This article first appeared on GuruFocus. U.S. stocks pared losses on Monday as oil prices fell back below $100 a barrel, easing some pressure on the market after a sharp early sell-off. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 300 points, or 0.7, while the S&P 500 lost 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.2%, recovering from intraday lows where the Dow had dropped nearly 900 points. Energy markets...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. U.S. stocks pared losses on Monday as oil prices fell back below $100 a barrel, easing some pressure on the market after a sharp early sell-off. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 300 points, or 0.7, while the S&P 500 lost 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.2%, recovering from intraday lows where the Dow had dropped nearly 900 points. Energy markets remained volatile as West Texas Intermediate crude briefly surged above $119 per barrel overnight before retreating to around $96. Prices initially climbed after Middle Eastern producers cut output amid the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with Kuwait and Iraq reporting reduced production levels. Speculation over a potential G7 coordinated release of strategic reserves also influenced market moves. Technology stocks helped limit broader losses, with Broadcom climbing more than 3% and Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Micron Technology rising 12.6%. Defense shares edged higher, while airline and cruise line stocks slid amid concerns that higher fuel costs could weigh on profits. Market volatility spiked as the Cboe Volatility Index topped 30, reflecting investor caution amid geopolitical tensions and rising energy prices. Analysts warned that prolonged oil supply disruptions could raise inflation risks while constraining economic growth, potentially pressuring Federal Reserve policy decisions.
UK’s outstanding jumps rider is winless at the festival but says this could be his year, and explains the challenge of riding so many winners Sean Bowen can claim to be the best jockey in jumps racing by some distance. Next month he will be confirmed as champion jockey for the second successive year as, on 210 victories so far, he is 107 ahead of Harry Skelton, his closest rival. Bowen is already ...
UK’s outstanding jumps rider is winless at the festival but says this could be his year, and explains the challenge of riding so many winners Sean Bowen can claim to be the best jockey in jumps racing by some distance. Next month he will be confirmed as champion jockey for the second successive year as, on 210 victories so far, he is 107 ahead of Harry Skelton, his closest rival. Bowen is already looking ahead to next season, where he harbours serious ambitions of becoming the first jump jockey to ride 300 winners in a single campaign. These are staggering numbers that stand in stark contrast to his miserable record at the Cheltenham festival . The Welshman smiles more than any other jockey I’ve met – for he operates in a gruelling trade full of hard and often taciturn men who are all fated to lose far more often than they win. But Bowen has a remarkably phlegmatic outlook that means he grins when I read out his meagre statistics from the Cheltenham festival. Apart from not having a winner in 52 rides, the average starting price of those horses was 40-1. Continue reading...
Bloomberg's Joel Weber puts Katie Greifeld, Scarlet Fu and Eric Balchunas to the test on "Bloomberg ETF IQ" in this week's edition of "IQ Test." (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg's Joel Weber puts Katie Greifeld, Scarlet Fu and Eric Balchunas to the test on "Bloomberg ETF IQ" in this week's edition of "IQ Test." (Source: Bloomberg)
As consensus grows in Silicon Valley and Wall Street about the incoming artificial intelligence “job apocalypse,” there are few answers on what comes next. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman have predicted that most white-collar jobs could be automated within the next one to five years, and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said last month that now is the time to start...
As consensus grows in Silicon Valley and Wall Street about the incoming artificial intelligence “job apocalypse,” there are few answers on what comes next. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman have predicted that most white-collar jobs could be automated within the next one to five years, and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said last month that now is the time to start thinking about large-scale AI labor disruption. A recent analysis from Morgan Stanley offered a more tempered outlook for workers: Your current job may be eliminated, but you won’t be unemployed forever as new jobs replace old ones. Regardless of which predictions are correct in the long term, AI layoffs are here, and they bring with them looming economic uncertainty for newly unemployed workers in a stagnating job market. Many could turn to unemployment insurance benefits designed to tide workers over while they find new work, and Amodei has repeatedly called on the government to prepare for high unemployment. But in 2022, nearly 75% of unemployed people didn’t even apply, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Experts who spoke to Fortune say that number is still accurate today. Over the past year, new unemployment insurance claims have held at a relatively stable range of 200,000 and 250,000 claims per week, even as the unemployment rate has risen to 4.4% last month from 4.2% a year earlier, signaling that many workers are not taking advantage of a key safety-net measure. Why people don’t apply According to a 2023 BLS survey of 2022 unemployment filings, 55% of people didn’t apply because they didn’t believe they were eligible for benefits. Potential eligibility issues included their work not being covered by unemployment insurance, voluntary departures from their job, termination for misconduct, insufficient past work, and previously exhausting benefits. Meanwhile, another 17% didn’t apply because they expected to get a new job soon, and 10% said they didn’...
