anzeletti/iStock via Getty Images Thesis We have not covered the iShares Interest Rate Hedged Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF ( IGBH ) before, but this BlackRock ETF piqued our interest via its zero duration profile. We have talked about the difference between duration and weighted average life before, but it is important for investors to fully understand it. Remember that duration measures interest ...
anzeletti/iStock via Getty Images Thesis We have not covered the iShares Interest Rate Hedged Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF ( IGBH ) before, but this BlackRock ETF piqued our interest via its zero duration profile. We have talked about the difference between duration and weighted average life before, but it is important for investors to fully understand it. Remember that duration measures interest rate sensitivity, while weighted average life measures the time to receive principal repayments. The fact that a fund has no sensitivity to interest rate changes does not make it risk-free. In today's article we are going to show you what IGBH does, its build and structure, and why we do not like it given today's macro environment. What does the fund hold? A portfolio of corporate bonds We can start by looking at the fund objective: The iShares Interest Rate Hedged Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF seeks to track an index designed to mitigate interest rate risk in a portfolio of long-duration investment grade corporate bonds. The fund offers a way to pursue credit exposure while managing duration through interest rate swaps. The fund contains exposure to a portfolio of diversified corporate bonds: Sectors (Fund Website) We can see from the above chart that the Consumer Non-Cyclical sector is the most represented one at 17% of the holdings, followed by Electric at 11.3% and Communications at 9.2%. From a ratings perspective, the holdings are entirely investment grade: Ratings (Fund Website) We can see the fund being overweight on the lowest rungs of the investment-grade spectrum, namely single-A and triple-BBB bonds, which make up almost 80% of the portfolio. These rating bands are the riskiest in the investment-grade world and tend to jump the most from a spread perspective (i.e., become more risky) during a recession. Now the most interesting part for this fund is the maturity profile for its holdings: Maturity Profile (Fund Website) Note how the ETF has exposure to very long d...
Bottom line focus yields best Q1 profitability in company history 2026 is the first year in which we fully focus on the Azerion advertising platform after discontinuing our Premium Games segment in 2025. That focus had a very positive effect on our first quarter. Our overall profitability went up, despite divesting from a segment that contributed positively to the group’s bottom line. This is beca...
Bottom line focus yields best Q1 profitability in company history 2026 is the first year in which we fully focus on the Azerion advertising platform after discontinuing our Premium Games segment in 2025. That focus had a very positive effect on our first quarter. Our overall profitability went up, despite divesting from a segment that contributed positively to the group’s bottom line. This is because the projects we deployed in the last years to optimise the advertising platform are paying off. Results for the continuing operations Q1 2026 Total Revenue of € 117.4 million ( + 1.6% compared to € 115.5 million in Q1 2025) 1.6% compared to € 115.5 million in Q1 2025) Adjusted EBITDA of € 9.4 million ( + 11.9% compared to € 8.4 million in Q1 2025) 11.9% compared to € 8.4 million in Q1 2025) EBITDA of € 6.7 million ( + 42.6% compared to € 4.7 million in Q1 2025) 42.6% compared to € 4.7 million in Q1 2025) Operating Profit: €(2.0) million (+67.7% compared to € (6.2) million in Q1 2025) Improving profitability driven by strong operational leverage In what is known to be the slowest seasonal quarter in advertising, the Q1 2026 operating profit of our continuing operations improved by € 4.2 million year-over-year, moving from € (6.2) million to € (2.0) million. Our core business is performing better than ever. While top-line revenue remained stable at € 117.4 million, our reported EBITDA improved significantly by 42.6% to € 6.7 million. Building on initiatives from 2025, our focus throughout Q1 2026 has been on driving operational leverage. By increasing our business output with a leaner, tech-enabled workforce, we are proving our ability to do more with less. This record Q1 2026 performance is the direct result of two key factors: We further reduced our operating and personnel costs across the Group mainly through deploying AI to automate our everyday workflows and several acquisition integrations are now generating the full expected synergies. Results for the discontinued ...
Erik Isakson Ohio will pause incentives for future data center projects after Governor Mike DeWine ordered a halt to new tax credit considerations while lawmakers assess the industry’s impact on the state economy. DeWine said he has directed the chair of the Ohio Tax Credit Authority to suspend review of new data center tax exemption requests as the Ohio General Assembly's Joint Data Center Commit...
