Recent studies suggest GLP-1s, the weight loss and diabetes drugs, may both prevent cancer and slow its progression. While weight loss is known to curb cancer risks, GLP-1s may act on other brain and metabolic pathways to prevent cancer. (Image credit: Michael Siluk)
Recent studies suggest GLP-1s, the weight loss and diabetes drugs, may both prevent cancer and slow its progression. While weight loss is known to curb cancer risks, GLP-1s may act on other brain and metabolic pathways to prevent cancer. (Image credit: Michael Siluk)
Due to advancements in treatment and screening, more Americans are surviving cancer. But many are left with lingering mental health challenges like anxiety and depression. (Image credit: Natalie Krebs)
Due to advancements in treatment and screening, more Americans are surviving cancer. But many are left with lingering mental health challenges like anxiety and depression. (Image credit: Natalie Krebs)
The S&P 500 is up about 24% during the past 12 months. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is down 40% in the same period. Meanwhile, the rest of the crypto sector has been a graveyard for capital. Investors who bought a plain index fund in June 2025 made money; holders of "digital gold" did not, and holders of altcoins were quite likely to have lost almost everything. In the longer view, some original investme...
The S&P 500 is up about 24% during the past 12 months. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is down 40% in the same period. Meanwhile, the rest of the crypto sector has been a graveyard for capital. Investors who bought a plain index fund in June 2025 made money; holders of "digital gold" did not, and holders of altcoins were quite likely to have lost almost everything. In the longer view, some original investment theses for buying crypto still hold, while many (most?) others have been bludgeoned into irrelevance by hard evidence, courtesy of the market. So, is there any reason left to buy cryptocurrency in 2026, or is this show over for good? Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
5 Future Scenarios For Post-Conflict Iran Authored by Christian Milord via The Epoch Times , There likely are more than five scenarios that Iranians could opt for as hostilities unwind, but the following five visions represent the paths Iran could take this year. Will 2026 onward become the Third Islamic Republic, following the first (1979-1989) and the second (1989-2026)? We can only speculate on...
5 Future Scenarios For Post-Conflict Iran Authored by Christian Milord via The Epoch Times , There likely are more than five scenarios that Iranians could opt for as hostilities unwind, but the following five visions represent the paths Iran could take this year. Will 2026 onward become the Third Islamic Republic, following the first (1979-1989) and the second (1989-2026)? We can only speculate on the outcome of this third evolution, which might or might not be powered by clerics. First , in the fluid situation on the ground in Iran, T here are many forces at work . When the dust clears, Iran might fall right back into the same rut it has traversed since 1979. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei might be at the top of the pyramid, while President Masoud Pezeshkian and members of the Assembly of Experts, Cabinet, Courts, Guardian Council, and Parliament will appear to remain loyal to the ideology of militant Shia Islam. Over 80 percent of Iranians are Shia, while the remainder are adherents of Sunni Islam, the Baha'i faith, Christianity, and inter-religious practitioners. In this scenario, the dreaded Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would continue to hold sway as a parallel military force to the national armed forces (Artesh) of Iran - which is by now also fully under the control of the Islamic Republic. While similar to the oppressive prior Mukhabarat (internal intelligence/security) in Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the Assad dynasty in Syria, the IRGC has both an external and internal arm that metes out its own version of justice abroad and at home. Once again, Iranians would be forced to look over their shoulder and censor their own behavior. The regime would rebuild its military weapons arsenal, fund foreign terror proxies, and manipulate the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint with inspections and tolls. Next, when the conflict concludes and a ceasefire holds, balkanization of the nation might unfold. In Iran, there are large numbers of Balochs, Kurds, Turkmen, etc., w...
President Donald Trump attended the highly anticipated New York Knicks playoff in Madison Square Garden, drawing a heightened security presence and boos from the crowd. Annmarie Hordern has more. (Source: Bloomberg)
President Donald Trump attended the highly anticipated New York Knicks playoff in Madison Square Garden, drawing a heightened security presence and boos from the crowd. Annmarie Hordern has more. (Source: Bloomberg)
PonyWang/E+ via Getty Images On Monday, a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators requested President Donald Trump's administration to tighten regulations on chip contract makers, like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( TSM ), to prevent them from making advanced AI chips for overseas units of Chinese companies, Reuters reported. This comes on the heels of the Trump administration last week moving to...