In trading on Monday, shares of Fortis Inc's First Preference Shares, Series F (TSX: FTS-PRF.TO ) were yielding above the 5.5% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.2252), with shares changing hands as low as $22.17 on the day. As of last close, FTS.PRF was trading at a 8.40% discount to its liquidation preference amount. The chart below shows the one year performance of FTS.PRF s...
In trading on Monday, shares of Fortis Inc's First Preference Shares, Series F (TSX: FTS-PRF.TO ) were yielding above the 5.5% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.2252), with shares changing hands as low as $22.17 on the day. As of last close, FTS.PRF was trading at a 8.40% discount to its liquidation preference amount. The chart below shows the one year performance of FTS.PRF shares, versus FTS: Below is a dividend history chart for FTS.PRF, showing historical dividend payments on Fortis Inc's First Preference Shares, Series F: In Monday trading, Fortis Inc's First Preference Shares, Series F (TSX: FTS-PRF.TO) is currently down about 0.7% on the day, while the common shares (TSX: FTS.TO) are up about 0.1%. Also see: The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. At Quantum-Si, a filing with the SEC revealed that on Thursday, Charles R. Kummeth bought 500,000 shares of QSI, for a cost of $0.92 each, for a total investment of $459,800. Bargain hunters can buy QSI at ...
As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. At Quantum-Si, a filing with the SEC revealed that on Thursday, Charles R. Kummeth bought 500,000 shares of QSI, for a cost of $0.92 each, for a total investment of $459,800. Bargain hunters can buy QSI at a price even lower than Kummeth did, with the stock trading as low as $0.85 at last check today -- that's 7.6% below Kummeth's purchase price. Quantum-Si is trading up about 2.8% on the day Monday. And on Wednesday, Director Michael F. Barry purchased $249,938 worth of FMC, purchasing 18,072 shares at a cost of $13.83 a piece. FMC is trading down about 0.5% on the day Monday. VIDEO: Monday 3/9 Insider Buying Report: QSI, FMC The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
It's proving to be a challenging year for stocks as the S&P 500 is down 2% so far in 2026. Between geopolitical headwinds, economic uncertainty, and now also rising oil prices, there have been multiple factors affecting the markets as a whole. And that's on top of the risk that some stocks are already facing. Duolingo (DUOL 1.10%), which has an app that helps users learn new languages in fun and e...
It's proving to be a challenging year for stocks as the S&P 500 is down 2% so far in 2026. Between geopolitical headwinds, economic uncertainty, and now also rising oil prices, there have been multiple factors affecting the markets as a whole. And that's on top of the risk that some stocks are already facing. Duolingo (DUOL 1.10%), which has an app that helps users learn new languages in fun and easy ways, has been under significant pressure due to artificial intelligence (AI). Concerns are growing about whether Duolingo's business can survive and if its app is needed, as people can just turn to AI to translate and to learn languages. This year, shares of Duolingo have been in a free fall and are down a whopping 41%. What's even more troubling is that the decline may not necessarily be over. Here's why things could get even worse as the year goes on. Duolingo is altering its strategy Duolingo recently reached a milestone: 50 million daily active users (DAUs). It's a great sign of the company's growth. It also generated a record $1 billion in revenue last year, which is nearly double the $531 million it reported just a couple of years earlier. But despite its successful growth strategy, the company says it will prioritize user growth and making its free tier better. Management believes this will put it on track to get to 100 million DAUs in the medium term, while also positioning it for better growth in the long term. The company's growth in users has been slowing, and it believes that offering a more attractive free tier can help bring on more users to its platform. The company admitted, in a letter to shareholders, that its focus up until now has been on upselling, but that will change. By taking on a less aggressive strategy and focusing more on user growth, that should help improve the DAU number. However, it comes with a potentially large trade-off: worse financial results. Expand NASDAQ : DUOL Duolingo Today's Change ( -1.10 %) $ -1.12 Current Price $ 100.80 Ke...
