peshkov/iStock via Getty Images If one thing seems clear, it is that oil, rates, and the dollar are all not only heading higher but have probably only just started their ascent. If this continues, the implications for the stock market could be significant as financial conditions tighten and dollar funding costs rise. The conflict in Iran has awakened the sleepy oil market that has failed to partic...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images If one thing seems clear, it is that oil, rates, and the dollar are all not only heading higher but have probably only just started their ascent. If this continues, the implications for the stock market could be significant as financial conditions tighten and dollar funding costs rise. The conflict in Iran has awakened the sleepy oil market that has failed to participate in the commodity boom seen in precious metals. Should oil prices ( CL1:COM ) ( CO1:COM ) continue to rise, it would send ripple effects across the market, which could be substantial. Since 2022, interest rates have been highly correlated with oil prices, suggesting rates are likely to follow oil prices higher. A stronger dollar ( DXY ) is likely to follow. Economic Data Moves To The Side Even though the February job report was an epic disaster, showing a decline of 92,000 jobs, the 10-year rate ( US10Y ) is still rising by 3 bps as of 10 AM ET on March 6. That is because the 10-year rate is more closely tied to oil prices, since the market knows that much of the moderation in inflation over the past four years is due to a sharp decline in energy prices, suggesting the market now sees oil's disinflationary effects as largely over. Oil has not only seen a solid rise in its price, but WTI Crude has broken out above $88, and technically, a push higher could lead to a further breakout that might send oil prices well into the mid-$90s. Additionally, the chart shows that a golden cross has formed, which is when the 50-day moving average rises above the 200-day moving average; this typically serves as a bullish indicator. TradingView That said, oil has seen its relative strength index rise above 70 and the price rise above the upper Bollinger Band, which together can be a sign of overbought conditions. We have seen this overbought condition in precious metals several times, and in those cases, the metal often consolidated sideways for some time before making another move high...
According to one of the three memos, the unnamed woman told FBI agents during an interview that she was introduced to Trump by Epstein in the 1980s when she was a teenager. The woman accused both men of sexually assaulting her when she was between 13 and 15 years old.
According to one of the three memos, the unnamed woman told FBI agents during an interview that she was introduced to Trump by Epstein in the 1980s when she was a teenager. The woman accused both men of sexually assaulting her when she was between 13 and 15 years old.
sculpies/iStock via Getty Images The Capital Group Core Equity ETF ( CGUS ) is an actively managed fund that employs a high-conviction approach and has heavy exposure to mega caps. Despite that, its sector allocation remains well-balanced, helping keep its valuation just above that of broader equity indexes. With greater exposure to technology at this moment compared with my previous article on th...
sculpies/iStock via Getty Images The Capital Group Core Equity ETF ( CGUS ) is an actively managed fund that employs a high-conviction approach and has heavy exposure to mega caps. Despite that, its sector allocation remains well-balanced, helping keep its valuation just above that of broader equity indexes. With greater exposure to technology at this moment compared with my previous article on this fund in January 2025, CGUS is likely to continue to deliver double-digit earnings growth in 2026, fueled by large holdings in big tech names like Amazon.com, Inc. ( AMZN ), NVIDIA Corporation ( NVDA ), Microsoft Corporation ( MSFT ), and Meta Platforms, Inc. ( META ), which form the core the fund’s portfolio, along with overweight positions in high-growth names like Applied Materials, Inc. ( AMAT ) and Broadcom Inc. ( AVGO ). In addition, we can also expect the fund’s above-average profitability to cushion downside risk in case of an economic downturn. The following sections will break down the fund’s core holdings and compare valuation, performance, and volatility with other ETFs in the category and the broader equity market. ETF Description And Highlights CGUS seeks to grow invested capital over the long term, investing in companies that the investment advisors believe trade below their fair value and have the potential to deliver attractive long-term returns for investors. The fund relies on a multi-manager structure, where assets are divided into distinct segments, each of them under the responsibility of specific portfolio managers, who take investment decisions based on their own judgment, according to the fund's investment strategy. As of January 31, 2026, CGUS had roughly $9.0 billion in assets under management, invested in 68 companies, with an average market capitalization of $470.1 billion. The fund has a heavy tilt toward larger companies, as large and mega caps account for 51.7% and 31.8% of the portfolio, with mid caps representing only 14.2%. For compariso...
