Attracting talent to Hong Kong has been a core mission for the city’s leaders for several years. A human resources mega-event that began this week is showcasing to the world how their efforts are taking root and forming a diverse international talent ecosystem. The Global Talent Summit Week has drawn more than 7,000 participants and over 130,000 online with an international forum, an expo and nine...
Attracting talent to Hong Kong has been a core mission for the city’s leaders for several years. A human resources mega-event that began this week is showcasing to the world how their efforts are taking root and forming a diverse international talent ecosystem. The Global Talent Summit Week has drawn more than 7,000 participants and over 130,000 online with an international forum, an expo and nine satellite events that include award ceremonies, conferences and recruitment fairs. At the summit’s International Talent Forum, discussions explored how Hong Kong can work more closely with the mainland Chinese cities covered by the Greater Bay Area. One panel looked at ways to integrate overseas and mainland talent in response to economic change. Top academics including a Nobel laureate joined industry leaders in exploring issues ranging from the future of work and the impact of artificial intelligence to the shifting roles of education, innovation and talent development. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu told the forum that Hong Kong had by the end of last month approved over 410,000 applications under talent schemes commenced in 2022. Over 270,000 of the professionals have already settled in the city. The chief executive said Hong Kong had strong support from mainland China under the nation’s latest five-year plan. The city in turn is further aligning itself with national development strategies, leveraging its position as a high-end international talent hub. Advertisement Yu Jiadong, China’s vice-minister of human resources and social security, said Hong Kong’s appeal to global talent is rising. He said the city has a unique position as the “southern gateway” for global talent entering the mainland and the “bridgehead” for Chinese talent going global. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han dismissed concerns that outreach so far has been mostly mainland-focused. He said about one quarter of the fresh recruits arriving in Hong Kong are foreign passport holders. Adv...
On a night of dizzying speed and freakish drama, track and field found itself a new sprint sensation. It came in the form of Jordan Anthony, a 21-year-old American with one heck of a story, along with the first global gold medal around his neck. “The devil is always going to try, but I will never let him stop me from getting a gold medal,” he said after winning one of the great world indoor champi...
On a night of dizzying speed and freakish drama, track and field found itself a new sprint sensation. It came in the form of Jordan Anthony, a 21-year-old American with one heck of a story, along with the first global gold medal around his neck. “The devil is always going to try, but I will never let him stop me from getting a gold medal,” he said after winning one of the great world indoor championships 60m races of all time in 6.41secs, the fourth-fastest time in history. And then it all came gushing out. Just 36 hours before his victory, Anthony had been left with a blood clot that he claimed was “the size of a soccer ball” after a doping control officer accidentally injected the needle in the wrong place in his arm. While a swift intervention from US track and field doctors had reduced the swelling, Anthony had found himself unable to sleep on that side, or able to move his arm properly, before the biggest race of his young life. “When they took blood, he didn’t stick it in my vein but outside, so I got a clot the size of a soccer ball,” he said. “That is why my arm is taped up. But it is what it is. Nothing can stop me.” He then pointed to the large tattoos on his back, of his aunt and cousin. “My aunt passed a year ago, my cousin passed four years ago before I got to college, so I put them in my back,” he said. “So as I’m winning physically, they’re winning spiritually.” Behind Anthony was a blanket of fast finishers that took officials several minutes to decipher. Finally the scoreboard showed that the Jamaican Kishane Thompson had taken silver and Trayvon Bromell of the US had won bronze in 6.45sec. Which was terrible news for Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, who missed out on the podium by 0.01sec. “I’ve gone 6.45 and 6.46sec back to back. I think that’s No 2 and No 3 in the UK all time,” said Azu. “But I would have rather run seven seconds and win the race.” View image in fullscreen Jordan Anthony (right) comes home in front of Trayvon Bromell (left), who took bron...
This week, the Fed holds rate steady, anticipating greater uncertainty and higher prices amid the war in Iran. And AI is advancing fast, but real-world limits mean it may transform industries more gradually and less dramatically than many expect today. Plus, are US tariffs on Canada causing long-term economic harm, or are they resetting the relationship between two closely linked economies? Later,...
