Denso Corp. is considering withdrawing a proposal to take over Rohm Co. , potentially ending a deal for a Japanese power semiconductor maker valued at north of $9 billion. Denso is weighing its options, both companies said in separate statements Monday. The two have been unable to see eye to eye on an offer and Denso was unable to get Rohm’s support for the acquisition, the Nikkei earlier reported...
Denso Corp. is considering withdrawing a proposal to take over Rohm Co. , potentially ending a deal for a Japanese power semiconductor maker valued at north of $9 billion. Denso is weighing its options, both companies said in separate statements Monday. The two have been unable to see eye to eye on an offer and Denso was unable to get Rohm’s support for the acquisition, the Nikkei earlier reported . Rohm may have harbored concerns about becoming overly reliant on automotive chips, or that its existing relationships with other car parts manufacturers would be impacted, the Nikkei said. Rohm’s shares surged last month after the company said it received an acquisition proposal from auto parts supplier Denso. The Japanese chip parts maker had set up a committee to examine the bid. Read: Rohm Shares Soar Most Since 2000 on Denso Acquisition Bid Separately, Toshiba Corp. has begun discussions to merge its power chip operations with those of Rohm and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. , a sign of consolidation that may affect other parts of Japan’s fragmented industrial supply chain.
Maine Governor Vetos Data Center Moratorium, Citing Job Creation And Economic Growth Maine Governor Janet Mills has vetoed a bill that would have temporarily limited the development of large data centers across Maine, despite expressing support for a broader pause on such projects, according to Maine's website . The governor said she would have approved the legislation if it had included an exempt...
Maine Governor Vetos Data Center Moratorium, Citing Job Creation And Economic Growth Maine Governor Janet Mills has vetoed a bill that would have temporarily limited the development of large data centers across Maine, despite expressing support for a broader pause on such projects, according to Maine's website . The governor said she would have approved the legislation if it had included an exemption for a $550 million data center redevelopment already underway at the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay, a project backed by local officials and seen as critical to economic recovery in the region. Mills emphasized that while a moratorium makes sense due to concerns about environmental impact and rising electricity costs seen in other states, the bill in its final form failed to account for the Jay project’s potential benefits. The redevelopment is expected to bring hundreds of construction jobs, create at least 100 permanent positions, and restore a major portion of the town’s lost tax base following the mill’s closure in 2023. The site says that Mills plans to move forward with an executive order to study the impact of large-scale data centers in Maine. She also signed separate legislation barring such projects from receiving state business tax incentives, signaling a cautious but measured approach to managing the industry’s growth. “A moratorium is appropriate given the impacts of massive data centers in other states on the environment and on electricity rates. But the final version of this bill fails to allow for a specific project in the Town of Jay that enjoys strong local support from its host community and region,” she wrote. “The 2023 closure of the Androscoggin Mill dealt a devastating blow to the Town of Jay and its surrounding area. As a long-time resident of Franklin County, I know well how critical the mill was to generations of working families, and how important it is – and how challenging it has been – to promote reinvestment and job-creation at the former...
Cava Group (NYSE: CAVA) has a simple, compelling story. Mediterranean food is popular, and the company has room to more than double its store count. The market has bought into this growth story supporting a valuation that assumes smooth sailing for many years to come. Beneath the long-term goal of reaching 1,000 locations by 2032 , the company's near-term fundamentals are showing signs of stress. ...
