Stocks in the energy sector have been doing very well since energy prices started to rise. The geopolitical conflict in the Middle East is a big part of the story, which should worry investors. Eventually, the conflict will end, and oil prices will fall. If you still want to buy an energy stock today, your best bet could be Chevron (NYSE: CVX) . Here's why. When things are going well, investors often like to focus on the biggest winners. When oil prices rise, the biggest winners are likely to be upstream oil and gas producers. However, those are also going to be the biggest losers when energy prices fall, as oil prices have historically done after every oil spike. A better option is to buy a more diversified energy company , meaning an integrated energy giant like Chevron. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading

Source: Bloomberg, 0:00

Bloomberg News White House Correspondent Jeff Mason and The Associated Press' International Correspondent Philip Crowther join David Gura and Christina Ruffini on Bloomberg This Weekend following Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps releasing a statement that the Strait of Hormuz was shifted back to how it operated before April 17, putting the passage under tighter military oversight after what it described as US interference with shipping. The move lands amid warnings that Tehran could go further, as Iran threatens to shut Strait of Hormuz if Washington keeps pressure on Iranian ports. (Source: Bloomberg)

You can call it a comeback. Stocks rocketed to record highs last week on hopes of a peace deal with Iran, with the S & P 500 closing above 7,100 for the first time and the Nasdaq completing its longest-winning stretch since 1992 — 13 days of gains. For the week, the broad-based S & P jumped 4% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 1.7%. It capped a rare and dramatic turnaround for the stocks. As Barclays strategist Venu Krishna pointed out in a note to clients, the S & P 500 went from near correction territory (down about 9% from its all-time peak) back to an all-time high in just 11 trading days. That's the fastest move to record levels from a bottom of at least 9% since at least 1990, he said. That quick reversal was largely the result of investors pricing in an end to the Iran-U.S. conflict. But Wall Street was also digesting solid bank earnings and a comeback in the beat-up software sector. Peace signs The week started just as it had every Monday since the U.S. attacked Iran in late February: investors trying to figure out how the latest overseas developments could impact their portfolios. First, negotiations in Islamabad broke down over the weekend, prompting President Donald Trump to announce a blockade of all maritime traffic in and out of Iran's ports. None of that seemed to matter, though; the market roared higher. Tuesday brought another round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, and on Wednesday, Trump told Fox Business that the war was "very close to over," which sent stocks soaring. A session later, the president announced a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, leading to another record high. On Friday, Iran finally declared that the Strait of Hormuz was "completely open ." If the good news keeps coming, Jim Cramer said, there could be more gains in stocks that have been pressured by the war. He cited homebuilders like Home Depot, which jumped 3.6% on Friday. During Friday's Morning Meeting, Cram...

Key PointsMGK has delivered a higher one-year return and comes with a deeper five-year drawdown compared to SPY.

Palantir Technologies Surges as AI Hype Meets Real Deals TipRanks

(Warner Records) The ‘Queen of Pop’ conjures the heady vibes of a small hours dance floor with this exceptionally crafted single Recent years have not been particularly kind to Madonna. Her tours have been dogged by controversy of a very different type to the scandal she once happily courted: in 2024 some disgruntled fans attempted to sue her for turning up on stage two hours later than scheduled. Her albums have garnered a noticeably mixed reception and sold in increasingly diminishing quantities, each one shifting half what its predecessor did: she dismissed 2012’s MDNA and 2015’s Rebel Heart as albums she made “reluctantly”, but there were fewer takers still for 2019’s Madame X, an authentically bizarre patchwork of trap, reggaeton, Portuguese fado and politically inclined lyrics. Continue reading...

Next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) data centers require a ton of energy, and one company that stands to benefit is Vistra (NYSE: VST) . Vistra is an independent power producer that sells electricity on the open market and benefits from rising demand. Since the start of 2024, Vistra stock has surged 324%, as investors pile into the stock amid surging electricity prices. However, after peaking around $220 per share, the stock has cooled a bit and is now 25% off its 52-week high. Here's why the dip looks like a buying opportunity to me. Vistra owns and operates multiple energy assets and is the largest competitive power generator in the United States. The company has 44,000 megawatts (MW) of total capacity, including 24,000 MW of natural gas and 6,400 MW of nuclear, making it the second-largest nuclear operator in the U.S., behind Constellation Energy . Continue reading