This week, the Fed holds rate steady, anticipating greater uncertainty and higher prices amid the war in Iran. And AI is advancing fast, but real-world limits mean it may transform industries more gradually and less dramatically than many expect today. Plus, are US tariffs on Canada causing long-term economic harm, or are they resetting the relationship between two closely linked economies? Later, efforts to limit teen social media use are gaining momentum worldwide, but uneven enforcement is raising questions about their real impact. (Source: Bloomberg)
South_agency/E+ via Getty Images Torrid Holdings Inc. ( CURV ) just reported Q4 '25 results . The results were not good in my opinion, with comp sales down 10%, gross margins down 360 bps, and profitability deteriorating. What is more worrying is that this happened while the company leaned further into lower opening price points and promotions, which, in my opinion, points to very weak pricing pow...
South_agency/E+ via Getty Images Torrid Holdings Inc. ( CURV ) just reported Q4 '25 results . The results were not good in my opinion, with comp sales down 10%, gross margins down 360 bps, and profitability deteriorating. What is more worrying is that this happened while the company leaned further into lower opening price points and promotions, which, in my opinion, points to very weak pricing power. Management is guiding for another year of sales decline in FY26, with only modest adjusted EBITDA improvement after a year in which the company closed almost one-quarter of its stores. The name may appear optically cheap at a market cap of roughly $160 million after the release, compared to cash-based earnings of ~$18/24 million next year based on guidance. Still, I do not think that is attractive considering the poor results, the difficult environment, and the fragility of retailer earnings under operating leverage. I maintain a Hold rating. Q4 '25 results Torrid posted comp sales down 10% in Q4 '25, while net sales fell 14%. The company closed 77 stores in the quarter and 151 stores through the year. Management noted during the call that 460 bps of the comp decline came from the temporary pause of its shoe business (because of tariffs, as previously commented). Even adjusting for that, however, the result remains very weak. Further, what I find more worrying is that sales declined sharply even while the company was lowering prices. Management said on the call that opening price points now represent about 30% of the total assortment and nearly 40% in stores. Even with lower prices, customers are still not responding. Usually, one can defend volume with promotions or defend margins with pricing. When sales still fall despite cheaper opening price points, that suggests poor pricing power. A related trend affecting the company is obviously GLP-1 adoption. Because of the pricing action, gross margins fell 360bps. Tariffs were not emphasized as a direct Q4 gross margin driv...
A coroner has said she “cannot be satisfied” that British former boxing world champion Ricky Hattonintended to take his own life. Hatton, 46, was found dead in his home on 14 September, with the inquest concluding that the official cause of his death was hanging. But the veteran boxer “was the best he had been in years” in the lead-up to his death, his family told Stockport coroner’s court. Hatton...
A coroner has said she “cannot be satisfied” that British former boxing world champion Ricky Hattonintended to take his own life. Hatton, 46, was found dead in his home on 14 September, with the inquest concluding that the official cause of his death was hanging. But the veteran boxer “was the best he had been in years” in the lead-up to his death, his family told Stockport coroner’s court. Hatton’s body was found in his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, after police received a call from a concerned neighbour, later revealed to have been his manager, Paul Speak. Hatton was last seen by family members on Friday 12 September, when he took his daughters and granddaughter to a pub for a meal, the court heard. When saying goodbye, Hatton appeared normal and said he would see them in a couple of days after returning from Dubai, where he was due to take part in an exhibition boxing match, the inquest heard. The next day Hatton did not appear at an engagement he was scheduled to attend, and on the morning of Sunday 14 September, Speak went to Hatton’s home to escort him to Manchester airport to fly to Dubai, the court heard. When he did not get a response, Speak entered Hatton’s home, where he found him unresponsive. Speak called the emergency services, but Hatton was pronounced dead. Tests later revealed that Hatton was “well over” the drink-drive limit at the time of his death. Traces of previous use of cocaine and cannabis were also found. The former world champion had been open about his struggles with clinical depression and substance abuse, saying on one occasion that he “was coming off the rails” with his drink and drug use, describing himself previously as being “like a runaway train”. Postmortem evidence also showed some damage to his brain identified as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) associated with boxing. Alison Mutch, the senior coroner for South Manchester, told the court there was no information uncovered by police to suggest he was planning to take h...
A US federal judge on Friday ruled as unconstitutional a Pentagon press access policy that withdrew accreditations from a host of prominent media organisations. Elements of the policy are “unlawful because they violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the United States Constitution”, a judge in Washington said in response to a lawsuit brought by The New York Times. US media and a host of internat...
