tawatchaiprakobkit/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Global equities are reacting positively to a ceasefire in Iran. While doubts naturally remain as to the durability of the ceasefire and the possibility of renewed fighting in the region, hopes are that the current ceasefire morphs into a lasting peace settlement between warring sides. One key beneficiary of a prolonged peace in Iran will be T...
tawatchaiprakobkit/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Global equities are reacting positively to a ceasefire in Iran. While doubts naturally remain as to the durability of the ceasefire and the possibility of renewed fighting in the region, hopes are that the current ceasefire morphs into a lasting peace settlement between warring sides. One key beneficiary of a prolonged peace in Iran will be Türkiye, which shares a land border with the Islamic Republic and has been one of the Islamic countries (along with Pakistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia) pushing for a ceasefire. Investors interested in gaining exposure to Turkish equities may want to consider the iShares MSCI Turkey ETF ( TUR ) which I rank with a Buy rating. The bullish investment thesis for TUR can be summarized as: Turkish stocks trade at an undemanding 14.1x trailing P/E multiple, notably cheaper than the S&P 500. The 2.11% dividend is well-covered even after factoring in the elevated 0.59% expense ratio, with the 0.38x payout ratio leaving ample retained earnings. Turkish GDP growth is projected to exceed that of the United States by 2030, likely resulting in stronger EPS growth for TUR relative to the S&P 500. ETF Strategy and Characteristics TUR is a passive ETF investing exclusively in Turkish equities traded on the Istanbul Stock Exchange (its benchmark is the MSCI Turkey IMI 25/50 index). As such, investors in TUR should be comfortable with currency risk which is arguably one of the main concerns for international investors, given Türkiye's unorthodox monetary policy and significant currency losses of the Turkish Lira ( USD:TRY ) versus the U.S. dollar in recent years. Indeed from the snippet below you will see that a U.S. dollar was worth marginally less than 3 TRY a decade ago, increasing to about 44.5 TRY in April 2026. US Dollar/Turkish Lira exchange rate over the past decade (Seeking Alpha) Currency considerations aside, TUR's portfolio currently covers 78 individual holdings , with a top ten ho...
29-year-old to depart Northampton for London club Smith and Mitchell fit for Saints quarter-final Under-performing Harlequins have confirmed the signing of England’s full-back George Furbank as they seek to rebuild their squad for next season. The 29-year-old Furbank has been an influential figure at league leaders Northampton but a lucrative contract offer has persuaded him to try his luck in sou...
29-year-old to depart Northampton for London club Smith and Mitchell fit for Saints quarter-final Under-performing Harlequins have confirmed the signing of England’s full-back George Furbank as they seek to rebuild their squad for next season. The 29-year-old Furbank has been an influential figure at league leaders Northampton but a lucrative contract offer has persuaded him to try his luck in south-west London this summer. While Furbank has been sidelined through injury for lengthy chunks of the past two years he remains a quality operator with 14 international caps who looks certain to be a key member of England’s World Cup squad. Quins, second-bottom of the 10-team Prem, will also be hoping he can have an immediate impact on their fortunes. Continue reading...
Readers respond to warnings that female teachers are increasingly having to cope with misogynistic behaviour from male students A quarter of female teachers have been the target of misogyny over the past 12 months ( A ‘masculinity crisis’ is brewing in UK schools, union says, 4 April ). In truth, this is a crisis that’s been building for years. Annoyingly, we had the chance to deal with this crisi...
Readers respond to warnings that female teachers are increasingly having to cope with misogynistic behaviour from male students A quarter of female teachers have been the target of misogyny over the past 12 months ( A ‘masculinity crisis’ is brewing in UK schools, union says, 4 April ). In truth, this is a crisis that’s been building for years. Annoyingly, we had the chance to deal with this crisis when it was still impending. Three years ago, headteachers started asking the Department for Education (DfE) for help when Andrew Tate and his mates started being named – and quoted – in classrooms. Its advice? Don’t engage. Educators were told not to discuss Tate’s views in personal, social, health and economic education lessons and the DfE refused to offer any training. Continue reading...