Cava Group (NYSE: CAVA) has a simple, compelling story. Mediterranean food is popular, and the company has room to more than double its store count. The market has bought into this growth story supporting a valuation that assumes smooth sailing for many years to come. Beneath the long-term goal of reaching 1,000 locations by 2032 , the company's near-term fundamentals are showing signs of stress. Restaurant-level margins are starting to slip, and same-store sales growth slowed to a crawl at the end of last year. For a stock with this valuation, the ongoing expansion of restaurants must now be weighed against deteriorating unit economics. Continue reading
onurdongel/iStock via Getty Images This is my first coverage of Oklo ( OKLO ). In this article, I will analyze their business, provide background on the physics involved and how it impacts fuel costs, and discuss the upcoming catalysts. Even though, fundamentally, the company is deeply unprofitable and still a long way off from the commercialization phase, I will try to make my case that all of th...
onurdongel/iStock via Getty Images This is my first coverage of Oklo ( OKLO ). In this article, I will analyze their business, provide background on the physics involved and how it impacts fuel costs, and discuss the upcoming catalysts. Even though, fundamentally, the company is deeply unprofitable and still a long way off from the commercialization phase, I will try to make my case that all of the above-mentioned factors provide a sufficient basis for a "Speculative Buy " rating. Introduction and the Business Model Oklo plans to own the nuclear power facilities and sell the generated electricity via power purchase agreements, making their revenues stable and predictable, in exchange for assuming the risks associated with power plant construction and operation. One such example is their agreement with Meta. In January 2026, they announced a deal that advances Oklo's plans to develop a 1.2 GW power campus for Meta's data centers. Meta agreed "to prepay for power and provide funding to advance project certainty for Oklo's Aurora powerhouse deployment. " I believe this will be a prime example of a power purchase agreement. But such revenue generation is still quite far off, so we need to look at near-term catalysts and technological differentiation to better evaluate the company. Technology Differentiation and Fuel Economics One of the main pillars for the investment thesis is the technology, which, I believe, would make the operational costs lower than traditional large nuclear reactors. Oklo’s prototype reactor - named Aurora - is based on fast neutrons and is cooled by liquid sodium. Note that when Uranium-235 splits, it creates fast neutrons that in traditional reactors need to be slowed down to a thermal state, using water as a moderator. Oklo, on the other hand, uses fast neutrons, completely eliminating the need to use a moderator. Water boils at a much lower temperature than sodium, and as such, water-cooled reactors must run at high pressure, creating addition...
(RTTNews) - The Singapore stock market has tracked lower in three straight sessions, slumping almost 80 points or 1.7 percent in that span. The Straits Times Index now rests just above the 4,920-point plateau although it may stop the bleeding on Monday.
(RTTNews) - The Singapore stock market has tracked lower in three straight sessions, slumping almost 80 points or 1.7 percent in that span. The Straits Times Index now rests just above the 4,920-point plateau although it may stop the bleeding on Monday.
The Middle East war has created new opportunities for family offices and private banking businesses in Hong Kong and Asia, as wealthy investors in the region seek to diversify their investments away from the conflict zone, according to industry players. Ida Liu, CEO of HSBC Private Bank, said some affluent Middle Eastern customers were diversifying into Asia. The bank is the largest wealth manager...
The Middle East war has created new opportunities for family offices and private banking businesses in Hong Kong and Asia, as wealthy investors in the region seek to diversify their investments away from the conflict zone, according to industry players. Ida Liu, CEO of HSBC Private Bank, said some affluent Middle Eastern customers were diversifying into Asia. The bank is the largest wealth manager in Asia with US$1.05 trillion in wealth balances in Asia last year, up 16.3 per cent from a year...
Japan is planning to build what could become the world’s largest floating wind farm – a gigawatt-scale project off the Izu Islands to power the island chain and Tokyo. But the plan, championed by Governor Yuriko Koike, is facing questions over whether it can be delivered by 2035. There are also doubts about the power generation forecast and whether Japan could tackle the technical demands of such ...
Japan is planning to build what could become the world’s largest floating wind farm – a gigawatt-scale project off the Izu Islands to power the island chain and Tokyo. But the plan, championed by Governor Yuriko Koike, is facing questions over whether it can be delivered by 2035. There are also doubts about the power generation forecast and whether Japan could tackle the technical demands of such a megaproject. Koike first announced the wind farm project at a climate change conference in...