格隆汇4月18日｜据中新社，泰国总理府副发言人拉丽达·佩里斯维瓦塔纳18日透露，今年以来泰国出现的类鼻疽疫情呈现令人担忧的趋势，1月1日至4月16日全国累计确诊病例732例，死亡23例。 拉丽达介绍称，类鼻疽是由土壤和水中存在的细菌引起的。细菌可以通过伤口、吸入灰尘或饮用受污染的水进入人体。症状可分为急性或慢性，包括高烧、呼吸困难、胸闷，以及肿胀、发红的疮或脓肿。如果细菌进入血液，则可能导致严重感染甚至死亡。 高危人群包括农民、接触土壤和水的工人，以及患有糖尿病、肾病、地中海贫血等慢性疾病的患者和免疫系统受损者，这些人更容易出现严重症状。 拉丽达表示，泰国政府呼吁公众，特别是弱势群体，配合政府工作，避免直接接触土壤和水源。如有必要，应穿戴靴子和手套等防护装备。 此外，任何出现高烧超过2天、呼吸急促或伤口感染症状的人都应立即就医。类鼻疽病例如果及时治疗可治愈，因此，政府敦促公众不要掉以轻心。一旦出现任何异常症状或有任何风险因素，应尽快就医，以防止出现严重并发症。

Defeat leaves Foxes five points off safety with three games left Oxford stay 22nd after 1-0 loss at Derby; Millwall 2-0 QPR Ibane Bowat’s second-half goal was enough to lead Portsmouth to a vital 1-0 win at home to their relegation rivals Leicester as the Foxes plunged a huge step closer to League One. The substitute Bowat’s scruffy 63rd-minute strike from a corner earned Pompey a third straight win to leave them one win from staying up. It is now one win in 17 for the hapless Foxes, whose demotion to the third tier 10 years after winning the Premier League could be confirmed as soon as Tuesday night, when they host Hull, dependant on any points deduction for West Brom. Continue reading...

格隆汇4月18日｜印度政府消息人士称，一艘印度船舶在航经霍尔木兹海峡时遭袭。

Guido Mieth/DigitalVision via Getty Images Elevator Thesis Voya Financial ( VOYA ) is just not a simple re-rating story anymore. The investment case is no longer the same since my last coverage on November 12, 2025. Voya's fundamentals continue to improve. The market, however, is not yet ready to give a higher multiple to it. This is mainly due to quarterly volatility, especially in the Employee Benefits segment. Interestingly, Voya is a staggering $1.1 trillion health and wealth platform today, with its Retirement and Investment management businesses. This has led to a more fee-based earnings profile, which has been underpinned by highly defined contribution inflows and accelerating retirement assets. The FY 25 results somewhat showcase this strength. The adjusted EPS bumped 22% annually to $8.85, driven by robust retirement growth and capital generation. Let's zoom in on Q4 and assess where the problem is. Adjusted EPS for Q4 clocked in at $1.94, which was below the estimated $2.09. The difference was caused by the increased compensation costs and volatility in medical stop-loss. Well, these are not structural issues, but they add enough uncertainty to hold back a clean re-rating. Furthermore, Voya is currently trading at around $72-$73 with 7.8x forward earnings. Such valuation is normally assigned to weaker insurers. It is not for a business that can generate an 18-19% return on equity, with robust cash flow and capital returns. The gap is an outcome of the inconsistency of overall earnings, and that's what is keeping the valuation in check. Therefore, I assign VOYA a 'Hold' rating right now. The long-term story is still intact. A re-rating will require a couple of clean quarters and not just steady growth. Strong Retirement Engine Still Underappreciated VOYA's Q4 25 reinforced that the Retirement business is not a weakness. VOYA adjusted operating EPS (VOYA Presentation) The quarter's EPS miss was driven by elevated compensation costs and Employee Benefits vola...

Alexey_Fedoren The S&P 500 ( SP500 ) closed in the green on Friday after the week saw Iran declaring the Strait of Hormuz open for commercial vessels, along with earnings reports from streaming pioneer Netflix and healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson. For the week, Nasdaq ( COMP:IND ) and Dow ( DJI ) both rose 3.9% and 0.8%, respectively. Wall Street had a slew of upgrades and downgrades from analysts. Here are some of the major calls for the week: Qualcomm downgraded by JPM, placed in ‘Negative Catalyst Watch’ list Qualcomm ( QCOM ) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight by J.P. Morgan, citing a combination of rising competition in the data center space and downside risks to estimates in the near term. The financial firm also lowered its PT to $140 from $185 and placed the stock on its "Negative Catalyst Watch" list. “While the company is still working on its roadmap with customers in building pipeline of opportunities across both datacenter CPUs and NPUs, recent announcements from Arm ( ARM ) and Nvidia ( NVDA ) focused on Datacenter CPUs as well as chipsets to address inference use cases are increasing the competitive intensity and driving us to look more for execution datapoints from Qualcomm, which we expect will take time to emerge,” said analyst Samik Chatterjee. In the smartphone market, J.P. Morgan expects Qualcomm to face near-term pressure due to the memory supply shortage combined with its share loss from two of its premier customers, Apple ( AAPL ) and Samsung ( SSNLF ), while the brokerage also pointed out macroeconomic concerns related to Qualcomm's Internet of Things and Automotive business segments. Tesla upgraded on favorable risk-reward profile UBS upgraded Tesla ( TSLA ) to Neutral from Sell and raised its price target to $352, citing a more favorable risk-reward profile. The bank noted that the stock’s current valuation now better reflects the tug-of-war between immediate electric vehicle demand hurdles and the massive long-term potential of Te...