PonyWang/E+ via Getty Images On Monday, a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators requested President Donald Trump's administration to tighten regulations on chip contract makers, like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( TSM ), to prevent them from making advanced AI chips for overseas units of Chinese companies, Reuters reported. This comes on the heels of the Trump administration last week moving to halt a potential loophole that may have led companies to export advanced chips like those made by Nvidia ( NVDA ) to units of Chinese companies situated outside China. That potential loophole came up last year when the Trump administration noted that it would not enforce rules put in place by the previous Biden administration governing global access to U.S. chips, the report added . The Bureau of Industry and Security, or BIS, under the U.S. Commerce Department, clarified that sales to Chinese company subsidiaries in countries like Malaysia require a license, according to the report. However, experts like former State Department official Chris McGuire said last week that the guidance still did not address another potential loophole, under which front companies for Chinese firms could order custom chips to be made by chip contract makers like TSM, the report noted. On Monday, Senator Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican, and Senator Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, sent a letter to BIS chief Jeffrey Kessler urging the BIS to directly address the issue of units of Chinese companies ordering custom chips, the report added. "Should this gap remain unaddressed, it would substantially undermine every other restriction the United States has imposed on the (China's) access to advanced computing capability," wrote the senators. "Export controls that can be circumvented through fabrication orders placed at the world's most advanced foundry offer no meaningful protection to American national security or to the competitiveness of United States industry." TSM, the Commerce...
Piven faced more than a few hurdles on his path to finding a buyer, with the 6,200-square-foot home bouncing on and off the market over the year, each time with a reduced asking price.
Piven faced more than a few hurdles on his path to finding a buyer, with the 6,200-square-foot home bouncing on and off the market over the year, each time with a reduced asking price.
Intesa Sanpaolo SpA Chief Executive Officer Carlo Messina signaled he’s prepared to address any counterbids for Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA , after unveiling an offer that valued the world’s oldest bank at more than €30 billion ($35 billion). “The transaction will ultimately be decided by the price that is paid,” Messina said in an interview on Bloomberg TV Tuesday. “If someone is prepared...
Intesa Sanpaolo SpA Chief Executive Officer Carlo Messina signaled he’s prepared to address any counterbids for Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA , after unveiling an offer that valued the world’s oldest bank at more than €30 billion ($35 billion). “The transaction will ultimately be decided by the price that is paid,” Messina said in an interview on Bloomberg TV Tuesday. “If someone is prepared to offer more than we are offering, then there could be competition.” Messina on Monday surprised markets by offering to buy Monte Paschi, a deal that would cement Intesa’s dominant role at home, expand its wealth and investment banking operations through the addition of Mediobanca SpA , and leave it with a big minority stake in the country’s largest insurer, Assicurazioni Generali SpA . It would also position the bank to play a role in European consolidation, he said. Read More: Intesa Makes €30.6 Billion Paschi Bid in New Italy Deal Wave Intesa deliberately included a roughly €3 billion cash component in its bid to make it harder for competitors to respond, Messina said, arguing it creates a hurdle that few rivals would be able or willing to match. “A transaction in which you have €3 billion cash is, in my view, a clear point of attention for all the other banks that can consider to make counterbid,” Messina said. “Putting the cash on the transaction means that you are strong enough in terms of capital.” Still, the bid is likely to trigger responses from other players in Italian finance. UniCredit SpA , Intesa’s main rival, has been looking to defend its position at home under CEO Andrea Orcel and recently increased its stake in Generali. A day before Intesa’s offer, Banco BPM SpA already pitched a merger of equals with Monte Paschi, without giving a price. The proposal by Banco BPM was merely a “love letter” asking for talks, not a full fledged offer, Messina said. As for UniCredit, he suggested a “friendly approach” may be possible with regard to Generali. There’s a “h...