The Federal Reserve has officially terminated its 2018 enforcement action against Wells Fargo & Company WFC, marking the closure of one of the most significant regulatory penalties imposed on the bank in the aftermath of its fake-account scandal. The central bank confirmed that WFC has fulfilled all requirements under the order, including strengthening its governance and firmwide risk management. ...
The Federal Reserve has officially terminated its 2018 enforcement action against Wells Fargo & Company WFC, marking the closure of one of the most significant regulatory penalties imposed on the bank in the aftermath of its fake-account scandal. The central bank confirmed that WFC has fulfilled all requirements under the order, including strengthening its governance and firmwide risk management. This milestone comes after years of regulatory oversight addressing deficiencies from the 2016 sales-practice scandal. History of WFC’s 2018 Consent Order by the Fed The regulatory scrutiny on Wells Fargo began in 2016, when investigations revealed that employees had opened millions of unauthorized deposit and credit card accounts in customers’ names without consent. The misconduct stemmed from a high-pressure sales culture that prioritized cross-selling targets over proper risk management. In response, multiple U.S. regulators launched investigations into the bank’s governance and risk controls. By 2018, the Fed imposed a formal enforcement action, requiring Wells Fargo to overhaul its governance structure and establish a comprehensive risk management framework across all major business operations. The Fed also mandated that the bank demonstrate the effectiveness of these improvements through two independent third-party reviews. Alongside these requirements, the 2018 consent order introduced a strict asset growth cap, restricting Wells Fargo from growing any larger than its total assets as of the end of 2017, which amounted to $1.95 trillion. The cap effectively constrained the bank’s ability to expand deposits, lending and securities holdings until regulators were satisfied that governance and risk-management improvements were fully implemented. Over the following years, Wells Fargo invested heavily in strengthening internal controls, enhancing board oversight and addressing compliance deficiencies across its operations. The bank gradually resolved multiple regulatory ord...
chrispecoraro/E+ via Getty Images Gold Reserve ( GDRZF ) said Thursday the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a 30-day license allowing the company and other miners to negotiate with Venezuela's government for a potential return to the country . U.S. Secretary of the Interior Burgum arrived in Venezuela on Wednesday with representatives of more than two dozen mining...
chrispecoraro/E+ via Getty Images Gold Reserve ( GDRZF ) said Thursday the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a 30-day license allowing the company and other miners to negotiate with Venezuela's government for a potential return to the country . U.S. Secretary of the Interior Burgum arrived in Venezuela on Wednesday with representatives of more than two dozen mining and minerals companies, including Peabody Energy ( BTU ), Glencore ( GLCNF ) ( GLNCY ) and Coinbase ( COIN ), according to The Wall Street Journal . "Venezuela is a rich, rich country filled with both oil and gas resources but also rich in critical minerals," Burgum said after his visit, which he said could represent billions in investment and thousands of high-paying jobs for the country. "The opportunities now are greater than ever." Gold Reserve ( GDRZF ) hopes to resume mining in Venezuela after the government seized control of its Brisas gold mine in 2009. More on Gold Reserve Gold Reserve: There Isn't A Lot Of Upside Left Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Gold Reserve Financial information for Gold Reserve
Amazon has withdrawn from the Paris book festival after a boycott by France’s booksellers’ association prompted a row over the company’s sponsorship of the event. The festival, due to take place from 17 to 19 April, will now go ahead without the backing of the US retail company, after a mutual decision by organisers and Amazon to end their partnership. The dispute started after the French booksell...
