Benito Juncal/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Almost exactly a year ago, I put a Strong Buy on Repsol, S.A. ( REPYY ) in an article called Repsol: Monetizing Upstream, Growing Downstream . The stock has returned over 100% since then. I still believe there is upside in the stock as the company has made progress in its strategy and is still undergoing self-help and has valuation catalysts down the...
Benito Juncal/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Almost exactly a year ago, I put a Strong Buy on Repsol, S.A. ( REPYY ) in an article called Repsol: Monetizing Upstream, Growing Downstream . The stock has returned over 100% since then. I still believe there is upside in the stock as the company has made progress in its strategy and is still undergoing self-help and has valuation catalysts down the line. On 10 March 2026, Repsol held its Capital Markets Day, with the title "Delivering growing returns from our strengths". The presentation focused on its 2026-2028 outlook and priorities. As a reminder, Repsol is a fully integrated energy business focused mainly on Spain, Portugal, and the United States. It has four segments: Upstream, Industrial, Customer, and Low Carbon Generation. Repsol 2026 Capital Markets Day In 2025, its cash flow from operations was quite evenly split: 35% from oil & gas, 25% from refining and chemicals, and 40% from commercial and trading. Thus, Repsol is slightly more downstream heavy compared to other integrated energy companies. The company has a number of catalysts that can unlock value in the coming years. Upstream First, there is the completion of its upstream portfolio transformation and preparation for a "liquidity event with high optionality". Repsol's Upstream division is 75% owned by Repsol and 25% owned by EIG Global Energy Partners. The liquidity event is likely to be an IPO where EIG exits its investment, and Repsol, wanting to maintain control, will sell down to a 51% ownership. Given that about 35% of production is in the US, this IPO is likely to be in the US. What I like about the Upstream portfolio is that it is skewed towards natural gas, with 2025 production being 66% gas and 34% oil. The business has a strong position in the Marcellus basin. Additionally, Repsol has upside in Venezuela, a country Repsol has been in since 1993. It was stressed in the capital markets day that projections did not include Venezuela production,...
Key Points Home Depot and Sherwin-Williams benefit from lower interest rates. Home Depot is a pure-play North American company, whereas Sherwin-Williams is multinational. Home Depot has a higher yield, but Sherwin-Williams has a better track record of boosting its payout. 10 stocks we like better than Home Depot › The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) contains 30 industry-leading comp...
Key Points Home Depot and Sherwin-Williams benefit from lower interest rates. Home Depot is a pure-play North American company, whereas Sherwin-Williams is multinational. Home Depot has a higher yield, but Sherwin-Williams has a better track record of boosting its payout. 10 stocks we like better than Home Depot › The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) contains 30 industry-leading components -- almost all of which pay dividends. These companies act as bellwethers for their respective sectors, making the Dow a good starting point for investors looking for dividend stocks to round out their portfolios. Here's why the recent sell-off in Dow stocks Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) is a buying opportunity for long-term investors. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » A swift sell-off Last week, Home Depot fell 6% and Sherwin-Williams fell 9%. This was far worse than the 2% sell-off in the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) as supply chain disruptions, higher oil prices, geopolitical tensions, and economic uncertainty weighed on consumer discretionary, industrial, and materials stocks. Both stocks had been up big year to date as mortgage interest rates hit their lowest point since 2022. Lower interest rates reduce borrowing costs, making it less expensive to buy or refinance a home. However, as research from The Motley Fool shows, the average cost of a mortgage refinance is $3,398. So homeowners only refinance if there's a big enough difference between their existing interest rate and the new rate for it to make sense. Lower interest rates also make it more affordable to fund do-it-yourself home improvement projects and are generally good for economic growth -- benefiting the commercial and industrial customers. Home Depot has been waiting years for rates to come down,...
Key Points The State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF allows investors to own several energy giants. Its top three holdings have integrated business models that provide a cushion if oil prices fall sharply. This ETF remains attractively valued even after soaring more than 20% year to date. 10 stocks we like better than Select Sector SPDR Trust - State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF › It ...