In this article INR= Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the gathering at AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India February 19, 2026. Press Information Bureau | Via Reuters In his 12th year as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi continues to be popular in India — but the world's fastest-growing major economy is no longer so popular among global inv...
In this article INR= Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the gathering at AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India February 19, 2026. Press Information Bureau | Via Reuters In his 12th year as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi continues to be popular in India — but the world's fastest-growing major economy is no longer so popular among global investors. India's growing reputation as an anti-artificial intelligence trade, combined with the economic strain of the prolonged conflict in the Middle East on the Indian economy, is leading to a record exodus of foreign investors from the country, experts said. "India is no longer the obvious, one-way growth story investors assumed it was a few years ago," said Alexandra Hermann Prasad, lead economist at Oxford Economics. While it "remains strong by global standards," the economy is facing headwinds from weaker consumption, fragile investment sentiment, higher energy costs and more selective global capital, she added. Foreign portfolio investors have sold Indian equities worth $29.5 billion so far this year, after selling $18.9 billion last year. On the foreign direct investment front, India has attracted gross capital of over $90 billion on a 12-month trailing basis ending January 2026, up 13% year on year. But this was eclipsed by higher repatriation of capital by foreign firms and a rise in overseas investment by Indian companies, taking net FDI to a "near all-time low." This has significantly weakened the Indian rupee against the dollar at a time when global oil prices are rising, creating a treacherous situation for India, which imports more 85% of its crude requirements. As the shocks from the Middle East crisis get passed on to consumers, inflation is set to rise while growth is expected to slow, further narrowing India's appeal among global investors. Last Friday, the Reserve Bank raised its inflation forecast to 5.1% for the financial year ending March 2027 and war...
Lemon_tm/iStock via Getty Images By Mandy Xu Cross-Asset Volatility : Implied volatilities jumped across asset classes last week as markets grappled with rising US-Iran tensions, higher bond yields, and a sharp pullback in tech. Equity volatility led the increase, with the VIX Index up over 6 pts wk/wk to 21.5%, rising from the 14th percentile low to now the 86th percentile high over the past year...
Lemon_tm/iStock via Getty Images By Mandy Xu Cross-Asset Volatility : Implied volatilities jumped across asset classes last week as markets grappled with rising US-Iran tensions, higher bond yields, and a sharp pullback in tech. Equity volatility led the increase, with the VIX Index up over 6 pts wk/wk to 21.5%, rising from the 14th percentile low to now the 86th percentile high over the past year. Higher oil prices and stronger-than-expected US economic data have led to even more hawkish Fed pricing, with the bond market now fully pricing in a rate hike by year-end. Traditional safe havens have all come under pressure, with fixed income and gold selling off alongside stocks and crypto. Gold volatility jumped higher last week, with GLD 1M implied volatility up 2.5 pts to 23.3%. Skew steepened notably as well, as GLD 1M skew (25-delta ratio) increasing to a 1-year high. Despite the move higher in bond yields, rate volatility has been remarkably contained, with VIXTLT Index remaining in the 18th percentile low. Equity Volatility : Not surprisingly, tech led the spike in volatility last week, with QQQ 1M implied volatility surging 8 pts to near a 1-year high of 28% (99 th percentile) as tech stocks crashed almost 5% on Friday. The 1M implied volatility spread between QQQ and SPX Index widened to a 4-year high of 11% (see Exhibit 2) – almost exactly in line with the realized spread between the two (at 10.4%). Both QQQ and SPX option volumes set new records on Friday. SPX option volumes hit a new high of 7.78M contracts (+16% from the previous high set in Apr ’26), of which 64% was in 0DTE contracts. Single stock volatility increased as well last week, though more modestly (VIXEQSM Index up just 0.3 pt) as investors gravitated toward index hedges for protection. In other words, implied correlation jumped higher, with the COR1M Index more than doubling to 15% - albeit still trading at historically low levels. This suggests the selloff, at least so far, remains mostly a po...