Readers respond to an article by Leah Harper on the environmental impact of the balloon boom and calls for a ban I was pleased to read your article on the detrimental effects of balloons on the environment ( The dark side of the balloon boom – is it time they were banned?, 2 April ). I attend a yoga class on the first floor of a building in Chiswick, London, and I have been repeatedly disturbed by...
Readers respond to an article by Leah Harper on the environmental impact of the balloon boom and calls for a ban I was pleased to read your article on the detrimental effects of balloons on the environment ( The dark side of the balloon boom – is it time they were banned?, 2 April ). I attend a yoga class on the first floor of a building in Chiswick, London, and I have been repeatedly disturbed by the sight of a helium balloon caught in a tree outside the window there. Over the last 10 years, I have watched it metamorphose from a silvery helium balloon with a string into a grey, stringy mess that still hasn’t disappeared. Each time I see it, I despair that people still insist on so often buying balloons for celebrations without concern for the environmental impact that they will have once discarded. Beatrix Chappell London Continue reading...
The government is cutting contributions at a critical stage in the campaign to eradicate the disease, writes Gillian Russell It is extremely disheartening to read that after 2026, the UK government is to end its contributions to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), putting at risk the great efforts that have been made over the last 40 years to improve the health and wellbeing of childre...
The government is cutting contributions at a critical stage in the campaign to eradicate the disease, writes Gillian Russell It is extremely disheartening to read that after 2026, the UK government is to end its contributions to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), putting at risk the great efforts that have been made over the last 40 years to improve the health and wellbeing of children across the world ( Polio virus detected in London days before ministers cut global eradication funding, 27 March ). The eradication of polio is a cornerstone of the humanitarian work of Rotary International (a GPEI partner). I am one of many Rotary members who have taken part in vaccination days in India and seen at first hand the dedication of local health workers in ensuring that all children are vaccinated. Continue reading...
Twilio ( TWO ) shares are set to gain for seven straight sessions, as the stock is up over 3% during afternoon trading on Wednesday. The communications software company’s shares gained nearly 9.6% in the preceding six sessions. They have also risen nearly 10% over the past month. Earlier this week, Jefferies upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold, raising its price target to $160 from $125. "We are u...
Twilio ( TWO ) shares are set to gain for seven straight sessions, as the stock is up over 3% during afternoon trading on Wednesday. The communications software company’s shares gained nearly 9.6% in the preceding six sessions. They have also risen nearly 10% over the past month. Earlier this week, Jefferies upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold, raising its price target to $160 from $125. "We are upgrading TWLO to Buy as we have greater conviction in the role TWLO will play in the Voice AI tech stack. Further, even a modest increase in traction can serve as a sustainable tailwind for gross profit growth for years to come and drive upside to consensus," said analyst Samad Samana. The analyst believes that the combination of greater relevance in an agentic AI world plus better fundamentals will result in a better valuation multiple as well. Turning to the Wall Street community, 21 out of 29 analysts rated TWLO a Buy and above, six analysts have given the stock a Hold recommendation, and two recommended Sell. Looking at Seeking Alpha’s quant rating , TWLO has a Buy rating with a score of 3.70 out of 5. The company has been graded B for growth, profitability, and momentum but is weighed down by a C- grade for valuation and revisions. However, Seeking Alpha analysts are cautious, rating it a Hold . On a year-to-date basis, TWLO shares have fallen 4%, underperforming the broader market, which has declined 1%. More on Twilio Twilio's Accelerated Growth And Sticky Ecosystem Remains Compelling Twilio: I'm Sidelined Despite The 69% Incremental Margins Twilio Inc. (TWLO) Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript Twilio rises after Jefferies upgrades to Buy Insider trades: Marvell Technology, Taiwan Semiconductor among notable names
No appeasement in Britain | Donald Trump’s new mantra | Fascinating obituary | The trouble with names | Spellchecker Donald Trump says “We won’t want another Neville Chamberlain” ( Trump uses Neville Chamberlain jibe to mock Starmer over stance on Iran, 6 April ) – ie someone who does not stand up to tyrannical regimes and tries to appease them. Well, Donald, I am sure you are pleased that, so far...
