Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next Monday and Tuesday in a show of the two countries’ strong ties. The trip will be Xi’s second to North Korea. The Chinese president visited in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic shut border crossings between the countries for years. Beijing and Pyongyang are cautiously rebuilding ties after years of relative isolation due to the pandemic, ...
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next Monday and Tuesday in a show of the two countries’ strong ties. The trip will be Xi’s second to North Korea. The Chinese president visited in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic shut border crossings between the countries for years. Beijing and Pyongyang are cautiously rebuilding ties after years of relative isolation due to the pandemic, North Korea’s dissatisfaction with China’s support for denuclearisation and Beijing’s reservations...
Willie B. Thomas/DigitalVision via Getty Images Before we decide whether to buy anything, we all like to know exactly what we are buying and whether it is worth it. Not whether the company is big and pays a dividend, but really: how they make money, how much debt they have, whether they can continue to pay, and what financial instruments they have. Today, we will look at whether Aegon ( AEG ) and ...
Willie B. Thomas/DigitalVision via Getty Images Before we decide whether to buy anything, we all like to know exactly what we are buying and whether it is worth it. Not whether the company is big and pays a dividend, but really: how they make money, how much debt they have, whether they can continue to pay, and what financial instruments they have. Today, we will look at whether Aegon ( AEG ) and ( AEFC ) are worth it. (If you are interested in our last analysis for the company, it is here .) Aegon overview Aegon is a Dutch insurance and financial company, founded in 1844. The head office is in the Netherlands, but most of their business is in America (mainly through Transamerica). Their market capitalization is about $13 billion. It is not a giant of the rank of AIG or MetLife, but it is not a small company either. From the company's latest report, the main things are: Solvency: The group's solvency ratio is 184% at the end of 2025 (up from 188% in 2024). The requirement is 100%: Aegon's financial report (aegon.com) They are almost double the requirement. This is important and means they have a large buffer. Capital: Eligible Own Funds is €11.9 billion. SCR is €6.5 billion. That is, they have almost twice as much capital as needed. AEGON last financial report (aegon.com) Buybacks: In 2025, the company bought back shares for a total of €550 million - a strong signal that management considers the shares to be undervalued and has free cash. Aegon falls into the investment-grade graph. Below, you can see its credit ratings by the major credit agencies: Aegon's credit ratings (aegon.com) In the picture below, you can see a 5-year total return comparison between AEG and the State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF ( KIE ): AEG vs KIE (seekingalpha.com) News New debt. In late April 2026, Aegon priced $500 million in senior unsecured notes. In parallel, the company announced a tender offer to buy back five series of subordinated notes. This is active debt management - they ar...
On May 12, 2026, Matt Ehrlichman, CEO, Chairman, and Founder of Porch Group (NASDAQ:PRCH) , disclosed the sale of 122,881 shares of common stock in an open-market transaction, as reported in a SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($10.52); post-transaction value based on May 12, 2026 market close ($10.33). * 1-year price change calculated using ...
On May 12, 2026, Matt Ehrlichman, CEO, Chairman, and Founder of Porch Group (NASDAQ:PRCH) , disclosed the sale of 122,881 shares of common stock in an open-market transaction, as reported in a SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($10.52); post-transaction value based on May 12, 2026 market close ($10.33). * 1-year price change calculated using June 3, 2026 as the reference date. Continue reading
Wolterk/iStock Editorial via Getty Images UNH stock: FQ1 earnings and BRK exit I have been arguing for a bullish thesis on UnitedHealth Group Incorporated ( UNH ) ( UNH:CA ) for more than a year after the stock’s 50% price collapse in early 2025. Simply put, I saw the situation as an opportunity to buy a good business on the operating table, the kind of opportunity Warren Buffett is famous for in ...