Erik Isakson Ohio will pause incentives for future data center projects after Governor Mike DeWine ordered a halt to new tax credit considerations while lawmakers assess the industry’s impact on the state economy. DeWine said he has directed the chair of the Ohio Tax Credit Authority to suspend review of new data center tax exemption requests as the Ohio General Assembly's Joint Data Center Committee studies the rapid expansion of data centers across the state. The pause is not a complete ban but a suspension of requests from facilities for state tax breaks, Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement on Wednesday. Data centers that have previously been granted sales and use tax benefits in Ohio have reported a total capital investment of $27.2B in 2025. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority will stop accepting new data center tax exemption proposals after its currently scheduled meeting on Monday, where an existing data center tax exemption request will be considered. More on Fabrinet, AMD, etc. Micron's AI Bottleneck Trade Just Started Micron's Massive Gains: Why The Upside Isn't Over Yet Micron's Massive Squeeze May Be Near Its End Applied Digital shares climb after $3.6B 'Delta Forge 1' AI factory plan Nvidia, Micron set to power a third of S&P 500 earnings growth in 2026 - Goldman
HONG KONG (AP) — PayPal users will be able to make cashless payments in China using QR codes through Tencent's WeChat Pay’s extensive merchant network, the Chinese technology giant says, in a move calibrated to attract more foreign tourists. Apart from social media and messaging, Tencent’s WeChat offers payment services called WeChat Pay, or Weixin Pay, in mainland China. Tencent said in a stateme...
HONG KONG (AP) — PayPal users will be able to make cashless payments in China using QR codes through Tencent's WeChat Pay’s extensive merchant network, the Chinese technology giant says, in a move calibrated to attract more foreign tourists. Apart from social media and messaging, Tencent’s WeChat offers payment services called WeChat Pay, or Weixin Pay, in mainland China. Tencent said in a statement that the feature will be available to U.S.-based PayPal users first, with more markets to follow. Since cashless payments have become increasingly common in China, the move is likely to provide greater convenience to foreign visitors. WeChat Pay and Ant Group’s Alipay, part of the Alibaba e-commerce empire, are widely available across China including in taxis and restaurants. Making cashless payments easier for tourists aligns with China’s efforts to bring in more foreign tourists, said Gary Ng, a senior economist for Asia Pacific at French bank Natixis. Tourism contributed more than 4% of China’s economy in 2024, official data show. China has been expanding visa free access to travelers from dozens of countries including the U.K., Spain and Australia. That change has not yet been extended to U.S. travelers, who still need a visa to enter China, except for brief transits for those heading on to third countries. The number of foreign visitors, excluding those from Hong Kong and Taiwan, plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when China closed its doors to most foreign arrivals and imposed stringent quarantines in many places. But it has since surged past the nearly 32 million visitors recorded in 2019, to over 35 million last year. Ng said the PayPal move also aligns with a global trend of integration of payment platforms through mutually recognized cross-border QR codes. Ivan Su, a senior equity analyst at Morningstar, said the impact of the QR code option with PayPal initially may be limited in terms of its overall benefit for Tencent given the current low volume of U.S. ...
He said: "In some cases, there are many years that people will have to wait for justice and the longer that is, the more impact that has on victims and witnesses.
He said: "In some cases, there are many years that people will have to wait for justice and the longer that is, the more impact that has on victims and witnesses.
Joanna says she did not flee "because of the power and authority of the people, and I was very loyal to my employers", and also that she had nowhere to go.
Joanna says she did not flee "because of the power and authority of the people, and I was very loyal to my employers", and also that she had nowhere to go.
Make That Movie 10pm, Channel 4 Created and written by Last One Laughing’s breakout star Sam Campbell, and directed by Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared’s Joe Pelling, this new comedy about a director who turns ordinary people’s movie ideas into reality is inevitably absurdist fun. First up is Mick, who pitches a man and a woman who can turn into snakes. Cue real snake auditions, a creepy intimacy coordinat...
Make That Movie 10pm, Channel 4 Created and written by Last One Laughing’s breakout star Sam Campbell, and directed by Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared’s Joe Pelling, this new comedy about a director who turns ordinary people’s movie ideas into reality is inevitably absurdist fun. First up is Mick, who pitches a man and a woman who can turn into snakes. Cue real snake auditions, a creepy intimacy coordinator called Sebastian and a great pan pipe theme tune. Hollie Richardson George Clarke’s Beautiful Builds 8pm, Channel 4 The architect and the garden designer Luke Millard return with the series that helps people pull off their ambitious renovation dreams. They’re in Bromley first, with couple (and experienced renovators!) Mitch and Elliot – but there is panic as a house flood threatens to ruin their plans for a curve-arched kitchen. HR Reported Missing 9pm, BBC One Series five of the real-life nailbiter opens with Larissa, a 16-year-old runaway from Glasgow who lives with bipolar disorder. As the police try to track her down, Larissa’s mum says she felt something was “off” with her for a couple of days. PC Andy Porteous says lockdown has contributed to a more widespread issue of failing mental health for young people. Priya Elan Putin: In Ten Pictures 9pm, BBC Two View image in fullscreen Overlooked weakling … a young Vladimir Putin. Photograph: Photographer:/Shutterstock The return of the documentary that explores the lives of notable people begins with a look at Vladimir Putin. Observers and exiled former insiders psychoanalyse Russia’s tyrannical president with the use of 10 key photographs: Putin is described as an overlooked weakling who vowed to change how the world saw him. Everything else has been one long PR stunt. Jack Seale The Hardacres 9pm, Channel 5 Mary’s new joy at being a teacher was cut short by Sam’s collapse, and the house is now put in quarantine due to the fear that he has caught the deadly Russian flu – but some staff are reluctant to pause their dutie...