Alexey_Fedoren The S&P 500 ( SP500 ) closed in the green on Friday after the week saw Iran declaring the Strait of Hormuz open for commercial vessels, along with earnings reports from streaming pioneer Netflix and healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson. For the week, Nasdaq ( COMP:IND ) and Dow ( DJI ) both rose 3.9% and 0.8%, respectively. Wall Street had a slew of upgrades and downgrades from analysts. Here are some of the major calls for the week: Qualcomm downgraded by JPM, placed in ‘Negative Catalyst Watch’ list Qualcomm ( QCOM ) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight by J.P. Morgan, citing a combination of rising competition in the data center space and downside risks to estimates in the near term. The financial firm also lowered its PT to $140 from $185 and placed the stock on its "Negative Catalyst Watch" list. “While the company is still working on its roadmap with customers in building pipeline of opportunities across both datacenter CPUs and NPUs, recent announcements from Arm ( ARM ) and Nvidia ( NVDA ) focused on Datacenter CPUs as well as chipsets to address inference use cases are increasing the competitive intensity and driving us to look more for execution datapoints from Qualcomm, which we expect will take time to emerge,” said analyst Samik Chatterjee. In the smartphone market, J.P. Morgan expects Qualcomm to face near-term pressure due to the memory supply shortage combined with its share loss from two of its premier customers, Apple ( AAPL ) and Samsung ( SSNLF ), while the brokerage also pointed out macroeconomic concerns related to Qualcomm's Internet of Things and Automotive business segments. Tesla upgraded on favorable risk-reward profile UBS upgraded Tesla ( TSLA ) to Neutral from Sell and raised its price target to $352, citing a more favorable risk-reward profile. The bank noted that the stock’s current valuation now better reflects the tug-of-war between immediate electric vehicle demand hurdles and the massive long-term potential of Te...

房協主席凌嘉勤表示，現時房協財政穩健。 凌嘉勤指去年完成120億元銀團貸款，反映市場對房協財政有信心。剛過去的財政年度，是連續三年略有盈餘，形容是比較理想。 他又透露，考慮到市民置業意願非常強烈，未來會推出更多資助出售房屋項目，部分仍在規劃設計項目。可能會選擇一幢樓宇作資助出售，未來租售比例大約是六比四。但強調並非機械式，將視乎具體情況、因地制宜。他亦相信上調比例，有助加快資金回籠。

Key PointsAs one of the world’s largest retailers, Amazon has had a front-row seat to the impact of tariffs.

TSMC: Despite Post-Earnings Fall, Signs of AI Weakness are Scant MarketBeat

In this article MC-FR Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Stripes Beauty Founder and Chief Creative Officer Naomi Watts speaking at the CNBC Changemakers Summit in New York City on April 16, 2026. CNBC Oscar-nominated actress Naomi Watts has continued to have fame on the screen into her 50s, but she is building more of her life story around navigating deeply personal and often unspoken health and aging issues. She has become increasingly open about topics many public figures, and Hollywood actresses in particular, avoid, using her platform to normalize conversations regarding fertility, aging, and physical changes, with the goal of helping women feel confident in their body no matter their age. "I am trying to put forward the messaging that we can be okay with how we look," Watts told CNBC's Julia Boorstin at the CNBC Changemakers Summit in New York City on Thursday. "It's okay to be 57 and look 57." Watts launched Stripes Beauty in 2022, a company focused on helping women navigate the challenges associated with perimenopause and menopause, while aiming to address everything from skin to hair changes to overall wellness. Menopause was considered very taboo to talk about in many cultures mainly because of the age-fertility link and generational gatekeeping. In many societies a woman's "value" was tied to her youth and ability to bear children. Talking about menopause meant admitting those stages were over. Many women in different generations were taught to silence it and view it as a private burden and not share it. At the Changemakers Summit, Watts said searched for reasons to help explain why no one talked about it, and even used an anonymous Instagram to search for clues. "Why isn't there any information? Why is it so hard? Why is it so taboo when we are half the population?" she said. "It is just biology." Founder and chief creative officer at Stripes Beauty, Watts was featured on the 2025 CNBC Changemakers list . Menopause typically occurs around age...