Asia’s markets are behaving as though two different worlds exist at once. In South and Southeast Asia, higher oil prices are straining trade balances and sending stocks tumbling in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. In North Asia, enthusiasm for chipmakers and artificial intelligence companies is driving equity benchmarks in South Korea and Taiwan to repeated record highs with little regard for...
Asia’s markets are behaving as though two different worlds exist at once. In South and Southeast Asia, higher oil prices are straining trade balances and sending stocks tumbling in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. In North Asia, enthusiasm for chipmakers and artificial intelligence companies is driving equity benchmarks in South Korea and Taiwan to repeated record highs with little regard for the war in the Middle East. The divergence highlights two competing narratives in global markets, with investors punishing economies exposed to higher energy costs while looking past near-term geopolitical risks if they can gain exposure to industries seen as critical to future growth. With the US and Iran making little progress toward talks and control of the Strait of Hormuz unresolved, the risk of prolonged energy disruption is paving the way for further divergence in Asia’s markets. “It’s mainly the lack of AI” that’s exacerbating South Asia’s underperformance compared to their North Asian tech-led peers, said Marvin Chen , a strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence. “On oil, Korea, Taiwan and Japan are just as dependent. It may be a structural issue that South Asia may need to proactively address by finding ways to fit in tighter with the regional tech supply chain.” When the Iran conflict broke out late February, markets across Asia sold off in unison as higher oil prices hit the region’s import-dependent economies. But as it dragged on, investors grew weary and shifted back to the pre-war trade of buying AI-linked stocks. North Asia has mostly erased its losses since the conflict. Taiwan’s Taiex is up almost 10% since the war — the best performance among major markets — while South Korea’s Kospi has gained about 4%. China’s CSI 300 and Japan’s Nikkei 225 also edged higher. Elsewhere, the performance is weaker. India’s Nifty 50 has fallen about 5%, and the MSCI ASEAN Index is down around 7%, with benchmarks in the Philippines and Indonesia each dropping over 10%. North A...
Editor's note: Seeking Alpha is proud to welcome Brown Advisory as a new contributing analyst. You can become one too! Share your best investment idea by submitting your article for review to our editors. Get published, earn money, and unlock exclusive SA Premium access. Click here to find out more » Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images The Mid-Cap Growth Strategy underperformed the Russell Midca...
Editor's note: Seeking Alpha is proud to welcome Brown Advisory as a new contributing analyst. You can become one too! Share your best investment idea by submitting your article for review to our editors. Get published, earn money, and unlock exclusive SA Premium access. Click here to find out more » Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images The Mid-Cap Growth Strategy underperformed the Russell Midcap® Growth Index during the first quarter due to stock selection. The performance of this mid- and small-cap strategy the last three years (ended December 31, 2025) was within our expectations, trailing the benchmark primarily because it did not own two large-cap momentum stocks that drove outsized returns in that Index. In contrast, this quarter's lag was due to our investment choices. However, the negative selection effect was thematic, driven by what some have dubbed the "SaaS-pocalypse," or the collapsing share prices of quality growers like software, business-, and information-services companies facing a threat from artificial intelligence (AI). During the first quarter, market dynamics were mostly driven by the military campaign in Iran, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, soaring energy prices, AI's dominance, and the death of anything in its crosshairs. Given that backdrop, the price of oil (W&T Offshore Inc.) soared 77% while the U.S. 10-Year Treasury yield climbed 15 basis points (bps) to 4.32. Looking broadly, value-oriented and small-cap benchmarks led returns, while growth, mid-, and large-caps lagged. Dispersion was reasonably wide during the quarter—the Russell 2000® Value (small cap) Index beat the Russell Top 200® Growth Index (large cap) by approximately 15% (+5% versus -10%). Perhaps oddly, biotech led again (State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF +5%), continuing a trend from the last two quarters. Generally, we continue to see a broadening of market drivers beyond large-cap tech, though much of this we attribute to capital fleeing any asset-light business in...