(RTTNews) - Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS), a provider of design IP solutions in the semiconductor and electronics industries, on Wednesday announced the appointment of Jesse Cohn to its board of directors as an independent director, effective June 1, under a cooperation agreement with Elliott Investment Management. Cohn is a managing partner at Elliott and will also join the board's Corporate Governance a...
(RTTNews) - Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS), a provider of design IP solutions in the semiconductor and electronics industries, on Wednesday announced the appointment of Jesse Cohn to its board of directors as an independent director, effective June 1, under a cooperation agreement with Elliott Investment Management. Cohn is a managing partner at Elliott and will also join the board's Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Cohn will also join the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board. Following the appointment, the company's board will expand to 11 members. Under the cooperation agreement, Elliott agreed to customary standstill, voting and confidentiality commitments, among other provisions. On Wednesday, Synopsys closed trading 1.62%, 8.64 cents lesser at $525.92 on the Nasdaq. In the overnight, the stock is further trading 2.37%, 12.47 cents down at $513.45. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Aneese/iStock Editorial via Getty Images One of the most frustrating, but also compelling, things about the market is that it can sometimes be irrational for an extended window of time. Take, if you will, the case of Signet Jewelers Limited ( SIG ), a major jewelry business that focuses on not only fashion products but also weddings. Since I called it a 'buy' in November of last year, the stock ha...
Aneese/iStock Editorial via Getty Images One of the most frustrating, but also compelling, things about the market is that it can sometimes be irrational for an extended window of time. Take, if you will, the case of Signet Jewelers Limited ( SIG ), a major jewelry business that focuses on not only fashion products but also weddings. Since I called it a 'buy' in November of last year, the stock has plummeted 14.8%. The S&P 500, meanwhile, is up 11.9% over that same time. With numbers like these, you might think that the business was rapidly deteriorating. But the fact of the matter is that the overall financial performance of the business has held up nicely. In fact, 2026 marked a turnaround for the business after experiencing at least three years of declining sales. And this year, it's possible that revenue will come in similarly to what it was in 2026. On top of this, the stock is incredibly cheap, both on an absolute basis and compared to most other similar companies. Factor in a very solid balance sheet and a growing service side to its business, and you can understand my optimism. Even though the market currently disagrees with me, I firmly believe that maintaining it as a 'buy' is necessary here. But of course, my opinion can change as new data becomes available. It just so happens that, on June 2nd, before the market opens, management will be announcing financial results for the first quarter of the company's 2027 fiscal year. The current belief is that revenue and profits will both rise drastically. But even if they don't, I remain optimistic about the long-term picture for the business. Trying Signet Jewelers on for size Signet Jewelers Odds are, you are familiar with Signet Jewelers, alrighty. The company serves as a major player in the global jewelry space. In the image above, you can see that the firm mostly focuses on the bridal and fashion categories. The bridal market is interesting to me because I would imagine that it would be less exposed to broade...
Key Points Gold soared by 64% in 2025, far outpacing its average annual return of 7.5% over the last 50 years. The current economic and political climate favors more upside in the shiny yellow metal, but investors should manage their expectations. The SPDR Gold Shares ETF can be a convenient and cost-effective alternative to buying physical gold. 10 stocks we like better than SPDR Gold Shares › Th...
Key Points Gold soared by 64% in 2025, far outpacing its average annual return of 7.5% over the last 50 years. The current economic and political climate favors more upside in the shiny yellow metal, but investors should manage their expectations. The SPDR Gold Shares ETF can be a convenient and cost-effective alternative to buying physical gold. 10 stocks we like better than SPDR Gold Shares › The price of a single ounce of gold soared by 64% last year, outpacing the returns of every major U.S. stock market index. It continues to climb this year and set a new record high of $5,400 in January, but it has since taken a breather and sits at around $4,500 as I write this. Outside of global governments and central banks, most gold demand comes from investors who use it to hedge against economic and political uncertainty. While many of them still buy physical metal, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) like the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (NYSEMKT: GLD) can be a cheaper and more convenient alternative. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Should you take this opportunity to invest in the shiny yellow metal while it's trading below $5,000 per ounce? The ideal environment for higher gold prices Gold is one of just eight precious metals, but unlike many of its peers, it isn't very useful. Silver, for example, is used extensively in electronics manufacturing, while osmium and ruthenium are added to alloys to improve durability. However, gold is one of the only precious metals that is widely recognized as a true store of value. Gold has a unique yellow color, and it's highly malleable, so it can be reshaped to suit different storage requirements. Plus, it's relatively scarce, with just 219,890 tons extracted from Earth throughout human history. However, it isn't an income-producing asset, so its value is basic...