Artificial intelligence (AI) investing has largely focused on GPU players, AI model builders, and AI software companies. However, data centers also require highly specialized power management and thermal management systems, along with lifecycle services, to support AI infrastructure at scale. Vertiv Holdings (VRT +8.20%) stands to benefit from this opportunity. The company sells end-to-end power a...
Artificial intelligence (AI) investing has largely focused on GPU players, AI model builders, and AI software companies. However, data centers also require highly specialized power management and thermal management systems, along with lifecycle services, to support AI infrastructure at scale. Vertiv Holdings (VRT +8.20%) stands to benefit from this opportunity. The company sells end-to-end power and thermal management systems, including liquid-cooling solutions for high-performance data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments. In the company's fourth quarter fiscal 2025 earnings (ending Dec. 31, 2025) call, management gave investors one of the clearest signs that demand remains exceptionally strong. That number was the backlog. The $15 billion backlog Vertiv exited fiscal 2025 with a $15 billion backlog, more than double year over year. In the fourth quarter, the company's organic orders were up 252% year over year and 117% sequentially. The company's trailing 12-month organic orders were also up 81% year over year at the end of fiscal 2025. Vertiv reported a book-to-bill ratio of 2.9 times, implying that the company received nearly three dollars of new orders for every dollar of revenue recognized in the fourth quarter. Expand NYSE : VRT Vertiv Today's Change ( 8.20 %) $ 19.82 Current Price $ 261.60 Key Data Points Market Cap $93B Day's Range $ 251.00 - $ 266.67 52wk Range $ 53.60 - $ 266.67 Volume 15M Avg Vol 6.2M Gross Margin 34.26 % Dividend Yield 0.07 % Vertiv's backlog reflects legally binding purchase orders and not just customer interest or early stage commitments. The backlog also extends into a 12- to 18-month delivery window, reflecting the large size and complexity of AI infrastructure deployments. Hence, beyond near-term revenue visibility, the backlog is also supporting growth past 2026. The quality of this backlog is also improving. At its February Citi conference, management noted that Vertiv is increasingly winnin...
Anthropic on Monday released Code Review , a multi-agent code review system built into Claude Code that dispatches teams of AI agents to scrutinize every pull request for bugs that human reviewers routinely miss. The feature, now available in research preview for Team and Enterprise customers, arrives on what may be the most consequential day in the company's history: Anthropic simultaneously file...
Anthropic on Monday released Code Review , a multi-agent code review system built into Claude Code that dispatches teams of AI agents to scrutinize every pull request for bugs that human reviewers routinely miss. The feature, now available in research preview for Team and Enterprise customers, arrives on what may be the most consequential day in the company's history: Anthropic simultaneously filed lawsuits against the Trump administration over a Pentagon blacklisting, while Microsoft announced a new partnership embedding Claude into its Microsoft 365 Copilot platform. The convergence of a major product launch, a federal legal battle, and a landmark distribution deal with the world's largest software company captures the extraordinary tension defining Anthropic's current moment. The San Francisco-based AI lab is simultaneously trying to grow a developer tools business approaching $2.5 billion in annualized revenue , defend itself against an unprecedented government designation as a national security threat, and expand its commercial footprint through the very cloud platforms now navigating the fallout. Code Review is Anthropic's most aggressive bet yet that engineering organizations will pay significantly more — $15 to $25 per review — for AI-assisted code quality assurance that prioritizes thoroughness over speed. It also signals a broader strategic pivot: the company isn't just building models, it's building opinionated developer workflows around them. How a team of AI agents reviews your pull requests Code Review works differently from the lightweight code review tools most developers are accustomed to. When a developer opens a pull request, the system dispatches multiple AI agents that operate in parallel. These agents independently search for bugs, then cross-verify each other's findings to filter out false positives, and finally rank the remaining issues by severity. The output appears as a single overview comment on the PR along with inline annotations for sp...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) stock edged lower by 2% on Monday after Barclays cut its price target ahead of the company's third-quarter fiscal 2026 results. Barclays maintained an Overweight rating but lowered its price target to $230 from $310, citing short-term margin pressures despite expected AI revenue growth. Analysts led by Raimo Lenschow noted that increased...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) stock edged lower by 2% on Monday after Barclays cut its price target ahead of the company's third-quarter fiscal 2026 results. Barclays maintained an Overweight rating but lowered its price target to $230 from $310, citing short-term margin pressures despite expected AI revenue growth. Analysts led by Raimo Lenschow noted that increased AI capacity in the quarter and favorable foreign exchange could support revenue, though upfront investments and lease timing may weigh on gross margin and earnings per share. The firm highlighted that operating efficiencies could partially offset these pressures, but the ongoing buildout of capacity is likely to affect margins temporarily. Barclays suggested that current negative sentiment may present a long-term opportunity, pointing to improvements in customer concentration and financing that could let fundamentals play a larger role in performance. Oracle is scheduled to release its third-quarter fiscal 2026 results after market close on Tuesday, March 10.