Amazon has withdrawn from the Paris book festival after a boycott by France’s booksellers’ association prompted a row over the company’s sponsorship of the event. The festival, due to take place from 17 to 19 April, will now go ahead without the backing of the US retail company, after a mutual decision by organisers and Amazon to end their partnership. The dispute started after the French booksellers’ association Syndicat de la Librairie Française (SLF) announced it would boycott the festival in protest at Amazon’s involvement. The SLF has been sharply critical of Amazon, arguing that it destabilises the book trade. In a statement reported by the Bookseller, it accused the company of seeking “to flood the market with fake AI-generated books, [which are] promoted by fake reviews, written by fake readers [and rise] to the top of fake rankings”. It also criticised the publishers’ association and the festival organisers for what it described as an “irresponsible” decision to collaborate with Amazon, taken in the name of short-term financial interests. double quotation mark Amazon said it had decided to withdraw to ‘avoid contributing to this absurd controversy’ “We are deeply disappointed by this partisan manoeuvre by the SLF,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. “Building on ungrounded and misleading claims, [it] hijacks the event for its own benefit and diverts it from its legitimate ambition – namely the celebration of reading, readers and authors.” Amazon said it had decided to withdraw in order to “avoid contributing to this absurd controversy”. The organisers of the event, Paris Livres Événements, a subsidiary of France’s publishers’ association, said the collaboration had been brought to an end due to “hostility to Amazon’s presence as a sponsor”. They explained that the move was designed to avert “serious disruption” and safeguard the interests of the 450 exhibitors and estimated 120,000 visitors. They added that their aim was to “ease tensions” and allo...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Samsung Electronics (SSNLF, Financials) revealed early details about its upcoming artificial intelligence powered smart glasses, signaling the company's entry into the rapidly growing wearable technology market. A senior executive said the device will feature a built-in camera positioned at eye level and will connect to a smartphone, which will handle the ...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Samsung Electronics (SSNLF, Financials) revealed early details about its upcoming artificial intelligence powered smart glasses, signaling the company's entry into the rapidly growing wearable technology market. A senior executive said the device will feature a built-in camera positioned at eye level and will connect to a smartphone, which will handle the processing of information captured by the glasses. The product is expected to launch later this year and will represent Samsung's first step into the smart glasses category. The company is developing the device in partnership with Qualcomm and Alphabet's Google. The collaboration focuses on the operating system, chip design and hardware built around mixed-reality technologies, which combine elements of augmented and virtual reality. Samsung's move comes as interest in wearable AI devices grows rapidly. Smart glasses are increasingly viewed as a potential successor to smartphones for certain tasks, allowing users to interact with artificial intelligence through voice commands and real-world visual input. Currently, Meta Platforms dominates the smart glasses segment, largely due to the popularity of its Ray-Ban smart glasses. Samsung executives said the goal is to bring a commercial product to the market this year as competition intensifies in the emerging AI wearable space.
Claude’s daily active users are on the rise on mobile devices, as are its new app installs, following the company’s fallout with the Pentagon. After Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refused to allow the government to use its AI systems for mass surveillance of Americans or to power fully autonomous weapons, the AI model provider behind Claude was marked as a supply-chain risk. However, Anthropic’s stanc...