No appeasement in Britain | Donald Trump’s new mantra | Fascinating obituary | The trouble with names | Spellchecker Donald Trump says “We won’t want another Neville Chamberlain” ( Trump uses Neville Chamberlain jibe to mock Starmer over stance on Iran, 6 April ) – ie someone who does not stand up to tyrannical regimes and tries to appease them. Well, Donald, I am sure you are pleased that, so far, that is not happening in the UK, where our prime minister does seem to be standing up to such regimes by refusing to back the US-Israel attacks on Iran. Dominic Rice Sheffield • President Trump used to have the mantra “ Drill, baby, drill ”. Now it seems to be “Kill, baby, kill”. Rae Street Littleborough, Greater Manchester Continue reading...
While many investors are concerned about the growing concentration of large companies' stocks in the S&P 500 , most analysts seem to think the trillion-dollar behemoths could get even bigger relative to the rest of the market. They see tremendous upside in most megacap stocks based on their price targets. Increased spending on artificial intelligence (AI) has driven the valuations of many of the l...
While many investors are concerned about the growing concentration of large companies' stocks in the S&P 500 , most analysts seem to think the trillion-dollar behemoths could get even bigger relative to the rest of the market. They see tremendous upside in most megacap stocks based on their price targets. Increased spending on artificial intelligence (AI) has driven the valuations of many of the largest companies in the world, and that trend isn't slowing down anytime soon. Semiconductor stocks , including Nvidia , Broadcom , and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing , may still be great growth opportunities. Analysts' median price targets on those stocks are as much as 50% higher than their prices as of this writing. Meanwhile, cloud computing stocks like Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) , Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) , and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) also hold tremendous upside, according to analysts. Investors could see 36% upside for Amazon based on analysts' targets and 31% for Alphabet. But the trillion-dollar stock with the most upside based on analysts' median price targets is Microsoft, which could climb 61% to reach $600 per share, according to the median price target. Continue reading
Shop workers’ union Usdaw says 59% of its members in its annual survey said they would welcome more security guards in stores Retail workers have called for more security guards in stores after a Waitrose worker was sacked for confronting a shoplifter. Waitrose has been criticised over its treatment of Walker Smith after the Guardian reported he was fired two days after he stopped a shoplifter tak...
Shop workers’ union Usdaw says 59% of its members in its annual survey said they would welcome more security guards in stores Retail workers have called for more security guards in stores after a Waitrose worker was sacked for confronting a shoplifter. Waitrose has been criticised over its treatment of Walker Smith after the Guardian reported he was fired two days after he stopped a shoplifter taking items from an Easter egg display, including Lindt chocolate bunnies. Continue reading...
pablorebo1984/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Deutsche Bank ( DB ) has increased the fixed annual basic compensation for the board chairman, Alexander Wynaendts, to €1.15M from €950K. Furthermore, the German banking group said the person chairing a supervisory board committee will generally receive additional remuneration in the future, and previous exemptions will no longer apply. The superviso...
pablorebo1984/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Deutsche Bank ( DB ) has increased the fixed annual basic compensation for the board chairman, Alexander Wynaendts, to €1.15M from €950K. Furthermore, the German banking group said the person chairing a supervisory board committee will generally receive additional remuneration in the future, and previous exemptions will no longer apply. The supervisory board members will see their compensation raised to €350K from €300K, while the pay will hike to €550K from €475K for the deputy chairman. Additionally, Deutsche said Frank Witter is set to step down from the board, effective from the close of the annual general meeting on May 28, for personal reasons. Carsten Knobel has been proposed for election to the supervisory board. The bank is set to hold its AGM in person for the first time since 2019. Furthermore, the board has recommended a dividend of €1.00 per share for 2025, up ~50% from €0.68 per share paid in 2024. Additionally, Deutsche had launched a €1.0B share buyback program in February 2026, which increases the cumulative capital distributions for the financial years 2021-2025 to €8.5B. The capital distributions exceed the bank's original target of €8.0B. More on Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (DB) Presents at European Financials Conference 2026 Transcript Deutsche Bank: Recent Pullback Provides A Buying Opportunity Deutsche Bank: A Bullish Refocus On European Banks Emerges (Upgrade) Deutsche Bank, RBC participate in financing for Eat Happy-Hana Group deal - report ECB to start new round of checks on banks' private credit holdings - report
humonia/iStock via Getty Images Recent developments in the pet food sector are not likely to be as detrimental to Freshpet ( FRPT ) as the share price indicates, and the company can actually take share from legacy dry kibble and wet food formats. With one of the “most formidable competitive moats in consumer products” and the stock priced attractively after a 17% retracement over the last 30 days,...
