Pentagon Officially Removes 180 Faiths From Military Religion List Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times , The Department of War has formally removed 180 faiths from its official list of religious affiliation codes, leaving 31 remaining, according to a memo posted by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell on June 5. The Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on May 25, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times ...
Pentagon Officially Removes 180 Faiths From Military Religion List Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times , The Department of War has formally removed 180 faiths from its official list of religious affiliation codes, leaving 31 remaining, according to a memo posted by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell on June 5. The Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on May 25, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times The military had initially listed 211 faith and belief codes, but that number has been sharply reduced under the direction of War Secretary Pete Hegseth , according to a memo signed by Anthony Tata, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, dated May 20. The memo states that the change was intended to "streamline the DoW [Department of War] collection of religious preferences selection for Service members to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy." "The new 'Religious Affiliation Codes' list will provide chaplains with clear, readily available information that will better enable them to anticipate the religious support needs of Service members and to provide religious support activities that align with Service members' personal faith and practices," the memo reads. The updated list includes agnosticism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and a range of Christian denominations such as Baptist, Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran, and Seventh Day Adventist. Options of "no religion" or "other religion" are listed as well. Parnell said that the cut in religious affiliation codes was not meant to make any judgment about the legitimacy of any faith or belief system, nor to serve as a list of "'officially approved' religions." "Rather, it is designed to allow chaplains to quickly look at the religious composition of their units and determine how they structure resources to best provide for warfighters of all faith groups," he said in a post on X. Parnell emphasized that the Pentagon remains committed to upholding service ...
In this article .KS11 NMR Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A currency dealer monitors exchange rates in a trading room at KEB Hana Bank in Seoul on June 21, 2021. JUNG YEON-JE | AFP via Getty Images Foreign investors have dumped billions of dollars' worth of South Korean stocks this year, even as the Kospi has emerged as one of the world's standout performers thus far. On Monday, ov...
In this article .KS11 NMR Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A currency dealer monitors exchange rates in a trading room at KEB Hana Bank in Seoul on June 21, 2021. JUNG YEON-JE | AFP via Getty Images Foreign investors have dumped billions of dollars' worth of South Korean stocks this year, even as the Kospi has emerged as one of the world's standout performers thus far. On Monday, overseas investors had unloaded a net 1.24 trillion won (about $801 million) worth of Kospi-listed shares as of 11am Singapore time (11p.m. ET Sunday), according to Korea Exchange data. "Foreign investors continued to sell the Kospi market, driven by outflows for Kospi Tech and Auto," Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a June 5 note. The Kospi was down more than 8% at the open. Yet many investors and strategists say foreign selling has less to do with deteriorating fundamentals and more to do with the market's own success. "This is essentially forced selling that we are seeing from our investors and clients," said Chetan Seth, Nomura 's Asia-Pacific equity strategist. As Korean stocks have surged, their weightings in global and emerging-market benchmarks have increased sharply, forcing many active fund managers to trim positions to stay within portfolio and risk limits, investors told CNBC. The selling pressure has been evident for months. Goldman estimated net foreign outflows from the Kospi had reached roughly $62 billion as of late May. 'Structural pressures' The phenomenon mirrors what happened in India in recent years, according to Nomura, where surging domestic retail participation increasingly crowded out foreign investors. "I think the same dynamic might play out in Korea as well," Seth added, noting that foreign investors may wait for better entry points after a pullback. Nick Wilcox, head of Asian equities at Man Group, echoed that view, noting that Korea's rapid ascent in emerging-market indices has created structural pressures for international investors. Stock Chart...
Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Pyongyang on Monday for a two-day visit, his first to North Korea since 2019. In an article published by Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, on Monday morning, Xi said the combat friendship “forged in blood” and comradely bond of mutual trust between the two countries stood the test of time and the ch...
Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Pyongyang on Monday for a two-day visit, his first to North Korea since 2019. In an article published by Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, on Monday morning, Xi said the combat friendship “forged in blood” and comradely bond of mutual trust between the two countries stood the test of time and the changing international landscape. Xi pledged to deepen strategic communication and interact frequently...
Copper edged up to recoup some of last week’s losses as buying activity in China and flows of metal to the US supported the demand outlook. The red metal fell nearly 3% on the London Metal Exchange on Friday, the most since mid-March. That was after US jobs growth topped all forecasts, fueling bets that the Federal Reserve will likely raise interest rates this year. Tighter monetary conditions wou...