Wolterk/iStock Editorial via Getty Images UNH stock: FQ1 earnings and BRK exit I have been arguing for a bullish thesis on UnitedHealth Group Incorporated ( UNH ) ( UNH:CA ) for more than a year after the stock’s 50% price collapse in early 2025. Simply put, I saw the situation as an opportunity to buy a good business on the operating table, the kind of opportunity Warren Buffett is famous for in his investment career. As an example, my last article on the stock, published on April 17, rated the stock as a buy and argued why the share price is poised to challenge the $360 resistance. With the stock price rallying to a 52-week high (of over $400+), I feel that argument has run its course. Besides the sizable share price change, there have also been a few other notably new catalysts since that writing. The rest of this article will elaborate on the top 2 on my list: the updates provided in its FQ1 2026 earnings report (ER) and also the FQ1 disclosure of Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK.A ) holdings. In the end, these changes have led me to reconsider my rating and adjust it to hold. Key considerations behind these adjustments are the valuation dynamics and future margin uncertainties. Let me start with the BRK’s disclosures, as they are often viewed as a market event. For readers not following BRK’s UNH transactions, Berkshire bought and sold UnitedHealth stock back between 2006 and 2010. But I think that the rationale behind those transactions is of little relevance here. As such, let me just provide a very brief recap of its recent transactions using the following StockCircle data. As shown, Berkshire re-established a sizable position in UNH stock in the second quarter of 2025. In total, it bought about 5 million shares during the price collapse just mentioned. Fast forward to now; according to Berkshire’s latest SEC 13F filing for Q1 2026, it has completely sold off all the 5 million shares it bought about a year ago, as seen. StockCircle UNH stock: valuation discount repl...
Shares of fabless chip and software maker Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) fell 14.3% in the morning session after the company reported underwhelming Q2 FY2026 results: the problem was the specific figure that drives Broadcom's valuation multiple, and management's choice not to raise its long-term target.
Shares of fabless chip and software maker Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) fell 14.3% in the morning session after the company reported underwhelming Q2 FY2026 results: the problem was the specific figure that drives Broadcom's valuation multiple, and management's choice not to raise its long-term target.
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It's been nearly a year since I last wrote on southeastern lender Truist Financial ( TFC ). There's no escaping the fact that this bank has struggled since its merger-driven creation back in 2019, but I thought a sub-11x multiple of forward earnings was cheap enough, especially as Truist's return on tangible equity was still quite depressed. Between grow...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It's been nearly a year since I last wrote on southeastern lender Truist Financial ( TFC ). There's no escaping the fact that this bank has struggled since its merger-driven creation back in 2019, but I thought a sub-11x multiple of forward earnings was cheap enough, especially as Truist's return on tangible equity was still quite depressed. Between growing net income, share repurchases, and a mid-single-digit dividend yield, the path to a 10%-plus return looked fairly straightforward. So, I rated shares "Buy". True to form, things have been a little mixed for Truist in that time. Operationally, it has arguably been dealt a poor hand by recent macro developments, though I am more concerned about what seem to be ongoing competitive issues. On the flip side, banks with market-facing operations have generally seen those deliver good numbers recently, and Truist is no exception. Ample capital, an improving level of retained earnings, and a relatively cheap valuation have also been good for buybacks, boosting share-level earnings. The stock has also done fine since my last update. A 15% return is in line with that piece's forecast and about the same as ETFs that track the industry. I'd also note that Truist hasn't really seen any uplift in its valuation in that time. While I can understand the market's reluctance to award it a higher multiple, that does mean today's buyer continues to enjoy a reasonable margin of safety. Accordingly, I remain bullish. Data by YCharts A Mixed Bag Operationally To cut a long story short, the returns 'algorithm' I was looking for last time consisted of the following: double-digit EPS growth, a mid-single-digit dividend yield, and a flat multiple of earnings. With Truist only earning a 12.3% return on tangible common equity at the time, there was scope for improving profitability to drive those components higher. In fairness, Truist has largely delivered against that. While there's still a way to g...
American stock futures edged lower after a revenue miss and weaker-than-expected outlook from Broadcom sparked concerns about the semiconductor sector's ongoing rally.
American stock futures edged lower after a revenue miss and weaker-than-expected outlook from Broadcom sparked concerns about the semiconductor sector's ongoing rally.
Why These 3 Tech Stocks Could Be the Best Opportunities You're OverlookingAlign Technology (NASDAQ:ALGN) CFO John Morici said the company continues to navigate a challenging but stable demand environment, with international markets and dental service organizations offsetting pres
Why These 3 Tech Stocks Could Be the Best Opportunities You're OverlookingAlign Technology (NASDAQ:ALGN) CFO John Morici said the company continues to navigate a challenging but stable demand environment, with international markets and dental service organizations offsetting pres
(RTTNews) - The Thai stock market has moved higher in two straight sessions, improving more than 25 points or 1.7 percent along the way. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just above the 1,590-point plateau and it's got a positive lead again for Friday's trade.
