Kuwaiti state media report sirens sounding across the country, as officials say air defences active over the country European leaders condemn Israel’s deepening incursion into Lebanon US central command (Centcom) has said that it struck targets in Iran over the weekend, in a statement that came just minutes after Kuwait announced it was under attack. Labelling their actions “ self-defence”, the US...
Kuwaiti state media report sirens sounding across the country, as officials say air defences active over the country European leaders condemn Israel’s deepening incursion into Lebanon US central command (Centcom) has said that it struck targets in Iran over the weekend, in a statement that came just minutes after Kuwait announced it was under attack. Labelling their actions “ self-defence”, the US said it hit Iranian “radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk, Iran and Qeshm Island”. The measured and deliberate strikes occurred on Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters. U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters.” Continue reading...
NVIDIA Vera Rubin Ramps Into Full Production NVIDIA Vera Rubin is ramping into full production, with Taiwan’s top server makers and global supply chain leaders manufacturing Vera Rubin-based systems at scale — fueling AI labs, cloud providers and hyperscalers to build tomorrow’s intelligence. News Summary: NVIDIA Vera Rubin is ramping into full production, with Taiwan’s top server makers and globa...
NVIDIA Vera Rubin Ramps Into Full Production NVIDIA Vera Rubin is ramping into full production, with Taiwan’s top server makers and global supply chain leaders manufacturing Vera Rubin-based systems at scale — fueling AI labs, cloud providers and hyperscalers to build tomorrow’s intelligence. News Summary: NVIDIA Vera Rubin is ramping into full production, with Taiwan’s top server makers and global supply chain leaders manufacturing Vera Rubin-based systems at scale — fueling AI labs, cloud prov
PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund ( DSU ), I issued a hold rating due to the fund's uncertainty surrounding the outlook of interest rates. Since then, the share price has slightly retracted, but the distributions help to maintain a positive total return. Since that last coverage, the fund has released an updated annual re...
PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund ( DSU ), I issued a hold rating due to the fund's uncertainty surrounding the outlook of interest rates. Since then, the share price has slightly retracted, but the distributions help to maintain a positive total return. Since that last coverage, the fund has released an updated annual report, and the macroeconomic environment has shifted a bit. Therefore, I wanted to reassess the overall appeal and value proposition for the fund going forward. I believe a lot of the same risks remain, but the outlook may have worsened as it appears that interest rate hikes have become more likely. The fund's valuation continues to be a bit tricky. For instance, DSU now trades at a small premium to NAV of 0.82%. Referring to the red line on the graph below, we can see that DSU continues to trade at the higher end of its price-to-NAV range for the last five years. For instance, the fund has traded at an average discount to NAV of 2.89% over the last five years. However, I believe the price-to-NAV relationship is being directly influenced by the fact that DSU continues to pay out a generous distribution. CEF Data DSU now offers investors a starting dividend yield of about 12.1% while issuing those payouts on a monthly basis. However, a review of the latest annual report indicates that DSU is paying out more than it actually earns. This dynamic is unsustainable over time and is one of the reasons why the fund's discount to NAV has seemingly disappeared, although the share price continues to suffer. I believe that a reduction in payouts will be needed to substantially improve the value proposition of the fund. Fund Strategy According to the latest fund overview , DSU now has total managed assets of $735.9M that are spread across ~1,310 different holdings. The fund's primary objective is to provide a high current income for investors, which it achieves by investing in a diversif...
Long known for mobile brick phones and traditional telecom infrastructure, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is quietly in the middle of an exciting transformation. Back in October, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) made a $1 billion strategic investment in Nokia , marking a major turning point as the telecom provider pushed into artificial intelligence (AI). Since Nvidia's investment, Nokia's stock has climbed from roughly ...
Long known for mobile brick phones and traditional telecom infrastructure, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is quietly in the middle of an exciting transformation. Back in October, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) made a $1 billion strategic investment in Nokia , marking a major turning point as the telecom provider pushed into artificial intelligence (AI). Since Nvidia's investment, Nokia's stock has climbed from roughly $6 to just below $15, reflecting growing investor excitement around the company's AI ambitions. Adding to this momentum is a flurry of insider purchases. Continue reading
Khanchit Khirisutchalual/iStock via Getty Images At a glance Performance The Portfolio returned -3.09% (gross) and the 80% MSCI ACWI Net/20% Bloomberg US Agg returned -2.55%. Contributors/detractors Both equity and fixed income investments detracted from relative performance, although exposure to U.S. value stocks was a positive offset. Outlook While volatility has increased with the onset of conf...
Khanchit Khirisutchalual/iStock via Getty Images At a glance Performance The Portfolio returned -3.09% (gross) and the 80% MSCI ACWI Net/20% Bloomberg US Agg returned -2.55%. Contributors/detractors Both equity and fixed income investments detracted from relative performance, although exposure to U.S. value stocks was a positive offset. Outlook While volatility has increased with the onset of conflict, financial markets have proven relatively resilient. Portfolio management Adam Hetts, CFA Oliver Blackburn, CFA Investment environment Global financial markets were relatively stable in the first two months of 2026, supported by resilient economic growth and hopes for central bank rate cuts. Volatility increased in March, after the outbreak of war in the Middle East led to surging oil prices, increased inflation fears, and reduced expectations for rate cuts. The U.S. benchmark 10-year yield rose to the highest level since mid-2025, while yields on core 10-year government bonds in the UK, Germany, and Japan also increased. Against this backdrop, fixed income investments delivered mixed performance, with corporate bonds outperforming sovereign debt. Most broad equity market indices ended the period with negative performance, while investors rotated from cyclical stocks into energy shares. Value stocks outperformed growth stocks. Portfolio review Equity holdings weighed on relative performance against a backdrop of increased market turbulence. The portfolio held an overweight position in U.S. equities. Those holdings detracted from relative performance, due to stock selection. However, exposure to value stocks helped to partially offset weakness in other equity investments. The portfolio held a modest underweight in international equities, and those investments also detracted from relative performance. The portfolio held an overweight allocation to international fixed income. Those investments were slight detractors from relative performance. The portfolio's underweight a...
Former US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell used one of his first major public appearances since leaving office to defend independent institutions while accepting an award Sunday honouring his efforts to preserve the central bank’s independence. Speaking at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Powell called universities, courts, Congress and the central bank “the foundation and the embodime...
Former US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell used one of his first major public appearances since leaving office to defend independent institutions while accepting an award Sunday honouring his efforts to preserve the central bank’s independence. Speaking at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Powell called universities, courts, Congress and the central bank “the foundation and the embodiment of our democracy” and argued that the Fed’s independence was a “priceless asset” that must be...