Key Points The State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF allows investors to own several energy giants. Its top three holdings have integrated business models that provide a cushion if oil prices fall sharply. This ETF remains attractively valued even after soaring more than 20% year to date. 10 stocks we like better than Select Sector SPDR Trust - State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF › It doesn't take a stock market genius to know where the big money has moved in recent days. The aftermath of the attack on Iran by the U.S. and Israel has caused energy stocks to soar. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer a way for investors who aren't comfortable picking individual winners to profit from the energy stock boom. But what's the best oil and gas ETF to invest $1,000 in right now? Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Own the energy giants There are several good choices, but I think the best oil and gas ETF to buy is the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT: XLE). This ETF owns 22 of the strongest energy stocks on the market. Importantly, three energy giants make up 48% of the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF's total assets: ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP). These three companies rank among the world's largest energy companies by market cap. With Iran effectively blocking traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, oil produced in the U.S. Permian Basin has become a hot commodity. ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips are among the largest oil producers in the Permian Basin, with ExxonMobil holding the top spot. Unsurprisingly, the performance of these three stocks closely tracks that of the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF. All four assets have soared more than 20% year to date. An "anti-bubble" alternative No one...
World governments stepped up efforts to calm energy markets as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a pivotal supply route, showed no sign of ending and Iran continued attacks across the region. The International Energy Agency suggested the largest ever-release of oil reserves, the Wall Street Journal reported , following a emergency meeting convened after crude prices surged past $100 a...
World governments stepped up efforts to calm energy markets as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a pivotal supply route, showed no sign of ending and Iran continued attacks across the region. The International Energy Agency suggested the largest ever-release of oil reserves, the Wall Street Journal reported , following a emergency meeting convened after crude prices surged past $100 a barrel this week. Its proposal, circulated on Tuesday, would exceed the 182 million barrels member countries released in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine. While significant, it’s unclear how much impact that would have on a global market that consumes more than 100 million barrels of oil daily. Still, those discussions and US President Donald Trump ’s assertion earlier this week that the US is close to achieving its military goals have eased the surge in energy prices. Brent is now trading around $88 a barrel, though it remains up around 45% year-to-date. Early on Wednesday the UK Navy said a cargo ship traveling through the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile that caused a fire, the latest incident in the trade chokepoint along Iran’s southern border. A day earlier, energy markets whipsawed amid rapidly shifting comments from the Trump administration over the war. Oil prices plummeted after Energy Secretary Chris Wright erroneously posted — and then deleted — a message that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Read More: Gulf Oil Giants Deepen Cuts as Hormuz Halt Chokes Exports Trump posted a flurry of messages on social media. He first insisted the US had “no reports” of mines being placed in the strait, but then urged Iranian forces to remove any explosives they may have laid. The president then said the US had “hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats” and promised “more to follow.” The conflict showed little sign of abating overnight, with Iran staging more strikes against Israel and the United Arab Emirate...
CreativeOne Wealth LLC decreased its holdings in Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 37.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,183 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after selling 5,548 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC's holdings in Qualcomm were wo...
CreativeOne Wealth LLC decreased its holdings in Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 37.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,183 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after selling 5,548 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC's holdings in Qualcomm were worth $1,528,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in QCOM. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Qualcomm by 72.2% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Qualcomm in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Lavaca Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in Qualcomm during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.35% of the company's stock. Get Qualcomm alerts: Sign Up Qualcomm News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages recently issued reports on QCOM. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Qualcomm from $180.00 to $150.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $190.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. DZ Bank raised shares of Qualcomm to a "strong-buy" rating i...
For Morgan Stanley MS, collaborations have become a key pillar of long-term growth. By partnering with technology firms, digital-asset infrastructure providers and private-market platforms, the global investment bank is expanding its capabilities, improving operational efficiency and entering new markets. These partnerships are expected to strengthen its competitive position and support sustainabl...
For Morgan Stanley MS, collaborations have become a key pillar of long-term growth. By partnering with technology firms, digital-asset infrastructure providers and private-market platforms, the global investment bank is expanding its capabilities, improving operational efficiency and entering new markets. These partnerships are expected to strengthen its competitive position and support sustainable expansion over the coming years. Some Notable Morgan Stanley Collaborations In January 2026, Morgan Stanley acquired EquityZen, a platform for trading shares of private companies, reflecting its strategy to deepen exposure to high-growth private firms that are staying private longer. The platform connects investors with employees and early stakeholders seeking liquidity, enabling the bank to broaden investment opportunities for its wealth-management clients. In September 2025, Morgan Stanley teamed up with crypto infrastructure provider Zerohash to enable cryptocurrency trading on its E*TRADE platform. Under this partnership, MS plans to allow E*TRADE clients to trade major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether and Solana, with the rollout expected to begin in the first half of 2026. Zerohash will provide the backend infrastructure for crypto trading, including services, such as liquidity, custody and settlement. The move reflects Morgan Stanley’s broader strategy to expand into digital assets and compete with platforms that already offer crypto trading, while integrating digital assets into its existing wealth-management and retail-brokerage ecosystem. Morgan Stanley has also developed a long-standing partnership with Snowflake, a data-cloud company that powers many of the bank’s analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives. Over the past several years, the collaboration has evolved from basic data warehousing to advanced AI-driven workloads that enhance customer insights, operational efficiency and regulatory compliance. Along with the above-mentioned collab...
