Home-grown and foreign pet business operators are bullish on China’s booming pet market this year, eyeing initial public offerings and localising supply chains, fuelled by young consumers’ growing focus on pet health and wellness. Fubei (Shanghai) Co, a major domestic pet food maker, filed its IPO application with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday. The company has built a diversified product ...
Home-grown and foreign pet business operators are bullish on China’s booming pet market this year, eyeing initial public offerings and localising supply chains, fuelled by young consumers’ growing focus on pet health and wellness. Fubei (Shanghai) Co, a major domestic pet food maker, filed its IPO application with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday. The company has built a diversified product portfolio centred on cat and dog food, according to its prospectus. The number of pet dogs and cats...
photoman/iStock via Getty Images The following segment was excerpted from the Virtus SGA International Growth Portfolio Q1 2026 Commentary. The military conflict in the Middle East, which began in late February 2026, has roiled global energy markets and shifted investors towards a more cautious stance. Brent crude oil prices surged above $100 per barrel from roughly $70 before the conflict as figh...
photoman/iStock via Getty Images The following segment was excerpted from the Virtus SGA International Growth Portfolio Q1 2026 Commentary. The military conflict in the Middle East, which began in late February 2026, has roiled global energy markets and shifted investors towards a more cautious stance. Brent crude oil prices surged above $100 per barrel from roughly $70 before the conflict as fighting disrupted the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. With roughly 20% of the world's oil consumption and a quarter of worldwide LNG passing through the Strait of Hormuz, some analysts have warned of severe consequences for global energy markets, including oil prices spiking toward $200, if hostilities persist into the summer. The disruption to energy markets, coupled with the conflict's uncertainty in terms of scope and duration, has stoked global inflation fears, pushed up bond yields, and complicated global central banks' policy outlooks. Source: FactSet (FDS). Data as of 3/31/2026. Energy stocks have been the immediate beneficiaries of recent developments, supported by higher oil prices in the near term. In contrast, rising oil prices posed a headwind for oil-importing economies, including Southeast Asia and India, where elevated energy costs added to inflationary pressures and weighed on consumer spending and business sentiment. For these net energy importers, higher fuel prices strained current account balances and constrained policy flexibility, exacerbating concerns around near-term growth and financial conditions. These dynamics contributed to more cautious market sentiment toward exposed sectors and companies and weighed on the performance of holdings such as HDFC Bank ( HDB ), Sea Limited ( SE ), and Grab Holdings ( GRAB ). Source: FactSet. Data as of 3/31/2026. Source: FactSet. Data as of 3/31/2026. With inflation possibly on the rise and monetary easing pushed out amid greater global geopolitical uncertainty, the economic backdrop looks less s...