A US federal judge on Friday ruled as unconstitutional a Pentagon press access policy that withdrew accreditations from a host of prominent media organisations. Elements of the policy are “unlawful because they violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the United States Constitution”, a judge in Washington said in response to a lawsuit brought by The New York Times. US media and a host of international news outlets including Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Fox News declined to sign the new policy in mid-October, resulting in the stripping of their Pentagon credentials. Advertisement The ruling comes amid the ongoing US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran that began on February 28. The court said that while national security must be protected, it was vital for the public to have information in light of the US war with Iran and its recent intervention in Venezuela. Members of the Pentagon press corps leave with their belongings after turning in their press credentials in Washington in October 2025. Photo: AP “It is more important than ever that the public have access to information from a variety of perspectives about what its government is doing – so that the public can support government policies, if it wants to support them; protest, if it wants to protest,” the ruling said.
There are times when it's supremely good to be in the silver mining business, and there are times to stay far away. The past few days have seen sudden and sharp declines in the precious metal, and that's badly affected the performance of First Majestic Silver Corporation (AG 3.59%) stock. Its value fell a steep 19% this week, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. As bad as ...
There are times when it's supremely good to be in the silver mining business, and there are times to stay far away. The past few days have seen sudden and sharp declines in the precious metal, and that's badly affected the performance of First Majestic Silver Corporation (AG 3.59%) stock. Its value fell a steep 19% this week, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. As bad as gold That would have been inconceivable for many investors even just a few days ago. The war with Iran caught many people around the world off guard, and its suddenness and immediate effects drove down the prices of precious metals -- which had been on a historically bullish run in the preceding weeks and months. The declines caught many gold and silver bugs off guard. After all, in times of rising geopolitical tensions, investors tend to buy into classic assets like precious metals rather than eschew them. A war in the Middle East is different, however. Much of it centers on the production and shipment of oil; because of this, the prices for that ever-desired commodity have risen sharply. Since oil is usually priced in U.S. dollars worldwide, this will certainly have an inflationary effect on the currency. A rise in inflationary pressures consequently increases the likelihood of higher interest rates. Finally, higher interest rates tend to lead to a stronger dollar, pricing out some international investors who have to spend more of their local currency to obtain greenbacks. No prizes for guessing which currency is typically used in precious metals transactions. Expand NYSE : AG First Majestic Silver Today's Change ( -3.59 %) $ -0.68 Current Price $ 18.27 Key Data Points Market Cap $9.3B Day's Range $ 17.88 - $ 19.03 52wk Range $ 5.18 - $ 32.03 Volume 25M Avg Vol 25M Gross Margin 34.81 % Dividend Yield 0.12 % Unavoidable association First Majestic has been a "live by the sword, die by the sword" company due to the relatively tight focus on its namesake metal (although it's ...
Blackstone Inc. ’s flagship private credit fund posted its first monthly loss in more than three years, one of the clearest signs yet of weakening performance in the $1.8 trillion market. The $83 billion fund, known as BCRED , lost 0.4% in February, according to its website. It was the first monthly decline since September 2022. Performance was flat for the first two months of the year after an 8%...
Blackstone Inc. ’s flagship private credit fund posted its first monthly loss in more than three years, one of the clearest signs yet of weakening performance in the $1.8 trillion market. The $83 billion fund, known as BCRED , lost 0.4% in February, according to its website. It was the first monthly decline since September 2022. Performance was flat for the first two months of the year after an 8% gain in 2025, the website shows. Blackstone told investors its February loss reflected wider spreads across public and private markets, as well as unrealized marks on individual names including Medallia, according to a message to financial advisers seen by Bloomberg. In the message, reported earlier by the Financial Times, Blackstone pointed out that the fund outperformed the leveraged loan market by around 0.4 percentage points in February and 1 percentage point since the start of the year, which it said underscored the benefits of private credit during volatile markets. “BCRED continues to deliver strong performance for its investors, with a 9.5% annualized total return since inception for Class I shares,” a spokesperson for the firm said in an emailed statement. The fund was set up in January 2021. Read more: Private Credit Gate-Crashers Are Forcing Funds Into Brutal Spot BCRED is among a number of private credit vehicles that have faced elevated redemptions in recent quarters, amid concerns about valuations and underwriting standards in credit markets, as well as the potential for artificial intelligence to disrupt software businesses. Blackstone disclosed in February that it had marked down the value of its loan to Medallia Inc. , a software company owned by Thoma Bravo , to 78 cents on the dollar. The loan has become a weak spot for private credit lenders, exposing sharp differences in valuations across managers. The alternative asset manager also took the unusual step of using its own cash as well as contributions from senior leaders to meet redemption requests for ...
