The choice between Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (NYSEMKT:VYM) and iShares Core High Dividend ETF (NYSEMKT:HDV) involves balancing the lower cost and broader diversification of the Vanguard fund against the higher current yield of the iShares fund. Both exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focus on domestic stocks with attractive payouts, yet they employ very different screening methods. While the iSha...
The choice between Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (NYSEMKT:VYM) and iShares Core High Dividend ETF (NYSEMKT:HDV) involves balancing the lower cost and broader diversification of the Vanguard fund against the higher current yield of the iShares fund. Both exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focus on domestic stocks with attractive payouts, yet they employ very different screening methods. While the iShares fund targets a concentrated group of sustainable high-yielders, VYM tracks an index of U.S. companies forecasted to have above-average dividend yields, producing a much broader dividend portfolio than HDV. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Dividend yield is the trailing-12-month distribution yield. Continue reading
South Korea has emerged as a rare bright spot among East Asian economies trading with China, as booming demand for memory chips pushes its balance with its largest trading partner back into a surplus. The country’s trade position with China had strengthened steadily this year, swinging from a US$764 million deficit in December 2025 to a US$1.1 billion surplus in February, before widening further t...
South Korea has emerged as a rare bright spot among East Asian economies trading with China, as booming demand for memory chips pushes its balance with its largest trading partner back into a surplus. The country’s trade position with China had strengthened steadily this year, swinging from a US$764 million deficit in December 2025 to a US$1.1 billion surplus in February, before widening further to US$3.8 billion in May, according to data from South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and...
For decades, the best office spaces in Hong Kong’s Central district sold the same promise: proximity to capital, clients and decision-makers. Today, that is just the baseline. The next generation of tenants is weighing if the office experience feels as modern as the businesses operating inside it. Central Crossing, a mixed-use development scheduled to open later this year at 118 Wellington Street ...
For decades, the best office spaces in Hong Kong’s Central district sold the same promise: proximity to capital, clients and decision-makers. Today, that is just the baseline. The next generation of tenants is weighing if the office experience feels as modern as the businesses operating inside it. Central Crossing, a mixed-use development scheduled to open later this year at 118 Wellington Street and directly connected to the starting point of Central’s elevated walkway network, is a new address...
How China Is Remaking Its Vast Western Frontier China is undertaking a vast effort to reshape its western frontier, transforming Xinjiang and Tibet from remote borderlands into strategic hubs for industry, energy, tourism and trade, according to a new lengthy report from Financial Times . Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing is pouring investment into highways, railways, renewable energy projects, ...
How China Is Remaking Its Vast Western Frontier China is undertaking a vast effort to reshape its western frontier, transforming Xinjiang and Tibet from remote borderlands into strategic hubs for industry, energy, tourism and trade, according to a new lengthy report from Financial Times . Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing is pouring investment into highways, railways, renewable energy projects, manufacturing bases and tourism infrastructure across a region that covers nearly a third of China’s territory. Officials see the west not as a distant hinterland but as a frontline for economic growth, national security and connectivity with Eurasia. Xinjiang The strategy serves several goals. It aims to integrate Xinjiang and Tibet more deeply into China’s economy, strengthen border security, expand access to critical resources and energy, and make western China a more important link in global supply chains. Analysts say this could also reduce the effectiveness of future Western sanctions by increasing the regions’ economic importance. The transformation is most visible in Xinjiang. Tourism has surged, with record visitor numbers drawn to ski resorts, scenic villages and newly built infrastructure. International hotel chains are rapidly expanding in the region, while exports, manufacturing and state-backed investment continue to grow. For many Chinese visitors, Xinjiang is increasingly marketed as a safe and attractive destination rather than a politically sensitive region. Yet the economic boom has not been accompanied by a rollback of state control. Human rights groups say the surveillance systems, security apparatus and policies that followed the mass detention of Uyghurs remain firmly in place. Critics argue Beijing is pairing economic incentives with continued social control and cultural assimilation. The FT writes that Tibet is undergoing a similar transformation. Massive hydropower projects, transmission networks and mineral extraction plans are positioning the reg...
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his government is considering passing a supplemental budget to help the public cope with the oil crisis, as he urged the Senate to return to work. Marcos said the country may need legislations, including one providing for extra funding. “We were thinking there might be a supplemental budget,” Marcos told reporters Wednesday, citing discussions in a co...
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his government is considering passing a supplemental budget to help the public cope with the oil crisis, as he urged the Senate to return to work. Marcos said the country may need legislations, including one providing for extra funding. “We were thinking there might be a supplemental budget,” Marcos told reporters Wednesday, citing discussions in a committee formed to craft ways to mitigate the economic impact of the Iran war. He didn’t give details on how much the additional budget will and how it’s going to be funded and spent. The Southeast Asian nation is mulling additional funds to respond to the oil shock as it faces its worst economic crisis since the pandemic. The energy crunch has caused inflation to surge in the country that’s heavily dependent on imported oil. Sought for comment on the two-day impasse at the Senate, Marcos told senators to “get back to work.” “All these events that we have been witnessing has thrown the Senate and its leadership...into disarray. It has discredited the leadership and it has stopped the essential business of legislation in government,” Marcos said. Read More: Senate Impasse Deepens Political Uncertainty in Philippines Lawmakers at the 24-member upper chamber have been locked in a bitter feud over the last few weeks due to several issues, including the senate leadership, parliamentary rules and the arrest orders for some colleagues. Last month, allies of Vice President Sara Duterte , Marcos’ top critic, took over the Senate majority. “The legislature is now in disarray,” Marcos said. “That’s exactly the opposite of what we’re trying to do achieve. We’re trying to achieve some form of stability so that people can get on with their lives.” “We cannot do that if the legislature decides to stay at home and have a vacation,” the president said.