A former Hong Kong opposition district councillor has been jailed for three years and nine months for handling HK$590,000 (US$75,409) in telephone scam proceeds on behalf of a fraud syndicate, saying he wanted to earn quick cash to repay his gambling debts and cover his father’s medical expenses. Sheep Wong Chun-yeung, 31, had initially insisted that he was secretly gathering evidence against what...
A former Hong Kong opposition district councillor has been jailed for three years and nine months for handling HK$590,000 (US$75,409) in telephone scam proceeds on behalf of a fraud syndicate, saying he wanted to earn quick cash to repay his gambling debts and cover his father’s medical expenses. Sheep Wong Chun-yeung, 31, had initially insisted that he was secretly gathering evidence against what he believed to be a triad-run debt collection ring when he received money from six elderly victims between May 29 and June 2, 2023. The defendant later retracted that claim when he pleaded guilty at the District Court in Wan Chai on Wednesday, admitting that he had knowingly dealt with money originating from criminal activity. Advertisement Wong won the now-abolished Tung Chung South constituency in the 2019 district council election, unseating pro-Beijing lawmaker Holden Chow Ho-ding , who previously represented the district. Authorities disqualified Wong in October 2021 after rejecting his oath of allegiance to the city – a requirement introduced to ensure all public officers were sufficiently “patriotic” following Beijing’s imposition of the national security law in June 2020. Advertisement The court heard on Wednesday that the six victims, aged between 73 and 93, had received phone calls claiming their children or grandchildren were in urgent need of cash after being arrested for various offences. The six victims handed over between HK$50,000 and HK$200,000 to Wong, who posed as a friend of their relatives, before he passed the money to an accomplice.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. has asked its onshore oil partners to collect their Murban crude from the port of Jebel Dhanna, which is located inside the Persian Gulf behind the Strait of Hormuz. At least two of the six equity holders of the state-run company’s onshore output have been told the supply they are due this month should be picked up from the port, according to people with direct knowledge...
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. has asked its onshore oil partners to collect their Murban crude from the port of Jebel Dhanna, which is located inside the Persian Gulf behind the Strait of Hormuz. At least two of the six equity holders of the state-run company’s onshore output have been told the supply they are due this month should be picked up from the port, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be named as they’re not authorized to speak to media. This would require tankers to transit Hormuz — the vital waterway that remains effectively closed due to the risk of Iranian attacks. The affected partner companies are contesting the instruction, done through verbal means, and no final decision has yet been made, the people said. Adnoc, as United Arab Emirates producer is better known, owns 60% of the onshore concession, which has capacity to pump about 2 million barrels a day of Murban. TotalEnergies SE, BP Plc, China National Petroleum Corp., Inpex Corp., Zhenhua Oil Co. and GS Energy Corp. together hold the remaining 40%. Some of the volumes, which are now potentially being sent to Jebel Dhanna, were originally scheduled to load from Fujairah, which sits outside Hormuz, the people said. Adnoc is still marketing Murban from Fujairah, although some tanker owners including Japan’s Nippon Yusen KK are now avoiding the port due to the risk of missile or drone strikes. Inpex declined to comment. Adnoc and the five other partner companies didn’t respond to emailed requests for comment.
In a discussion on the recent NATO defense measures in Turkey, Mehmet Fatih Ceylan, President of the Ankara Policy Center and the Turkish Atlantic Council and former Turkish ambassador to NATO, explained that NATO's response reflects its agility and preparedness amid the evolving Iran conflict. He highlighted the deployment of Aegis warships in the Eastern Mediterranean, which successfully interce...
In a discussion on the recent NATO defense measures in Turkey, Mehmet Fatih Ceylan, President of the Ankara Policy Center and the Turkish Atlantic Council and former Turkish ambassador to NATO, explained that NATO's response reflects its agility and preparedness amid the evolving Iran conflict. He highlighted the deployment of Aegis warships in the Eastern Mediterranean, which successfully intercepted missiles violating Turkish airspace, as part of a multilayered defense strategy. Ceylan emphasized that NATO's missile defense capabilities in Turkey are being further strengthened through additional measures, demonstrating the alliance's vigilance and readiness to address emerging threats in the region. (Source: Bloomberg)
It may not be in pole position, but Brad Pitt and director Joseph Kosinski’s sleek, technically inventive ode to motor racing definitely qualifies for the Academy podium Could, should, would F1 the Movie win the best picture Oscar? Well, we have to be realistic here: F1 is currently a massive outsider, at 200-1 along with The Secret Agent , which has no chance either but for very different reasons...
