Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained at a near-complete halt, with neither Iran nor the US showing any sign of easing their blockades of maritime traffic. Peace talks between the two sides stalled again after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his top envoys to Islamabad in Pakistan, saying that Iran had “offered a lot, but not enough.” Iran’s President Masoud Pezesh...
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained at a near-complete halt, with neither Iran nor the US showing any sign of easing their blockades of maritime traffic. Peace talks between the two sides stalled again after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his top envoys to Islamabad in Pakistan, saying that Iran had “offered a lot, but not enough.” Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said his nation won’t enter “imposed negotiations under threats or blockade,” adding that trust won’t be rebuilt “without ending hostile actions.” As of Sunday morning, observable traffic leaving the Persian Gulf through Hormuz was down to a small coastal cargo ship, vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. A small chemicals and oil-product tanker was the only one seen making its way in the opposite direction. The waterway has been largely empty since Iranian gunboats fired at ships and US military intercepted Tehran’s vessels in the past week. Iran continues to fill supertankers with millions of barrels of crude, even as it remains unable to deliver them. A satellite image from Sunday morning covering Kharg Island and the surrounding waters shows two very large crude carriers moored at the terminal and at least 19 other ships anchored nearby. The vessels seem to be congregating off Kharg — and another group accumulating near Chabahar close to the border with Pakistan — as the US Navy prevents Iran-linked ships from moving out of the Gulf of Oman. American forces intercepted the sanctioned M/V Sevan in the Arabian Sea on Saturday, the latest incident after other vessels were turned around last week while at least two others were boarded in Asia. The US has dialed up the pressure by sanctioning Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., one of China’s largest private oil refiners, citing its purchases from Iran. The move reflects a broader push to isolate buyers of Iranian oil. China has been the top importer. Ship Movements Ships observed leaving the Persian G...
People streamed into the central square of Slavutych in the early hours of Sunday, placing candles on a large radiation hazard symbol laid out on the ground as a midnight commemoration began for those killed in the Chernobyl disaster 40 years ago and the thousands who risked deadly radiation exposure to contain its aftermath. Residents show up for the vigil each year despite wartime curfews and of...
People streamed into the central square of Slavutych in the early hours of Sunday, placing candles on a large radiation hazard symbol laid out on the ground as a midnight commemoration began for those killed in the Chernobyl disaster 40 years ago and the thousands who risked deadly radiation exposure to contain its aftermath. Residents show up for the vigil each year despite wartime curfews and official warnings against large gatherings during Russia’s war on Ukraine. The April 26, 1986 disaster...
Erik Isakson/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the BlackRock Energy & Resources Trust ( BGR ), I issued a hold rating due to the questionable dividend coverage and inconsistent earnings. Despite the caution, BGR's share price has risen since then and has provided a double-digit total return and outpaced the S&P 500 Index. BGR has released an updated annual report, w...
Erik Isakson/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the BlackRock Energy & Resources Trust ( BGR ), I issued a hold rating due to the questionable dividend coverage and inconsistent earnings. Despite the caution, BGR's share price has risen since then and has provided a double-digit total return and outpaced the S&P 500 Index. BGR has released an updated annual report, which prompted me to revisit the fund's performance, outlook, and dividend utility. Furthermore, I believe that BGR has a renewed growth catalyst, as the fund is directly aligned to participate in the growth of the AI market. At the time of my last coverage, BGR traded at a discount to NAV of 8.59%. Following the recent pullback in share price, BGR now trades at a slightly larger discount to NAV of 8.83%. As indicated by the red line below, we can see that BGR still trades somewhere in the middle of its historical price-to-NAV range, which means it could be a reasonable time for optimistic investors to accumulate. For reference, BGR has traded at an average discount to NAV of 9.43% over the last five years. CEF Data The fund now offers a high starting dividend yield of 7.2%, while issuing those payouts on a monthly basis. Fund Strategy According to the fund's most updated overview , BGR now has total managed assets of $452.7M that are spread across 29 holdings. The primary goal is to provide an attractive total return through the combination of both a high current income and capital appreciation. As implied by the fund's name, BGR will mostly focus on energy and natural resource positions. The fund also takes a very focused approach since it takes a selective approach to its holdings. BGR also provides some slight global exposure, which can be a great addition for investors seeking an elevated level of diversity. The portfolio's breakdown by region is as follows: United States: 74.37% Canada: 11.48% France: 8.86% Spain: 2.50% Norway: 1.08% Netherlands: 1.02% The portfolio al...