TheKaran/iStock via Getty Images Gran Tierra ( GTE ) announced in a filing that four board members resigned. Shown below is one letter (because the four letters are very similar) that states the official "dispute reason" for the resignation. At issue here's the resignation of four board members and, of course, the subsequent contraction of the board to the remaining five members. The 8K filing its...
TheKaran/iStock via Getty Images Gran Tierra ( GTE ) announced in a filing that four board members resigned. Shown below is one letter (because the four letters are very similar) that states the official "dispute reason" for the resignation. At issue here's the resignation of four board members and, of course, the subsequent contraction of the board to the remaining five members. The 8K filing itself mentions that the investigation will continue. That would appear to mean that the original decision to terminate the inquiry has changed. A dispute of this magnitude, so as to cause nearly half of the board of directors to resign, should demand a very high level of transparency along with an explanation and the procedures going forward. The resignations themselves and the filing mention there were not financial statement irregularities (at least at the time of the filing). But the sheer number of board members resigning would demonstrate a rather serious challenge. Specifically, sheer numbers of board members resigning to me indicate a fairly serious issue or issues that may or may not be related to the official reason stated in all the letters. Generally, that many resignations would (to me) require a thorough review of the situation that led to those resignations along with proper corrections. It's not every day that "that many board members" resign. More importantly, it's not every day that something like this happens in a company already financially stressed. Resignation email excerpt (Company filing) The last article had mentioned that this company has some serious financial issues. While those issues may have improved, there's still a long way to go to restore the company to a level of financial health acceptable to the market. Add this current issue to the number of signs that indicate a fairly serious situation that investors in general should avoid. Stock Price Originally, the stock price ran up with the increase in the price of oil. Sometimes a commodity price...
Netflix Inc. is turning the heart of Seoul into a global stage as K-pop megastars BTS return to performance with a livestream comeback show that is expected to draw millions of viewers worldwide as part of a new drive by the US entertainment powerhouse to show live events that can “pull people together”. Led by the director behind Super Bowl halftime shows, Hamish Hamilton, the production — BTS’ f...
Netflix Inc. is turning the heart of Seoul into a global stage as K-pop megastars BTS return to performance with a livestream comeback show that is expected to draw millions of viewers worldwide as part of a new drive by the US entertainment powerhouse to show live events that can “pull people together”. Led by the director behind Super Bowl halftime shows, Hamish Hamilton, the production — BTS’ first show in nearly four years — centers on a symbolic arch and digital wall. It is designed to frame the 14th century Gyeongbok Palace, the seven band members and tens of thousands of fans — creating and capturing a major K-cultural moment in real time. “The members of BTS are deeply rooted in where they come from, and this venue is at the heart of that,” Hamilton told Bloomberg News. “It is an arch, a picture frame, the beginning of a story, the closing of a chapter and the opening of a new one.” Read More: BTS Discuss Return With New Album ‘Arirang’, Largest-Ever Tour The world’s largest streaming service has become the most influential platform for Korean content from Squid Game to KPop Demon Hunters . Teaming up with BTS for the group’s first live event since the seven members completed their South Korean military service is part of the company’s effort to broaden viewer engagement with a focus on live events, beyond the scripted shows they’re become known for. “This might be the biggest thing this year that we’ve seen on Netflix in terms of our live vision,” said Brandon Riegg, VP of Nonfiction Series and Sports, at a briefing on the eve of the show. Netflix has been expanding live shows in Asia with a skyscraper live climbing in Taipei and an exclusive broadcasting of World Baseball Classic games in Japan. “We view these live events as an opportunity to reach fans and members around the world in a way that is becoming increasingly tough to find: singular events that really pull people together.” During the hour-long concert, there will be “spectacular choreographed n...