Claude’s daily active users are on the rise on mobile devices, as are its new app installs, following the company’s fallout with the Pentagon. After Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refused to allow the government to use its AI systems for mass surveillance of Americans or to power fully autonomous weapons, the AI model provider behind Claude was marked as a supply-chain risk. However, Anthropic’s stance led many consumers to favor the model, data suggests. App intelligence provider Appfigures reports that the U.S. downloads of Claude’s mobile app continue to surpass those of ChatGPT. The most recent figures from March 2 show Claude with 149,00 daily downloads, compared with 124,000 for ChatGPT, the company’s estimates indicate. Image Credits:Appfigures While download figures offer a window into how many new users are installing the app for the first time, active users offer insight into how many people are actually using it. On that front, another market intelligence provider, Similarweb, found that Claude’s app on iOS and Android devices saw 11.3 million daily active users on March 2, up 183% from the start of the year when usage was around 4 million, and up from 5 million daily active users at the beginning of February. Claude’s growth put it ahead of other AI apps by daily active users, like Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot, but not other top rivals like ChatGPT. This is partially due to the fact that Claude’s jump in usage began later in the month, timed around the news of Anthropic’s tense negotiations with the Pentagon. If these trends continue throughout March, it could rank higher. Image Credits:Similarweb Of course, ChatGPT still dominates the market by a significant factor, as its daily active users on March 2 were 250.5 million across iOS and Android. Similarweb also reports that Claude’s web traffic has been growing. While it’s still far behind other top AI providers in terms of web traffic, Claude’s web traffic was up 43% month-over-month in February, and up...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Anthropic is weighing a legal challenge after the Pentagon labeled the AI startup a supply chain risk to U.S. national security, a move that has already triggered canceled federal contracts and heightened tensions between the company and Washington. CEO Dario Amodei said Anthropic believes the decision is not legally justified and may ultimately challenge ...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Anthropic is weighing a legal challenge after the Pentagon labeled the AI startup a supply chain risk to U.S. national security, a move that has already triggered canceled federal contracts and heightened tensions between the company and Washington. CEO Dario Amodei said Anthropic believes the decision is not legally justified and may ultimately challenge it in court. In a blog post, Amodei said the government's designation applies narrowly to cases where Claude AI is used directly within Department of War contracts, not to all commercial uses of the technology. The dispute intensified after the Trump administration ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's AI tools, canceling more than $200 million in contracts. Meanwhile, OpenAI recently secured a Pentagon agreement to deploy its models inside a classified government network. Anthropic, backed by Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), says it will continue defending its policies around responsible AI use.
Sundry Photography Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( HPE ) will report its results for the first quarter on Monday, after markets close. Wall Street expects the company to post an EPS of $0.59, implying a rise of +20.4%, on a revenue of $9.35B, representing year-over-year growth of about 19%. During the quarter, HPE remained active in expanding its artificial intelligence, cloud, and data center busine...
Sundry Photography Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( HPE ) will report its results for the first quarter on Monday, after markets close. Wall Street expects the company to post an EPS of $0.59, implying a rise of +20.4%, on a revenue of $9.35B, representing year-over-year growth of about 19%. During the quarter, HPE remained active in expanding its artificial intelligence, cloud, and data center businesses through partnerships and technology launches. The company introduced new AI-focused infrastructure, including rack-scale systems developed with Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) and data-center “AI factory” solutions built with Nvidia ( NVDA ), while also rolling out hybrid-cloud and virtualization innovations. HPE also secured a roughly $931M contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to modernize data centers and continued signing telecom and enterprise partnerships in markets such as New Zealand and Taiwan to strengthen cloud, disaster-recovery, and AI capabilities. Meanwhile, the company remained in the spotlight for its planned $14B acquisition of Juniper Networks, which has drawn regulatory scrutiny in the U.S., as Wall Street continued to assess the strategic impact of the deal on HPE’s networking business. According to Alpha’s Quant Rating system, HPE is rated Buy with an overall score of 3.95 out of 5, reflecting an A grade in terms of valuation, but it has a B- in terms of profitability, momentum, and revisions. A Seeking Alpha analyst said HPE could benefit from rising spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and data centers ahead of its quarterly results. The analyst said the company “will likely publish a massive addition to its AI system backlog,” while expansion of the GreenLake hybrid cloud platform could provide further momentum for the business, adding that “CapEx spending has been exploding lately and projections continue to be highly bullish in the Data Center market.” They also noted that demand tied to AI and cloud services could help th...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, March 6, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS President and Chief Executive Officer — Jonathan DeGaynor Chief Financial Officer — Laura Kowalchik TAKEAWAYS Net Sales -- $233.7 million, down 3% due to lower volumes in Automotive and Interface segments, partially offset by 9.5% Industrial segment growth and $12 million positive foreign currency impact. -- $233....
Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, March 6, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS President and Chief Executive Officer — Jonathan DeGaynor Chief Financial Officer — Laura Kowalchik TAKEAWAYS Net Sales -- $233.7 million, down 3% due to lower volumes in Automotive and Interface segments, partially offset by 9.5% Industrial segment growth and $12 million positive foreign currency impact. -- $233.7 million, down 3% due to lower volumes in Automotive and Interface segments, partially offset by 9.5% Industrial segment growth and $12 million positive foreign currency impact. Gross Profit -- $38.8 million, a decline explained by lower sales volume and unfavorable product mix in Automotive and Interface. -- $38.8 million, a decline explained by lower sales volume and unfavorable product mix in Automotive and Interface. Selling and Administrative Expenses -- $39.1 million, up $1.4 million, including $400,000 of restructuring and impairment charges. -- $39.1 million, up $1.4 million, including $400,000 of restructuring and impairment charges. Adjusted EBITDA -- $7.3 million, down $5 million year over year, largely due to North American automotive program delays and higher Mexico facility costs. -- $7.3 million, down $5 million year over year, largely due to North American automotive program delays and higher Mexico facility costs. Adjusted Net Loss -- $13.1 million compared to a $7.2 million loss, reflecting reduced gross profit and increased costs, partly offset by lower taxes. -- $13.1 million compared to a $7.2 million loss, reflecting reduced gross profit and increased costs, partly offset by lower taxes. Adjusted Loss Per Diluted Share -- $0.37, increased from a loss of $0.21. -- $0.37, increased from a loss of $0.21. Operating Cash Generation -- $15.4 million for the quarter. -- $15.4 million for the quarter. Free Cash Flow -- $10.1 million versus $19.6 million, with $16.5 million year-to-date. -- $10.1 million versus $19.6 million, with $16.5 million year-to-date. C...
Community Health Systems, Inc. CYH recently announced a definitive agreement to sell four Arkansas hospitals and related outpatient operations to Freeman Health System. The sale consideration is about $112 million in cash, subject to standard adjustments for net working capital and finance leases. The move is part of the company’s ongoing programmatic divestiture strategy, under which it is sellin...
Community Health Systems, Inc. CYH recently announced a definitive agreement to sell four Arkansas hospitals and related outpatient operations to Freeman Health System. The sale consideration is about $112 million in cash, subject to standard adjustments for net working capital and finance leases. The move is part of the company’s ongoing programmatic divestiture strategy, under which it is selling hospitals and non-hospital businesses to focus on more profitable resources. Under the agreement, CYH will sell substantially all assets of the 128-bed Northwest Medical Center – Bentonville in Bentonville, the 222-bed Northwest Medical Center – Springdale in Springdale, the 64-bed Northwest Medical Center – Willow Creek Women’s Hospital in Johnson, and the 73-bed Siloam Springs Regional Hospital in Siloam Springs. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Franklin, TN-based Community Health Systems continues to operate under a high debt burden. At the end of the fourth quarter, the company reported cash and cash equivalents of $260 million and long-term debt of $10.4 billion. Its net debt-to-EBITDA ratio stands at 7.26, significantly higher than the industry average of 3.36, reflecting its heavy reliance on debt. Earlier, CYH divested eight facilities in 2023 and two hospitals in 2024. It sold several assets in 2025, including a $260 million deal with AdventHealth and three Pennsylvania hospitals. In January 2026, it agreed to divest its 180-bed Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville. Management expects the latest divestiture, along with several previous asset sales, to help reduce its debt burden. The proceeds are likely to generate meaningful interest savings and support long-term improvement in profit margins. CYH’s Price Performance Community Health’s shares have gained about 16% over the past year, underperforming the industry’s growth of 42.8%. Image Source: Zacks Investment...