The wheat complex is down across most contracts on Monday. Chicago SRW futures are down 10 to 13 cents. KC HRW futures are 2 to 4 cents in the red. MPLS spring wheat is fractionally mixed at midday. Crude oil is up just $3.97 at midday and nearly $25 from the overnight highs. Monday morning’s Export Inspections report showed 496,108 MT (18.23 mbu) of wheat shipped in the week of 3/5. That was 39.9...
The wheat complex is down across most contracts on Monday. Chicago SRW futures are down 10 to 13 cents. KC HRW futures are 2 to 4 cents in the red. MPLS spring wheat is fractionally mixed at midday. Crude oil is up just $3.97 at midday and nearly $25 from the overnight highs. Monday morning’s Export Inspections report showed 496,108 MT (18.23 mbu) of wheat shipped in the week of 3/5. That was 39.94% above the week prior and more than double the same week last year. China was the largest destination of 198,942 MT, with 97,215 MT shipped to Mexico and 56,293 MT to Thailand. The marketing year total is now 19.12 MMT (702.7 mbu) of wheat shipped since June 1, which is 20.2% above the same period last year. Don’t Miss a Day: USDA WASDE data will be out on Tuesday, with traders looking for 926 mbu of wheat stocks for the US, down 5 mbu from last month. Managed money was busy adding back 8,503 contracts to their net short in CBT wheat futures and options as of 3/3, taking it to 25,800 contracts by Tuesday. In KC wheat, specs were trimming back their fresh net long position by 2,338 contracts to 1,866 contracts. Mar 26 CBOT Wheat is at $6.09 3/4, down 1 1/2 cents, May 26 CBOT Wheat is at $6.03 3/4, down 13 cents, Mar 26 KCBT Wheat is at $6.11 1/2, up 26 1/4 cents, May 26 KCBT Wheat is at $6.18 3/4, down 4 3/4 cents, Mar 26 MIAX Wheat is at $6.37 1/2, up 6 cents, May 26 MIAX Wheat is at $6.42 3/4, down 1/4 cent, More news from Barchart The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. AI startup Anthropic is pushing back hard against the U.S. government after the Pentagon labeled the company a supply-chain risk and terminated its defense contracts. According to a New York Times report, Anthropic has filed two lawsuits, one in federal court in California and another in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the designation. The c...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. AI startup Anthropic is pushing back hard against the U.S. government after the Pentagon labeled the company a supply-chain risk and terminated its defense contracts. According to a New York Times report, Anthropic has filed two lawsuits, one in federal court in California and another in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the designation. The company argues the label was applied improperly and stems from ideological disagreements rather than genuine security concerns. Anthropic, which developed the Claude chatbot and is backed by Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), had previously provided AI systems for classified Pentagon projects. The dispute reportedly began after the company refused to grant the Department of War unrestricted access to its AI models, including limits on mass surveillance of Americans and restrictions on autonomous weapons without human oversight. Earlier this year, the Trump administration ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's tools, canceling more than $200 million in contracts. The fallout has already created openings for competitors. OpenAI quickly stepped in to secure a Pentagon contract to deploy its models in a classified government network.
A company's own top management tend to have the best inside view into the business, so when company officers make major buys, investors are wise to take notice. Presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money — maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting...