American drive-in theaters might be a relic of the past, but Chinese carmakers have found a novel way to bring them back: headlights that project movies onto walls. Take the Stelato S9 sedan, developed by Huawei Technologies Co. and BAIC Motor Corp. It features a system that not only lights up the road, but can cast the latest Marvel flick on a 100-inch screen outdoors. The 2-megapixel headlights ...
American drive-in theaters might be a relic of the past, but Chinese carmakers have found a novel way to bring them back: headlights that project movies onto walls. Take the Stelato S9 sedan, developed by Huawei Technologies Co. and BAIC Motor Corp. It features a system that not only lights up the road, but can cast the latest Marvel flick on a 100-inch screen outdoors. The 2-megapixel headlights can also beam crosswalk and navigation arrows on the ground. It’s yet another example of how local carmakers are innovating on another level to get ahead in China’s hyper-competitive market. John Zhang , president of Seres Group Co. , which makes cars with Huawei under the Aito brand, said the feature was one of the key selling points of their popular M line of vehicles, along with the driver-assistance system. “We did lots of upgrades on this model,” he told Bloomberg Television. Huawei isn’t the only one working on pixelated headlights. BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz group AG are also working on the technology, designed to deliver sharper and brighter lighting on roads, although Chinese carmakers are racing ahead to add new features. The market for such advanced lighting systems, estimated at $1.1 billion in 2025, is expected to roughly double over the coming decade, according to Intelmarket Research. Huawei is also bringing the concept inside cars. The telecommunications and electronics conglomerate, which has been pushing aggressively into the automotive sector, also offers a system that can project images onto roll-up screens behind the front seats, or from a raised tailgate. It wasn’t immediately clear how regulators would prevent moving vehicles from distracting other drivers by projecting images onto roads.
The Thai baht has been among the worst performers in Asia since the start of the Iran War and it’s at risk of further losses as the conflict drives up oil prices, strategists say. The baht is likely to come under renewed pressure given the size of the nation’s energy imports, according to MUFG Bank Ltd. The seasonal pattern of Thailand’s current account will weigh on the currency in the second qua...
The Thai baht has been among the worst performers in Asia since the start of the Iran War and it’s at risk of further losses as the conflict drives up oil prices, strategists say. The baht is likely to come under renewed pressure given the size of the nation’s energy imports, according to MUFG Bank Ltd. The seasonal pattern of Thailand’s current account will weigh on the currency in the second quarter, Malayan Banking Bhd. says. The Thai currency has already weakened more than 4% since the war began in late February, trailing only the Philippine peso in Asia. The baht retraced some of its declines in early April as a US-Iran ceasefire began, but it has started to drop again as talks between the two sides have stalled. “We still see risks to the downside for Thai baht, given it runs the largest net oil-and-gas trade deficit in the Asia region,” said Lloyd Chan , a foreign-exchange strategist at MUFG Bank in Singapore. “We are mindful that the US blockade of Iranian ports still persists, which will continue to disrupt energy flows.” The baht will probably weaken to 33.90 per dollar this quarter, Chan said, which would put the currency at the weakest level since April 2025. Most Vulnerable The Thai currency is particularly vulnerable as the nation is the most exposed in Asia to higher energy costs, according to a study by Nomura Global Economics, based on factors such as the share of fossil fuels in total energy supply and the energy trade balance. “Higher oil prices and a seasonally narrower current account keep us cautious on the baht in the second quarter,” said Alan Lau , a foreign-exchange strategist at Maybank in Singapore. The baht is set to end this quarter at 32.50 per dollar, assuming oil prices don’t fall significantly, he said. Maybank’s forecast matches the median estimate of analysts, surveyed by Bloomberg, which represents a slight decline through the end of June from the current level of about 32.40 per dollar. Thailand’s current-account data due Thursd...