It may not be in pole position, but Brad Pitt and director Joseph Kosinski’s sleek, technically inventive ode to motor racing definitely qualifies for the Academy podium Could, should, would F1 the Movie win the best picture Oscar? Well, we have to be realistic here: F1 is currently a massive outsider, at 200-1 along with The Secret Agent , which has no chance either but for very different reasons. It’s not hard to see why: this is a swaggeringly mainstream film, where tech and branding dwarf the human input, with the film itself acting as a front-end battering ram for a sports organisation desperate to break into the promised land of the US auto racing circuit. (I mean it’s right there in the title.) So even the most reactionary, conservative Academy voter is going to find it hard to mark F1 with their tick. So no, I don’t think it could win. That’s not to say F1 doesn’t have quite a bit going for it. The Oscars, as we know, have historically had a problem with so-called “popular” films; Oppenheimer , in 2024, was the first best picture winner in two decades to finish in the Top 10 box office of the year. Whether or not that is a reflection of Hollywood itself, which since the mid-00s has concentrated its money and marketing into increasingly elaborate FX films to the detriment of drama and performance, is a question expanded on endlessly elsewhere. Suffice to say, F1 is definitely in that league, though not actually Top 10 (14th in the North American list for 2025 ); its ownership by Apple TV+ may have complicated things, denting its impact as a movie theatre spectacle. Continue reading...
Global oil markets have recorded some of the biggest price swings in history this week after the US-Israeli war with Iran throttled the flow of Middle Eastern crude through the strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway south of Iran is one of the world’s most important trade arteries, through which a fifth of global oil and seaborne gas is shipped from production facilities and refineries in the Gulf ...
Global oil markets have recorded some of the biggest price swings in history this week after the US-Israeli war with Iran throttled the flow of Middle Eastern crude through the strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway south of Iran is one of the world’s most important trade arteries, through which a fifth of global oil and seaborne gas is shipped from production facilities and refineries in the Gulf to buyers around the world. The strait carries just over 20m barrels of oil a day, making it the busiest oil route after the strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also the most important trade route for cargoes of liquified natural gas (LNG), shipped on super-chilled tankers. But unlike the Malacca corridor – which carries roughly 23.2m barrels a day to buyers in China, Japan and South Korea – the Hormuz strait is far more difficult to circumvent, making it the biggest chokepoint in the global energy system. The waterway lies below Iran and above Oman to the south, tapering to just 21 miles wide at its narrowest point. It is through this passage that crude and petroleum products from the refineries and production facilities of the world’s biggest petrostates need to pass to reach their global market. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf producers have built pipelines that are able to bypass the strait, but these routes can carry only a fraction of the region’s export capacity. Iran has weaponised its geography in retaliation to US-Israeli strikes. Hundreds of tankers hoping to cross the strait have come to a halt after the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps threatened to “set ablaze” any vessel using the trade route, effectively deterring all but the most reckless. Oil tanker Skylight hit off Oman's Musandam peninsula The stoppage has sent fossil fuel prices soaring, and fears over supplies have been compounded by strikes against key oil and gas infrastructure in the region that threaten to further disrupt supply even if tankers are able to resume their ro...
How does a missile strike on a Qatari gas plant end up raising the price of rice in Bangladesh ? The answer is fertiliser, an unglamorous commodity that nevertheless sustains much of what the world eats. Qatar burns natural gas to produce ammonia. Ammonia is converted into urea. Urea goes into the ground and out of the ground comes grain. Disrupt the first step, as Iran did when it struck QatarEne...
How does a missile strike on a Qatari gas plant end up raising the price of rice in Bangladesh ? The answer is fertiliser, an unglamorous commodity that nevertheless sustains much of what the world eats. Qatar burns natural gas to produce ammonia. Ammonia is converted into urea. Urea goes into the ground and out of the ground comes grain. Disrupt the first step, as Iran did when it struck QatarEnergy’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing facility on March 1, and the consequences travel along the chain with a slow, compounding logic that no ceasefire can quickly reverse. Advertisement The price of urea in Southeast Asia has already jumped more than 40 per cent since Qatar’s LNG plant went offline. By Monday, shipments for April and May were trading above US$700 per tonne, the highest since the third quarter of 2022 when Russia’s war in Ukraine upended global supplies. QatarEnergy’s liquefied natural gas facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City suspended production on March 2. Photo: AFP The Gulf currently accounts for about 45 per cent of global urea exports.