(RTTNews) - The Thai stock market has moved higher in two straight sessions, improving more than 25 points or 1.7 percent along the way. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just above the 1,590-point plateau and it's got a positive lead again for Friday's trade.
Asia-Pacific is expected to drive global retail sales over the next five years, even as the Middle East conflict is hurting consumer confidence, according to business analysts. The war could continue to weigh on consumer and business sentiment for now due to higher energy prices and supply chain disruption, Anand Ramanathan, Deloitte Asia-Pacific’s retail and consumer products sector leader, said ...
Asia-Pacific is expected to drive global retail sales over the next five years, even as the Middle East conflict is hurting consumer confidence, according to business analysts. The war could continue to weigh on consumer and business sentiment for now due to higher energy prices and supply chain disruption, Anand Ramanathan, Deloitte Asia-Pacific’s retail and consumer products sector leader, said in an interview. “As borrowing costs rise and financial conditions tighten, consumers and businesses...
# Cover Story # Cover Story: How AI Took Over China’s Micro-Drama Industry in 90 Days Video-generation tools turned a labor-intensive entertainment industry into a high-speed content machine, leaving actors, crews and production hubs on the outs # Finance # China Taps Industry Veteran Ding Xiangqun to Lead Top Financial Regulator Former Bank of China executive and provincial official becomes the f...
# Cover Story # Cover Story: How AI Took Over China’s Micro-Drama Industry in 90 Days Video-generation tools turned a labor-intensive entertainment industry into a high-speed content machine, leaving actors, crews and production hubs on the outs # Finance # China Taps Industry Veteran Ding Xiangqun to Lead Top Financial Regulator Former Bank of China executive and provincial official becomes the first woman to head China’s financial supervisory system as Beijing steps up efforts to contain financial risks
On May 11, 2026, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics (NASDAQ:MLTX) Chief Financial Officer Matthias Bodenstedt reported the sale of 13,653 common shares in an open-market transaction, according to the SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 reported price ($20.02); post-transaction value based on May 11, 2026 market close ($18.84). * 1-year performance calculated using June 4, 2026 as th...
On May 11, 2026, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics (NASDAQ:MLTX) Chief Financial Officer Matthias Bodenstedt reported the sale of 13,653 common shares in an open-market transaction, according to the SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 reported price ($20.02); post-transaction value based on May 11, 2026 market close ($18.84). * 1-year performance calculated using June 4, 2026 as the reference date. Continue reading
Belgian dredger Jan de Nul NV and local partner Servimagnus SA won a 25-year contract on Thursday from Argentina’s government to upgrade the nation’s chief trade route in a concession overshadowed by accusations of Chinese influence. Jan de Nul, which has dredged the Parana River shipping lane since the 1990s, beat a bid from fellow Belgian company DEME Group NV . The waterway runs from the River ...
Belgian dredger Jan de Nul NV and local partner Servimagnus SA won a 25-year contract on Thursday from Argentina’s government to upgrade the nation’s chief trade route in a concession overshadowed by accusations of Chinese influence. Jan de Nul, which has dredged the Parana River shipping lane since the 1990s, beat a bid from fellow Belgian company DEME Group NV . The waterway runs from the River Plate estuary at Buenos Aires to the crop-export hub of Rosario and beyond. Rosario was the world’s largest single supplier of oilseeds and grains last year. The tender became a flashpoint in broader US-China geopolitical tensions in Latin America as Argentine President Javier Milei has aligned with the Trump administration on other issues. What on paper looked like innocuous competition between two Belgian dredgers snowballed into a match-up between DEME’s American partners portraying Jan del Nul’s consortium as a group backed by China. Jan de Nul and Servimagnus repeatedly denied the DEME consortium’s allegations of Chinese influence, which were brought to the Trump administration to no avail. Fulfilling the contract, tendered by Milei’s administration as part of its push to modernize infrastructure through private investment, will require about $10 billion of spending to deepen and improve the river channel. At stake is a critical artery for Argentina’s economy. About 80% of the country’s oilseed and grain exports move along the Parana, and agriculture remains Argentina’s largest export sector, accounting for roughly 60% of foreign sales, even as oil has begun to play a bigger role. The contract has been years in the making. Jan de Nul’s previous concession expired in 2021, but Argentina’s government at the time failed to complete a replacement tender. The company remained in place under temporary extensions, a system that traders said contributed to inefficiencies and higher river tolls. Milei’s administration launched a new auction last year that included plans to expa...