Many are doing that now. The website even maintains a spreadsheet updated daily to celebrate the countries that are following its plan for controlling energy use. Befor...
International Energy Agency Pushes Rationing Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times, The International Energy Agency in Paris has released a new and urgent document that it wishes all nations with energy struggles to adopt. Many are doing that now. The website even maintains a spreadsheet updated daily to celebrate the countries that are following its plan for controlling energy use. Before explaining why none of this will work, let’s look at what they are suggesting. Seeming out of nowhere, the head of the IEA, Dr. Fatih Birol, is being quoted in the high-end press as the world’s expert. His Wikipedia page says that he is from Turkey but works closely with China on the “energy transition.” Indeed, he has been a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering since 2013. Inspired by the manner in which governments were able to control communication and people during the COVID crisis, the IEA advises the following: 1. Work from home where possible. You read that right: we are back to languishing at home and consuming entertainment through laptops. Some governments (Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Philippines) have already adopted this policy loosely, with new measures such as four-day work weeks. IEA comments: “Displaces oil use from commuting, particularly where jobs are suitable for remote work.” 2. Reduce highway speed limits by at least 10 km/h. That means lowering all speed limits by 6-7 miles per hour, which is really nothing more than a method to create an annoyance. The IEA says “lower speeds reduce fuel use for passenger cars, vans and trucks,” but is that even true? Not always. Boggy traffic creates more stop/start situations that cause more gas consumption. 3. Encourage public transport. That exhortation has been the dream of city planners for probably 50 years. Not everyone can do this of course and a mandate like that will cause many just to stay home. In this case, IEA is probably correct: “A shift from private cars to buses and trains can quickly re...
Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) stock is outperforming broad market indexes in 2026. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of March 20, 2026. The video was published on March 22, 2026. Continue reading
Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) stock is outperforming broad market indexes in 2026. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of March 20, 2026. The video was published on March 22, 2026. Continue reading
Vita Coco Company (COCO) saw its shares surge in the last session with trading volume being higher than average. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions could translate into further price increase in the near term.
Vita Coco Company (COCO) saw its shares surge in the last session with trading volume being higher than average. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions could translate into further price increase in the near term.
Russia has temporarily suspended exports of ammonium nitrate, further tightening the global supply of crop nutrients already strained by the Iran war. The Agriculture Ministry has paused exports from March 21 to April 21, Tass newswire reported, citing a government statement. Supplies under intergovernmental agreements are exempt. “The suspension of exports will allow priority supply to the domest...
Russia has temporarily suspended exports of ammonium nitrate, further tightening the global supply of crop nutrients already strained by the Iran war. The Agriculture Ministry has paused exports from March 21 to April 21, Tass newswire reported, citing a government statement. Supplies under intergovernmental agreements are exempt. “The suspension of exports will allow priority supply to the domestic market during the spring fieldwork period and ensure its uninterrupted progress amid rising export demand for nitrogen fertilizers,” the ministry said. The announcement comes as global flows of fertilizers have been disrupted by the Iran war. The Strait of Hormuz — a crucial maritime transit point linking the Persian Gulf to the open ocean — has been effectively closed since the conflict erupted at the end of February. The waterway handles about one-third of the global fertilizer trade. The supply risks are compounded as China, the top producer of nutrients, has also curbed exports . The impact of the supply snarls is heightened because Northern Hemisphere farmers usually ramp up application of the nutrients during the spring planting period. The shortages could increase competition for the limited available fertilizer stocks — boosting farmers’ costs and eventually flowing through to higher food costs. Russia, the world’s second-largest fertilizer producer, accounts for about 20% of the global nutrient trade. The country produced 28.9 million tons of nitrogen fertilizers last year, but has already limited exports to prioritize domestic supply. The country set an export quota of about 10.6 million tons of nitrogen fertilizers, including ammonium nitrate from Dec. 1, 2025, through May this year. Typically urea makes up the largest volumes of Russia’s exports. The nation’s nitrogen fertilizer production capacity has also been affected by the war with Ukraine, as plants are often targeted by drones. Dorogobuzh PJSC, which produces about 2 million metric tons of nitrogen nut...
Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone and electric vehicle (EV) maker, reported that fourth-quarter net profit dropped 27 per cent from a year earlier, as weaker sales cut into margins. Profit fell to 6.5 billion yuan (US$943 million), a 47 per cent plunge from the previous quarter and the lowest quarterly number in a year. It was also the first quarter-on-quarter decline since the second quarter of 2024...
Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone and electric vehicle (EV) maker, reported that fourth-quarter net profit dropped 27 per cent from a year earlier, as weaker sales cut into margins. Profit fell to 6.5 billion yuan (US$943 million), a 47 per cent plunge from the previous quarter and the lowest quarterly number in a year. It was also the first quarter-on-quarter decline since the second quarter of 2024. Fourth-quarter revenue rose 7.3 per cent from a year earlier and 3 per cent compared with the...
Monty Rakusen The S&P Global UK Manufacturing PMI eased to 51.4 in March from 51.7 in February, compared to expectations of a drop to 50.1, preliminary estimates showed on Tuesday. This marked the slowest pace of expansion in three months, as output growth slowed and goods producers cited the war in the Middle East as weighing on global demand. The S&P Global UK Services PMI fell to 51.2 in March ...
Monty Rakusen The S&P Global UK Manufacturing PMI eased to 51.4 in March from 51.7 in February, compared to expectations of a drop to 50.1, preliminary estimates showed on Tuesday. This marked the slowest pace of expansion in three months, as output growth slowed and goods producers cited the war in the Middle East as weighing on global demand. The S&P Global UK Services PMI fell to 51.2 in March from 53.9 in the previous month, firmly below market expectations that it would ease to 53 to mark the softest pace of expansion since September of last year, according to a flash estimate. The S&P Global UK Composite PMI fell to 51.0 in March 2026, down from 53.7 in February and below expectations of 52.9, according to preliminary data. This marks the slowest output growth since September 2025, as both services and manufacturing activity weakened. New business inflows declined for the first time in four months, with firms attributing the drop to falling confidence amid the Middle East conflict, rising inflation, and expectations of higher borrowing costs. ETFs: (NYSEARCA: FXB ), (NYSEARCA: EWU ), (NASDAQ: FKU ), (BATS: EWUS ), (NYSEARCA: FLGB ) Currency: ( GBP:USD) More on the United Kingdom, etc. Technical Levels For Major FX Pairs Ahead Of The FOMC U.S. Tariffs: A New Trade War? GBP/USD At The Crossroads: Will Cable Break The 1.3437 Resistance? European markets rebound amid elevated oil prices EU car sales rebound in February, EVs capture rising share
BofA's Winnie Wu says investors are starting to price in prolonged inflationary pressure. She tells Bloomberg Television that the current environment highlights the importance of diversifying positions.
BofA's Winnie Wu says investors are starting to price in prolonged inflationary pressure. She tells Bloomberg Television that the current environment highlights the importance of diversifying positions.