Woods says he has PGA commitments but knows he would be up against a detail-obsessed Luke Donald in 2027 Chatter on the Bay Hill range this week has suggested the prospect of Tiger Woods making a return to competitive action at next month’s Masters may actually be more than a tale of fantasy. There is even the suggestion Woods could test his competitive ability at a senior, Champions Tour stop bet...
Woods says he has PGA commitments but knows he would be up against a detail-obsessed Luke Donald in 2027 Chatter on the Bay Hill range this week has suggested the prospect of Tiger Woods making a return to competitive action at next month’s Masters may actually be more than a tale of fantasy. There is even the suggestion Woods could test his competitive ability at a senior, Champions Tour stop between now and Augusta National. If nothing else, the mere discussion keeps sponsors happy. One never really knows with Woods, whose schedule was always mysterious by design, but his addition to the Masters field would naturally turn heads. Having not played a mainstream tournament since the Open of 2024 – and with an injury record as long as the Trans-Siberian railway – Woods will presumably at some point have to prove he can either remain a relevant part of majors or succumb to the kind of sad, hard-to-watch existence that has befallen scores of sportsmen before him. It is at least fair to say he does not have many Masters left. Continue reading...
Coherent Corp. COHR has reduced its long-term debt, which ballooned to $4.2 billion in 2023 following the merger of II-VI and legacy Coherent. It marks a pivot to a growth-oriented capital allocator from a survival story. The company ensured that its deleveraging campaign altered its risk profile, and it was made possible by the active streamlining of its portfolio. In late 2025, Coherent announce...
Coherent Corp. COHR has reduced its long-term debt, which ballooned to $4.2 billion in 2023 following the merger of II-VI and legacy Coherent. It marks a pivot to a growth-oriented capital allocator from a survival story. The company ensured that its deleveraging campaign altered its risk profile, and it was made possible by the active streamlining of its portfolio. In late 2025, Coherent announced the sale of its aerospace and defense business for a whopping $400 million. The central objective was to utilize the proceeds to reduce debt. In addition to this divestiture, in the last month, the company sold its product division that manufactures and sells tools for materials processing to Bystronic. These sell-offs provide a major cushion for the company by reducing lower-margin non-core assets while lowering debt. During the second quarter of fiscal 2026earnings call CFO Sherri Luther explicitly cited that the company maintained a debt leverage ratio of 1.7X, down from the year-ago quarter’s 2.3X. Coherent’s shift to a learner balance sheet was supported by a cash chest of $899 million as of the end of December 2025. The company witnessed a consistent decline in long-term debt, which stood at $3.2 billion. Management looks forward to the expansion in Coherent’s capacity, which demands higher CapEx. Hence, the focus has shifted from just servicing debt to strengthening the balance sheet, which is vital to fund aggressively. The company is scaling its Indium Phosphide (InP) production, aiming to boost 1.6T transceiver production to meet a book-to-bill ratio that surpassed 4X in the datacenter segment. A strategic divorce from the legacy business and interest expense cut-down unlocks the financial agility to surf on the AI infrastructure wave with ease, positioning the company for long-term growth. COHR’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates Over the past year, Coherent’s stock has skyrocketed 281.5%, beating the 19.6% rally of its industry. COHR has exceeded Agora’...
The intensified use of artificial intelligence, and rows over its control, demonstrate the need for democratic oversight and multilateral controls “Never in the future will we move as slow as we are moving now,” the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, warned this week, addressing the urgent need to shape the use of artificial intelligence. The speed of technological development – as well as ge...