A company's own top management tend to have the best inside view into the business, so when company officers make major buys, investors are wise to take notice. Presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money — maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So in this series we look at the largest insider buys by the ''top brass'' over the trailing six month period, one of which was a total of $474.6K by William M. Walker, CEO at Walker & Dunlop Inc (Symbol: WD). Purchased Insider Title Shares Price/Share Value 03/02/2026 William M. Walker Chairman & CEO 10,000 $47.46 $474,632.00 Walker's average cost works out to $47.46/share. In trading on Monday, bargain hunters could buy shares of Walker & Dunlop Inc (Symbol: WD) and achieve a cost basis lower than Walker, with shares changing hands as low as $46.97 per share. Shares of Walker & Dunlop Inc were changing hands at $47.56 at last check, trading off about 1.1% on Monday. The chart below shows the one year performance of WD shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, WD's low point in its 52 week range is $42.115 per share, with $90 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $47.56. The current annualized dividend paid by Walker & Dunlop Inc is $2.72/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend has an upcoming ex-date of 03/13/2026. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for WD, which can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend with approx. 5.6% annualized yield is likely to continue. Click here to find out which other top insider buys by the ''top brass'' you need to know about » Also see: Top Ten Hedge Funds Holding TZG IDCC Next Dividend Date NETX Options Chain The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opi...
Earnings Call Insights: FuelCell Energy (FCEL) Q1 2026 Management View Jason Few, President and CEO, highlighted the rapid growth in AI and compute-intensive workloads, stating, "The explosive growth of AI, digital infrastructure and compute-intensive workloads collides with a power system that can't scale quickly enough." He emphasized FuelCell Energy's readiness for immediate deployment and the ...
Earnings Call Insights: FuelCell Energy (FCEL) Q1 2026 Management View Jason Few, President and CEO, highlighted the rapid growth in AI and compute-intensive workloads, stating, "The explosive growth of AI, digital infrastructure and compute-intensive workloads collides with a power system that can't scale quickly enough." He emphasized FuelCell Energy's readiness for immediate deployment and the company's proven ability to deliver scalable, distributed baseload power. Few detailed the shift in commercial focus: "Data centers are driving demand for power that doesn't depend on grid timing... Our DC-native continuous platform is a ready backbone for data centers. We're seeing this shift reflected not just in conversations, but in the types of projects actively entering our pipeline." Few noted operational momentum in South Korea, including service for the world's largest fuel cell plant at nearly 60 megawatts and a 100-megawatt data center MOU. He also announced progress on carbon capture at the ExxonMobil Esso refinery in Rotterdam, with shipment of modules expected in April, and shared that U.S. manufacturing scale-up is underway to meet rising demand. Michael Bishop, CFO, stated, "In the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, we reported total revenues of $30.5 million compared to revenues of $19 million in the prior year quarter, an increase of approximately 61%." Bishop added, "Our liquidity remains a strength. As of January 31, 2026, we had cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents of $379.6 million." He further explained, "During the 3 months ended January 31, 2026, we sold approximately 6.4 million shares... resulting in net proceeds of approximately $54.9 million," and mentioned a new $25 million debt financing round with the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Outlook Management reiterated a disciplined approach to manufacturing scale, with Few indicating, "We expect to invest $20 million to $30 million in fiscal year 2026 to support this optimization. Be...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images Since April of 2024, I have been aggressively warning about the prospect of a major regional war in the Middle East that could potentially cause oil prices to rise to $300. In my article, " Oil Shock: The Path to $300 ," I clearly laid out the scenarios that could lead to such a major oil price shock. The two most important ways that this could happen would be via a...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images Since April of 2024, I have been aggressively warning about the prospect of a major regional war in the Middle East that could potentially cause oil prices to rise to $300. In my article, " Oil Shock: The Path to $300 ," I clearly laid out the scenarios that could lead to such a major oil price shock. The two most important ways that this could happen would be via a disruption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on oil production, processing, and transport infrastructure in the Persian Gulf region. It was my position, laid out in this article and numerous others , that Iran had the military capacity to sustain prolonged disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and also to cause massive damage to petroleum infrastructure in the region. My concerns regarding this issue have, indeed, proven prescient. The question now is: For how long will the disruption in global oil markets last, and how severe will it be? How Long Will the Armed Conflict Last? I address this matter at length in my most recent Seeking Alpha podcast, " War, $200 Oil, and the Market's Reckoning ." In sum, the length of the war in the Persian Gulf will essentially be determined by the objectives to which the United States and Israel have committed themselves to achieving. 1. Total incapacitation of Iran's ability to build and deploy a nuclear weapon. 2. Total destruction of not only Iran's ballistic missile capability but also its ability to produce long-range ballistic missiles in the future. There are essentially three ways that the US and Israel can achieve these objectives. The first way is at the negotiating table. This possibility is extremely remote, as the Islamic Republic regime is unlikely to ever accede to either of these demands to the satisfaction of the US and Israel. The second way is by military force. A complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities—even in an optimistic scenario—will likely require many months and ...