humonia/iStock via Getty Images Recent developments in the pet food sector are not likely to be as detrimental to Freshpet ( FRPT ) as the share price indicates, and the company can actually take share from legacy dry kibble and wet food formats. With one of the “most formidable competitive moats in consumer products” and the stock priced attractively after a 17% retracement over the last 30 days, TD Cowen views Freshpet (FPRT) as a Buy and set an $80 target price that assumes 27% upside from Tuesday’s closing price. “Concerns about increased competition from Costco’s new private label entry and Farmer’s Dog expansion on Walmart.com will prove overdone,” said TD Cowen’s Robert Moskow, adding that Freshpet ( FRPT ) has “sufficient scale and competitive advantages to withstand threats like these.” With Costco ( COST ) doubling the size of its pet food refrigerators in 60% to make room for both its Kirkland brand and Freshpet ( FRPT ), Moskow believes the latter will benefit from not only the incremental shelf space (which will more than offset losses to Kirkland) but also the limited introduction of the Kirkland brand to 40% of Costco ( COST ) stores . Admittedly, The Farmer’s Dog is the leading direct-to-consumer fresh dog food brand. But the brand will sell its merchandise at a 35% price premium at Walmart.com compared to its website. As a result, Moskow believes that the price difference and Walmart’s ( WMT ) plan to not sell The Farmer’s Dog at its brick-and-mortar stores do not pose a risk to Freshpet’s ( FRPT ) Walmart sales. Freshpet ( FRPT ) shares are higher for a second straight day and have recovered losses associated with The Farmer’s Dog placement on Walmart.com ( WMT ). More on Freshpet Freshpet: Growth Dynamics Raising Questions Freshpet, Inc. (FRPT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Freshpet, Inc. 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Freshpet shares rocked by The Farmer's Dog launch at Walmart Oppenheimer sees Freshpet at an attractive entry p...
IherPhoto/iStock via Getty Images Energy Transfer ( ET ) has gained 15.7% since my last report largely, but not entirely closing the value gap I saw for the stock price. The increase in the stock price is not just driven by the situation in the Middle East since the stock price already started increasing in early 2026. In this report, I discuss whether the stock remains a buy or whether it's a goo...
IherPhoto/iStock via Getty Images Energy Transfer ( ET ) has gained 15.7% since my last report largely, but not entirely closing the value gap I saw for the stock price. The increase in the stock price is not just driven by the situation in the Middle East since the stock price already started increasing in early 2026. In this report, I discuss whether the stock remains a buy or whether it's a good time to reduce the rating. Energy Transfer Could Have Opportunities On Oil & Gas Export Shifts Energy Transfer Like many midstream companies, Energy Transfer has a business model that largely shields the company from fluctuations in commodity prices. Only 10% of the business is exposed to fluctuations in oil and gas prices which in the near term may provide an opportunity for Energy Transfer as commodity prices have risen sharply. The remaining 90% is fee based. Those fee-based contracts are take-or-pay which provides income regardless of whether capacity is utilized by the customer or not. They can also be volume based where customers pay based on the volumes flowing through the pipelines. With supply from the Middle East choked, there could be increased demand for North American oil and gas, which may provide a lift to the volumes flowing through the pipelines. There also is a potential risk as a slowdown in economic growth may reduce demand and subsequently pressure the volume side of the business. In 2025, the company has around 40% of its EBITDA derived from natural gas related activities, 26% from liquid natural gas and refined products and 18% from crude oil. Energy Transfer Is A Master Limited Partnership: What Does It Mean? ET is a Master Limited Partnership or MLP. So, you buy common units of Energy Transfer instead of shares. MLPs are not statutorily required to distribute all cash that is not needed for operations and maintenance assets to their unit holders, but we do see generally there is some pressure to keep growing unit holder returns in the form of a ca...