The intensified use of artificial intelligence, and rows over its control, demonstrate the need for democratic oversight and multilateral controls “Never in the future will we move as slow as we are moving now,” the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, warned this week, addressing the urgent need to shape the use of artificial intelligence. The speed of technological development – as well as geopolitical turbulence – is collapsing the distinction between theoretical arguments and real world events. A political row over the US military’s AI capabilities coincides with its unprecedented use in the Iran crisis. The AI company Anthropic insisted that it could not remove safeguards preventing the Department of Defense from using its technology for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous lethal weapons. The Pentagon said it had no interest in such uses – but that such decisions should not be made by companies. Outrageously, the administration has not just fired Anthropic but blacklisted it as a supply-chain risk. OpenAI stepped in, while insisting that it had maintained the red lines declared by Anthropic. Yet in an internal response to the user and employee backlash , its CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that it does not control the Pentagon’s use of its products and that the deal’s handling made OpenAI look “opportunistic and sloppy”. Continue reading...
watch now VIDEO 4:52 04:52 Why Latin America could be the next international market to watch ETF Edge Investors have poured money into emerging markets in recent years as the search for big stock gains has migrated overseas and as they look for diversification beyond the concentrated S&P 500 . But the U.S.-Iran military conflict has reframed the concentration question, highlighting the level of ri...
watch now VIDEO 4:52 04:52 Why Latin America could be the next international market to watch ETF Edge Investors have poured money into emerging markets in recent years as the search for big stock gains has migrated overseas and as they look for diversification beyond the concentrated S&P 500 . But the U.S.-Iran military conflict has reframed the concentration question, highlighting the level of risk in emerging markets when it comes to gains being dependent on a select number of stocks, many tied to the AI boom. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF ( EEM ) has had strong performance over the past few years and into 2026, up 29% in 2025 and still holding onto a small gain this year. However, its holdings remain largely tilted toward Asia, with large exposure to China, South Korea, India, and Taiwan, together representing over three-quarters of the index weight, and many of the top stocks tied to tech, including Taiwan Semiconductor and Samsung. "If you look at the index within emerging markets, it's still roughly 80% Asia," Malcolm Dorson, senior emerging markets portfolio manager and senior v.p. head of the active investment team at ETF company Global X said on CNBC's "ETF Edge" earlier this week. "That gives you a lot of concentration risk," he said. Overall, the EM index has a 30%-plus tech sector weighting. South Korean stocks have experienced extreme volatility this week. The market posted its worst single-day move ever on Wednesday as the escalating war in the Middle East resulted in concerns about energy supplies to Asia, where top stocks in the memory sector fueling the AI boom rely on energy-intensive processes. After its worst day ever, the South Korean index rebounded on Thursday for its best day since 2008 . The iShares MSCI South Korea ETF ( EWY ) is still down close to 13% this week. Some of the enormous volatility in South Korean stocks is tied to how well they have performed recently, and how many retail investors have seen big gains from holding the...
Publishing has failed to deliver on its promises after Black Lives Matter. True diversity requires a lasting shift A World Book Day question: which children’s author is name-checked in Stormzy’s song Superheroes (and appears in the video for Mel Made Me Do It ) and Tinie Tempah’s Written in the Stars ? The answer, as a generation of readers will know, is former children’s laureate Malorie Blackman...
Publishing has failed to deliver on its promises after Black Lives Matter. True diversity requires a lasting shift A World Book Day question: which children’s author is name-checked in Stormzy’s song Superheroes (and appears in the video for Mel Made Me Do It ) and Tinie Tempah’s Written in the Stars ? The answer, as a generation of readers will know, is former children’s laureate Malorie Blackman . Her groundbreaking novel, Noughts & Crosses, turns 25 this year. Set in a dystopian Britain (Albion), in which racial hierarchies are reversed, this story of star-crossed lovers was one of the first young adult novels to tackle racism and class directly in the UK. It was written in response to the death of Stephen Lawrence; 20 years later, Endgame, the last in the series, was finished as the world witnessed the murder of George Floyd. Noughts & Crosses was voted one of the UK’s all-time favourite books , and has been adapted for the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company and for TV by the BBC, with a cameo from Stormzy. Continue reading...