The war in Iran has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, pushing oil and gas prices higher and raising concerns about long-term supply disruptions. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol tells Chrystia Freeland that even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens soon, damage to more than 80 energy facilities could take years to repair, keeping markets volatile. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has warned that the imbalance between supply and demand, combined with infrastructure damage, could have lasting economic consequences. The result is a growing risk not just for energy prices, but for inflation, food costs, and economic stability worldwide. (Source: Bloomberg)

Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Thesis Applied Materials, Inc. ( AMAT ) is, in my view, one of the best ways to get exposure to the AI infrastructure buildout without betting on a single horse. The company is situated in the center of the circuit fabrication universe, selling the tools each and every modern fab relies on. My perspective is supported by three arguments: the company's dominant position as materials engineering leader for angstrom-era chips, a financial position that offers both strong margins and ample capital returns to shareholders, and a multiyear tailwind from boosting DRAM and advanced packaging demand. However, risk is high with this stock, and valuation is a true debate at current levels. Applied Materials has significant upsides only if current demand for AI driven equipment is sustained; if the cycle drags or if policy headwinds intensify, excess margin for error will remain absent. For buy-and-hold investors willing to tolerate near-term policy knives and the cyclical semiconductor industry, I give Applied Materials a cautious buy score. Company Overview Applied Materials was formed in 1967 as one of the first companies built specifically to design and market manufacturing equipment to chipmakers. Today it is the world’s largest supplier of equipment to manufacture semiconductor wafers. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, its product range includes systems for deposition, etch, inspection, and process control, alongside services and software that enable chip and advanced display production. In the real world, if a foundry or memory maker is looking to scale down transistors, stack memory layers, or wrap nanosheets in exotic metal gates, Applied Materials is probably the company providing a key piece of that puzzle. It has three reporting segments (Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display), but the Semiconductor Division is clearly the growth driver in the modern era, particularly as AI and GPU co...

SaaSpocalypse. Credit defaults. The war in Iran. A lot of worries are hitting the $1.8 trillion private credit market at the same time, setting off a scramble by some investors to withdraw money from the industry’s giants. Bloomberg TV Anchor Dani Burger and Puck Founding Partner William D. Cohan join David Gura and Christina Ruffini on Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss. (Source: Bloomberg)

格隆汇4月18日｜据伊朗媒体Mizan：伊朗不会在美国封锁仍然存在的情况下开放霍尔木兹海峡，伊朗正在审查美国最近提出的建议。

Hong Kong’s competition watchdog is closely monitoring a potential megadeal between the city’s two largest supermarket chains amid a continued decline in grocery sales since 2020. The Competition Commission told the South China Morning Post on Friday that it was aware of media reports about the potential merger. “The commission is aware of the relevant media reports and is paying close attention to the matter and any future developments,” it said. Conglomerates Jardine Matheson and CK Hutchison,...

Most automakers across the globe have a conundrum on their hands. On one hand, the future roads are almost certainly filled with electric vehicles (EVs), and developing the technology, branding, and growing sales is critical. On the other hand, most automakers lose billions annually on their current EV lineup, and entering the market too early caused a massive pivot and huge charges, such as Ford Motor Company 's (NYSE: F) near $20 billion charge toward the end of 2025. In 2026, foreign rival Toyota (NYSE: TM) sold more EVs than Ford in the first quarter with only one vehicle model. Here's why it's a big deal. The EV industry's training wheels are officially off, and investors now have a better understanding of how important government incentives, such as the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, are. The U.S. EV industry is now forced to support sales and drive demand by focusing on more affordable products, better pricing and branding strategies, and infrastructure development. Continue reading