Meta Platforms ( META ) introduced its Muse Spark AI model on Thursday, the first model from its Superintelligence group and one aimed at products. “Muse Spark is the first model in our new Muse series — a deliberate and scientific approach to model scaling where each generation validates and builds on the last before we go bigger,” the company said in a blog post . “This initial model is small an...
Meta Platforms ( META ) introduced its Muse Spark AI model on Thursday, the first model from its Superintelligence group and one aimed at products. “Muse Spark is the first model in our new Muse series — a deliberate and scientific approach to model scaling where each generation validates and builds on the last before we go bigger,” the company said in a blog post . “This initial model is small and fast by design, yet capable enough to reason through complex questions in science, math, and health. It is a powerful foundation, and the next generation is already in development. Muse Spark now powers the Meta AI assistant in the Meta AI app and meta.ai, built to support complex reasoning and multimodal tasks.” Meta said Muse Spark is built specifically for its products and will be able to power a smarter and faster Meta AI. In addition, it will also be able to incorporate new features that cite recommendations and content people share across Instagram, Facebook, and Threads, Meta added. Currently being used to power the Meta AI app and website, Muse Park will come to WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and AI glasses in the “coming weeks,” Meta added. It will also be made available in API to “select partners,” Meta said. More on Meta Meta: Hated Again, And That's An Opportunity Meta: 3 Questions The Bulls Are Avoiding (Rating Downgrade) Meta Platforms: Time To Double Down Magnificent 7, tech stocks likely to see 'risk on' from Iran ceasefire, Wedbush says Greece to ban social media for kids under 15 from 2027
Eric Swalwell About To Be Hit With 'Shocking' Number Of Sexual Harassment Allegations; Report Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness , A “shocking” number of former female employees and interns are preparing to come forward to accuse Rep. Eric Swalwell (|D-Calif.) of sexual misconduct, according to a Democrat activist. Cheyenne Hunt, a lawyer, former congressional candidate and executive d...
Eric Swalwell About To Be Hit With 'Shocking' Number Of Sexual Harassment Allegations; Report Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness , A “shocking” number of former female employees and interns are preparing to come forward to accuse Rep. Eric Swalwell (|D-Calif.) of sexual misconduct, according to a Democrat activist. Cheyenne Hunt, a lawyer, former congressional candidate and executive director of the left-wing nonprofit Gen-Z for Change, revealed on X Sunday, that she has been working with a number of women who are in the process of sharing their accusations with major news outlets. Hunt said she knew of a separate and “much larger group” of women who are also currently in the process of sharing their stories. Swalwell’s alleged inappropriate sexual behavior is said to be an “open secret” in Washington DC , as is his alleged practice of forcing underlings to sign nondisclosure agreements. Hunt posted an initial video on Instagram in late March accusing Swalwell of having “a known history of being predatory towards women.” She cited a woman who told her: “ You know Eric Swalwell has slept with many of his interns and makes them all sign NDAs so they don’t speak up, right? And when I was 19 he tried hitting on me and sliding into my DMs and I have so many other friends that have similar experiences with him.” Hunt said the allegation was “not an anomaly” but “part of a pattern.” After that video was posted, she said a “pretty shocking” number of “credible” women came forward with more stories and she connected them “with the investigative reporting teams who have been working on breaking this for years.” “ Anyone who has been in DC for five minutes knows this, ” said Democrat campaign advisor Bri Gillis on X. “It’s actually wild it took this long.” Hunt said Gillis’ “sentiment” was “widely shared among folks” she’d spoken with. “Not only are people unsurprised, but many of them have been able to send impacted women our way,” she wrote. “I got involved becau...