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is one of the 10 Stocks With Double-, Triple-Digit Returns. Advanced Micro Devices climbed by 24.9 percent week-on-week, as investors gobbled up shares following an analyst’s bullish outlook for the company, having raised its price target by 70 percent. On Friday alone, the stock climbed to an all-time high of […]
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is one of the 10 Stocks With Double-, Triple-Digit Returns. Advanced Micro Devices climbed by 24.9 percent week-on-week, as investors gobbled up shares following an analyst’s bullish outlook for the company, having raised its price target by 70 percent. On Friday alone, the stock climbed to an all-time high of […]
Calix (NYSE:CALX) used its Investor Day 2026 event to outline what CEO Michael Weening described as the company’s next phase following the March 26 completion of its Calix 3.0 platform rollout. Weening said the migration marked the end of a 2.5-year effort and that “all of our customers are now on o
Calix (NYSE:CALX) used its Investor Day 2026 event to outline what CEO Michael Weening described as the company’s next phase following the March 26 completion of its Calix 3.0 platform rollout. Weening said the migration marked the end of a 2.5-year effort and that “all of our customers are now on o
China has pledged to help Myanmar’s new government to engage more with multilateral platforms and eradicate telecoms scam operations. Capping a five-day trip to Southeast Asia on the weekend, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s junta leader-turned-president, on Saturday that China “firmly supports Myanmar in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and territori...
China has pledged to help Myanmar’s new government to engage more with multilateral platforms and eradicate telecoms scam operations. Capping a five-day trip to Southeast Asia on the weekend, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s junta leader-turned-president, on Saturday that China “firmly supports Myanmar in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity”. “This year marks the first year of Myanmar’s new government. Both sides should seize...
From a statistical standpoint, Wall Street has loved having Donald Trump in the White House. Although the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) , S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , and Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) usually rise under most presidents, the annualized returns under President Trump have been well above average . During his first term, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite g...
From a statistical standpoint, Wall Street has loved having Donald Trump in the White House. Although the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) , S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , and Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) usually rise under most presidents, the annualized returns under President Trump have been well above average . During his first term, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite gained 57%, 70%, and 142%, respectively. Meanwhile, these major indexes are up by 14%, 19%, and 24%, respectively, in his second, non-consecutive term, as of this writing on April 20. President Trump speaking with the media. Image source: Official White House Photo by Molly Riley. Continue reading
Key PointsAnyone who will be 73 years old or older this year is now required to make regular annual withdrawals from most non-Roth retirement accounts.
Key PointsAnyone who will be 73 years old or older this year is now required to make regular annual withdrawals from most non-Roth retirement accounts.
If lawless aggression by ‘might is right’ nuclear-armed powers spreads unchecked, what other option do middle-ranking countries have? With every bomb dropped, ship seized and blood-curdling threat of annihilation, Donald Trump increases Iran’s incentive to reject his “grand bargain” peace deal and sprint instead to acquire nuclear weapons for future self-defence. Justifying his declaration of war ...
If lawless aggression by ‘might is right’ nuclear-armed powers spreads unchecked, what other option do middle-ranking countries have? With every bomb dropped, ship seized and blood-curdling threat of annihilation, Donald Trump increases Iran’s incentive to reject his “grand bargain” peace deal and sprint instead to acquire nuclear weapons for future self-defence. Justifying his declaration of war on 28 February, Trump claimed that Iran – and primarily its nuclear programme – posed an “imminent threat”. But Iran does not possess nukes. The US and Israel do. US intelligence chiefs and UN inspectors agree there’s no firm evidence that the regime, while developing its technical capabilities and keeping political options open, has built, or ever tried to build, a nuclear weapon since at least 2003 , when a covert scheme was exposed. But after Trump’s second unprovoked attack in a year, and his vow to bomb Iranian civilisation back to the “stone ages”, that is very likely to change. Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...