georgeclerk/E+ via Getty Images Wall Street's major averages posted big weekly gains, surging to new highs for three consecutive trading days, as positive developments in the Middle East—including a temporary ceasefire deal between the involved countries—raised investors' enthusiasm. The week saw investors shrug off fears of a potential bubble in the artificial intelligence industry. Around $242B, or 80% of the total global venture funding in Q1, went to AI companies, Crunchbase data showed. The financial sector has had a bad start to 2026, negatively impacted by a crisis in the private credit sector and AI risk concerns , which hit the wealth and asset management space, insurance brokerage industry, and small banks, among others. The stocks of card payment networks were also lagging on the back of concerns that stablecoin-based technology will obviate the need for traditional card networks. However, a strong start to the first-quarter earnings season helped the financials sector post strong weekly gains. Major U.S. banks are on track to post more than $40B in trading revenue for the first quarter, as heightened geopolitical tensions helped drive sharp movements across financial markets. State Street Financial Sel Sec SPDR ETF ( XLF ) added 3.27% during the course of the week. Among the megacap stocks, Morgan Stanley ( MS ) and Citigroup ( C ), having reported a Q1 beat, led the weekly gainers. MS added 6.29% to $188.82, while C advanced 6.26% to $132.18. Trading desks of Wall Street banks notched new milestones with their first-quarter results, capitalizing on market volatility fueled by the Iran war. JPMorgan ( JPM ), Citi ( C ) and Wells Fargo ( WFC ) together reported over $25B of profits for the first quarter, as their traders benefited from sharp market moves driven by geopolitical shocks in Venezuela and Iran. American Express ( AXP ) was next on the list, advancing 5.80% from the prior week to close at $331.69. This week, American Express announced an enhanc...

Grammy-winning songwriter says she was deceived into pregnancy, and that cases like hers fall between the cracks When the Grammy award winning songwriter, Olivia Nervo, agreed to start a family with her partner she believed she was in “a monogamous, committed relationship leading to a future”, and had never heard of reproductive coercion. Her world came crashing down when she was six months pregnant and she found out that her partner was in a relationship with another woman who was also pregnant, and with whom he already had a child. Continue reading...

Molotov cocktail attack on OpenAI CEO’s home comes amid growing discontent against artificial intelligence In the early hours of 10 April, a man approached the gate of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman ’s house in San Francisco and hurled a molotov cocktail at the building before fleeing. The suspect, 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama, was arrested less than two hours later while allegedly attempting to break into the headquarters of OpenAI with a jug of kerosene, a lighter and an anti-AI manifesto. Federal and California state authorities have charged Moreno-Gama with a range of crimes including attempted arson and attempted murder. His parents issued a statement this week saying that their son had recently suffered a mental health crisis. Moreno-Gama, who has not yet entered a plea, faces up to life in prison if convicted. Continue reading...

The pub crawl’s organizer is accused of pocketing donations but residents and businesses have long had misgivings On what started as an otherwise uneventful spring day in New York City, thousands of residents last week received what they felt was an early Christmas present. Stefan Pildes, organizer of SantaCon in New York City, was arrested on Wednesday morning for allegedly using hundreds of thousands from event-based charitable donations on his personal expenses, such as luxe vacations and “extravagant meals”, Manhattan federal prosecutors said. Continue reading...

The shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz only hours after its reopening is a tactic by Iran to gain leverage over the United States before possible negotiations, according to Chinese analysts. With the clock counting down to the end of a two-week ceasefire with the US on Wednesday, a deal with Washington was still possible and the likelihood of Tehran imposing a toll on the waterway was low, they added. The assessment came as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday that...

European Central Bank officials are leaving Washington ever so slightly more optimistic than when they arrived, as ongoing US-Iran peace talks raise the prospect of energy shipments resuming from the Gulf. At the start of a busy week of meetings at the International Monetary Fund, President Christine Lagarde said that the euro zone had moved closer to an adverse scenario with inflation climbing above 4%. Now negotiations between the two countries may be advancing. On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that Iran had agreed to suspend its nuclear program indefinitely and reopened the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices dropped back to levels last seen in the early days of war. While policymakers weren’t willing to draw immediate conclusions, stressing that their next interest-rate decision is still two weeks away, those speaking later in the week raised doubts that the 27-strong Governing Council would be ready to move by then. But uncertainty about whether a fragile ceasefire can turn into lasting peace — and about the damage to inflation and growth already inflicted on the euro zone — is keeping the idea of a rate hike alive. Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel insisted that no outcome should be excluded in April, while most of his colleagues put the focus on June. Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel and Estonia’s Madis Muller were among those cautioning against rushing a decision, arguing that analyzing quickly changing realities takes time. Their Irish and Slovenian colleagues — Gabriel Makhlouf and Primoz Dolenc — suggested rate increases may not be needed at all if an end of the war restores energy flows from the region in due course. What follows is a roundup of exclusive Bloomberg interviews and comments made this week: Christine Lagarde , president “We are in between the baseline and the adverse” scenarios for the Iran war. “We have to be completely agile and ready to move in the direction that is required. We have to be data dependent, as we have repeatedly...