Copper edged up to recoup some of last week’s losses as buying activity in China and flows of metal to the US supported the demand outlook. The red metal fell nearly 3% on the London Metal Exchange on Friday, the most since mid-March. That was after US jobs growth topped all forecasts, fueling bets that the Federal Reserve will likely raise interest rates this year. Tighter monetary conditions would eventually slow economic activity and reduce consumption of raw materials such as copper and aluminum. While the expectation of the US interest-rate hike will curb a rally in base metals, steady demand will cap downsides for copper, said Gao Yin, an analyst with Shuohe Asset Management Co. Copper trading has been throttled as energy costs and inflation climb due to the Middle East war. Meanwhile, the June deadline for the Trump administration to make a fresh determination on launching US import tariffs has revived flows of metal to the country, draining supplies elsewhere. Read More: Trump Tweaks Copper Tariff Rules Ahead of Refined Metal Review Inventories in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell to 169,512 tons as of Friday, the lowest level this year, indicating that buying remains supportive in China on demand for electrification. Copper is widely used in wires and electrical equipment. Copper rose 0.5% to $13,581 a ton on the LME as of 11:08 a.m. in Shanghai. Other base metals were mixed, with tin down 1.6% to $52,085 a ton and aluminum up 0.4% to $3,607 a ton.
South Korean stocks plunged as investors pulled back from artificial intelligence bets. Meanwhile, a tech-centered camaraderie was on display last week with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's night out in Seoul with South Korea's tech corporate royalty, including leaders from SK Group, LG Group and Naver Corp. (Source: Bloomberg)
South Korean stocks plunged as investors pulled back from artificial intelligence bets. Meanwhile, a tech-centered camaraderie was on display last week with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's night out in Seoul with South Korea's tech corporate royalty, including leaders from SK Group, LG Group and Naver Corp. (Source: Bloomberg)
AoZaaStudio/iStock via Getty Images Energy investors and management teams are cautious of a proposed rule by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, above, to allow semiannual reporting of financial results. There is little reason for energy, utility, and renewable power companies to switch to semiannual financial reporting from quarterly reporting should a proposed US Securities and Exchange C...
AoZaaStudio/iStock via Getty Images Energy investors and management teams are cautious of a proposed rule by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, above, to allow semiannual reporting of financial results. There is little reason for energy, utility, and renewable power companies to switch to semiannual financial reporting from quarterly reporting should a proposed US Securities and Exchange Commission rule allowing the option become final, according to multiple sector attorneys and experts. While less frequent reporting could enable more companies to go public by reducing administrative burdens and easing costs, energy investors will continue to demand the transparency provided by quarterly disclosures, said attorneys and analysts interviewed by Platts, part of S&P Global Energy. Management teams are also wary of the flexibility that could come with semiannual reporting because lenders, customers, and other regulatory entities require financial and operational information on a quarterly basis. The SEC released a proposal for public comment on May 5 that would allow public companies to file semiannual reports instead of traditional quarterly reports, saying the option provides flexibility "to choose the interim reporting frequency that would best serve the company and its investors." "Several companies point to quarterly earnings updates as a reliable resource to clear material non-public information to provide updates to the investment community," Scotiabank analysts wrote in a May 14 report tallying the results of a survey of utility investor relations teams. "We agree that six months seems like a long time to wait between regular updates." "[M]ost companies would likely continue with the status quo," Scotiabank concluded. IPOs underway The SEC proposal arrives as several oil and gas and renewable energy companies have recently launched initial public offerings, buoyed by data center developers' demand for power. Semiannual reporting could ease emerging compan...
matejmo/iStock via Getty Images Quarterly review • The fund outperformed its benchmark, the Diversified Capital Builder Blended Index, in the first quarter of 2026. • The fund's equity portion outperformed its Russell 1000 Index benchmark. • The portfolio's fixed income holdings outperformed its fixed income benchmark, the ICE BofA High Yield U.S. Corporates, Cash Pay Index. Market review The firs...
matejmo/iStock via Getty Images Quarterly review • The fund outperformed its benchmark, the Diversified Capital Builder Blended Index, in the first quarter of 2026. • The fund's equity portion outperformed its Russell 1000 Index benchmark. • The portfolio's fixed income holdings outperformed its fixed income benchmark, the ICE BofA High Yield U.S. Corporates, Cash Pay Index. Market review The first quarter of 2026 was characterized by substantial volatility as all major indexes incurred considerable declines. The quarter started on a positive note, with stocks rallying into the new year on the heels of economic and artificial intelligence bullishness. However, a series of policy changes, new tariffs, and trade tensions started the stock market's slide that culminated with U.S. and Israel's aerial attack on Iran at the end of February. Oil prices spiked and the global markets sold off further as the Strait of Hormuz became impassable. Throughout this turmoil, the Federal Reserve (Fed) maintained a neutral position with interest rates. We believe sectors with above-average revenue and profit growth in the technology and industrial segments continue to benefit from the AI and data center build-out. Additionally, materials, led by chemical companies, performed well after years of poor performance. During the quarter, many large-capitalization stocks had negative returns, especially so-called "mega-capitalization" stocks. In contrast, small- and mid-capitalization companies generated positive returns in the quarter, outperforming their larger peers. Despite the negative overall stock returns, along with relatively stable interest rates, the economic growth forecast currently remains positive, as the oil shock from the war with Iran is viewed as temporary. As a result, we are cautious near term, but if the conflict can be resolved in the next several months, with the underlying strength in the prewar economy, oil price and inflationary declines could support a more favora...