For months, Wall Street’s panoply of risk-hedging strategies did little but lose money. Now, as uncertainty sparked by the war with Iran hits the market’s most popular trades, investors that loaded up on portfolio protection are being rewarded. The spiraling conflict in the Middle East has wiped out some $6 trillion in global equity-market value over the past week while catapulting oil above $100 ...
For months, Wall Street’s panoply of risk-hedging strategies did little but lose money. Now, as uncertainty sparked by the war with Iran hits the market’s most popular trades, investors that loaded up on portfolio protection are being rewarded. The spiraling conflict in the Middle East has wiped out some $6 trillion in global equity-market value over the past week while catapulting oil above $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022. Prices for 10-year Treasuries fell for five-straight sessions last week and volatility has surged across asset classes, reversing months of calm in a matter of days. Strategies that benefit from market turbulence are surging as a result. Among them are leveraged funds tied to the Cboe Volatility Index , or VIX, which are up as much as 34% this month. A long-volatility strategy focused on European rate swaptions has risen more than 10%, and another tied to US interest rates is sporting a nearly 4% gain, according to indexes kept by Nomura International Plc. “Tail risk hedging strategies have overall seen gains over the past week, in particular long volatility strategies across asset classes,” said Steven Loeys , head of macro quantitative investment strategies at Nomura. The strategies “are designed to perform in periods of increased risk.” Tail-risk strategies are built to pay off in moments like this — but the cost of carrying them through calm markets has long divided portfolio strategists. The products lose money slowly and steadily when volatility is low, and the stretches of underperformance can last long enough to exhaust even committed holders, raising persistent questions about whether the occasional windfall justifies years of drag. Read more: JPMorgan Sees 10% Correction in S&P 500 as War Risks Build Up With the S&P 500 Index off more than 2% since the war kicked off and many individual stocks notching far greater losses, leveraged ETPs tied to the VIX have been among the top performers. The 2x Long VIX Futures ETF (UVIX),...
Warmer waters in the Pacific Ocean may have brought devastating floods to the cradle of ancient Chinese civilization, according to a recent study in which its authors link three wildly different lines of evidence to tell the story. People in Shang Dynasty China, around 3,000 years ago, probably didn’t realize that the massive floods sweeping through their heartland were the product of typhoons bat...
Warmer waters in the Pacific Ocean may have brought devastating floods to the cradle of ancient Chinese civilization, according to a recent study in which its authors link three wildly different lines of evidence to tell the story. People in Shang Dynasty China, around 3,000 years ago, probably didn’t realize that the massive floods sweeping through their heartland were the product of typhoons battering the southern Chinese coast hundreds of kilometers away. They certainly couldn't have seen that the sheer intensity of those typhoons was fueled by a sudden shift in temperature cycles over the Pacific Ocean thousands of kilometers to the south and east. But, with the benefit of 3,000 years of hindsight and scientific progress, Nanjing University meteorologist Ke Ding and colleagues recently managed to connect the dots. The results are like a handwritten warning from the Shang Dynasty about how to prepare for modern climate change. Typhoons, oracle bones, and abandoned settlements Around 3,000 years ago, two great civilizations were flourishing in central China. In the Yellow River Valley, the Shang Dynasty rose to prominence, producing the first Chinese writing and also sacrificing thousands of people in ceremonies at the capital, Yinxu. Meanwhile, on the Chengdu Plain in southwestern China, the Shanxingdui culture built a walled capital city and sculpted large bronze heads, gold foil masks, and tools of jade and ivory, which they buried in huge sacrificial pits. Read full article Comments