From marvelling at teenage wonderkids to tracking the world’s largest coffee pot, our team of writers outline their expectations for the jamboree in North America Spain and Portugal in the final, with Spain winning. I’ve played our Bracketology game 20 times and gotten 20 different paths but Spain always end up winning. Alexander Abnos Continue reading...
From marvelling at teenage wonderkids to tracking the world’s largest coffee pot, our team of writers outline their expectations for the jamboree in North America Spain and Portugal in the final, with Spain winning. I’ve played our Bracketology game 20 times and gotten 20 different paths but Spain always end up winning. Alexander Abnos Continue reading...
Mohammad Tajik and Alnour Ali, who piloted boats on Channel crossings, are first to be sentenced under new law Two men have been jailed under the new offence of endangering others during a journey at sea. The two small-boat pilots are the first to be sentenced under the new law, which came into force in January as part of government efforts to counter small boat crossings. Continue reading...
Mohammad Tajik and Alnour Ali, who piloted boats on Channel crossings, are first to be sentenced under new law Two men have been jailed under the new offence of endangering others during a journey at sea. The two small-boat pilots are the first to be sentenced under the new law, which came into force in January as part of government efforts to counter small boat crossings. Continue reading...
SEATTLE, June 10, 2026--Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced its Best Books of the Year So Far list, led by Tayari Jones’s Kin as the No. 1 pick. Amazon Editor Erin Kodicek raves that the "sentences sing" in this novel about two motherless friends who come of age in the Jim Crow South. Rounding out the top five selections are Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling, Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear, ...
SEATTLE, June 10, 2026--Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced its Best Books of the Year So Far list, led by Tayari Jones’s Kin as the No. 1 pick. Amazon Editor Erin Kodicek raves that the "sentences sing" in this novel about two motherless friends who come of age in the Jim Crow South. Rounding out the top five selections are Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling, Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear, Belle Burden’s Strangers, and Eli Raphael’s Night Objects.
Gearstd/iStock via Getty Images These are the first thoughts that come to my mind when I think about the fact that we are in the fourth consecutive year of a bull run with an average annual return close to 20%: Some kind of a pullback should be right around the corner. Most likely tech and large-cap equities ( QQQ ) will get hit hard. The AI sell-off will likely spill over to related above-average...
Gearstd/iStock via Getty Images These are the first thoughts that come to my mind when I think about the fact that we are in the fourth consecutive year of a bull run with an average annual return close to 20%: Some kind of a pullback should be right around the corner. Most likely tech and large-cap equities ( QQQ ) will get hit hard. The AI sell-off will likely spill over to related above-average risk areas such as high-yield credit ( HYG ) and data centers ( DTCR ). Considering various economic vulnerabilities (deficits, inflation, restrictive borrowing costs, SaaS problems) it is also quite likely that other non AI-related areas of the market could take a beating - e.g., REITs ( VNQ ) and long-dated bonds ( TLT ). And to be honest, it is something that I would welcome. I think that it is only healthy to, every now and then, experience a recalibration where asset prices get synchronized with the current realities, thereby providing patient investors with an opportunity to scoop up high-quality babies that have been thrown out with the bathwater. When pullbacks happen, the market tends to overshoot in terms of re-rating securities closer to their justified multiples (works in the opposite direction as well). Of course, it is almost impossible to predict with full precision when the moment of truth (repricing) will happen. My thinking here is as follows: From a historical and mean-reversion perspective, the odds for a near-term correction are higher than for a continued bull run. With each day that passes, the chances of a correction increase. But such a kind of logic could be plotted before (and it failed). So, embarking on a full-derisking journey might not be a sound idea. Instead, it is worth inserting a "balanced hedge" sleeve that optimizes risk protection and yield generation. In this article, I would like to share two defensive investments that can provide the necessary defense against the looming meltdown while still offering a fair income compensation. #1:...
Pixelimage/iStock via Getty Images Investment environment Despite a promising start, global bonds fell over the quarter, with yields rising across most markets as war in Iran sent oil prices soaring, altering the outlook for inflation and interest rates. The Federal Reserve (Fed) kept the fed funds rate unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75%, while noting the “uncertain” implications of the Middle East confl...
Pixelimage/iStock via Getty Images Investment environment Despite a promising start, global bonds fell over the quarter, with yields rising across most markets as war in Iran sent oil prices soaring, altering the outlook for inflation and interest rates. The Federal Reserve (Fed) kept the fed funds rate unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75%, while noting the “uncertain” implications of the Middle East conflict. Having previously discounted two more cuts in 2026, futures markets now anticipate no change in Fed policy this year. With markets repricing rate expectations, the U.S. yield curve flattened on the back of higher 2-year Treasury yields. Large swings in U.S. nonfarm payrolls in February and March illustrated how the U.S. labor market continues to tread water. In Australia, the central bank carried out two rate hikes as inflation ticked higher. Elsewhere, Eurozone rate expectations underwent a hawkish pivot in March, with futures pricing in up to two hikes this year, having previously expected none. Globally, the yield differential (spread) between corporate and government bonds widened. Portfolio review We seek to provide a steady income stream with capital preservation across various market cycles, along with consistent, moderate outperformance of the benchmark with low volatility. The fund posted a positive return over the period that mostly was powered by income generation – or carry – and concentrated in core holdings of short-duration corporate credit. Also generating positive returns, but on a smaller scale, was positioning aimed at mitigating the impact of rising interest rates. However, the quarter ended on a weak note as credit spreads widened in March and bond markets fell in response to the oil price rise. Over the quarter, we extended duration from 0.61 years to 0.9 years. Concurrently we modestly de-risked certain credit positions. While still prioritizing shorter-duration, higher-quality credits that offer good visibility to their maturity dates, we believ...