DutchScenery/iStock via Getty Images Palantir Technologies Inc. ( PLTR ), which is up since my last analysis by +15%, where I issued a Hold rating, has now found somewhat of a base in price. Barring macro considerations like Hormuz causing compression across the equity board (now easing), I think this could be quite a good entry point. My thesis here is based more on fundamentals and long-term gro...
DutchScenery/iStock via Getty Images Palantir Technologies Inc. ( PLTR ), which is up since my last analysis by +15%, where I issued a Hold rating, has now found somewhat of a base in price. Barring macro considerations like Hormuz causing compression across the equity board (now easing), I think this could be quite a good entry point. My thesis here is based more on fundamentals and long-term growth rather than analyzing price and entry points. I begin the thesis with an obvious caveat for you to keep in mind: Palantir is expensive, but that does not mean it won't continue to rise in price. Palantir Is NATO's Core Modernization Engine World military expenditure rose 9.4% in 2024, which is the steepest annual increase since at least 1988. Whether you like it or not, that puts Palantir in a compounding vector rather than a short-term cyclical shift. However, investors in PLTR stock need to be aware that its valuation can still compress even in a structural military expansion environment. The IMF has recorded that major geopolitical shocks have cut aggregate stock prices by 3% on average and as much as 9% in some instances; the ECB also says that such shocks tighten financial conditions and raise risk premia. Palantir's ontology matters economically because it maps data into context and links data, logic, and actions inside a decision-centric architecture. Inevitably, this leads to faster operations in organizations that have data abundance and coordination scarcity. The alliance angle is one that is strong for Palantir and also potentially undertapped. NATO itself has warned that weak modernization raises interoperability gaps, and Palantir also reported about $4.4 billion of government remaining deal value from the United States and allied countries, so part of the moat sits in coalition architecture. However, one core risk for Palantir right now is if NATO breaks up. Of course, we know from countless news headlines that the Trump administration is considering it, a...
The US-Iran ceasefire and associated relief in risk aversion and pullback in oil prices may be a first step out of the sterling-dollar bear cycle of the past few weeks. There will be cyclical relief as the market adjusts back to less hawkish Bank of England rate expectations, which were hurting the pound via the stagflation narrative. Structural relief may also emerge, as the expected monetary-fis...
The US-Iran ceasefire and associated relief in risk aversion and pullback in oil prices may be a first step out of the sterling-dollar bear cycle of the past few weeks. There will be cyclical relief as the market adjusts back to less hawkish Bank of England rate expectations, which were hurting the pound via the stagflation narrative. Structural relief may also emerge, as the expected monetary-fiscal policy mix implies less reliance on fiscal stimulus to support the economy and reduces fiscal cr
Coatue-led funding supports Asia-Pacific AI data center expansion using Nvidia technology, with Southgate project set to deploy 36,000 accelerator chips.
Coatue-led funding supports Asia-Pacific AI data center expansion using Nvidia technology, with Southgate project set to deploy 36,000 accelerator chips.
The Middle East’s best hope may be that the US president continues to rebadge strategic defeat as success Both the US and Iran claimed victory on Wednesday morning. Both were lying. The two-week ceasefire announced by Donald Trump the night before is not the triumph that he declared. It may not be an end to the war, as welcome as the pause is, or even last the fortnight. Mr Trump said that Iran ha...
The Middle East’s best hope may be that the US president continues to rebadge strategic defeat as success Both the US and Iran claimed victory on Wednesday morning. Both were lying. The two-week ceasefire announced by Donald Trump the night before is not the triumph that he declared. It may not be an end to the war, as welcome as the pause is, or even last the fortnight. Mr Trump said that Iran has gone through regime change. It has not. If anything, less experienced, less readable but more hardline figures are now in charge. He said that the strait of Hormuz would be open; Iran said that ships would pass through with permission, and at a price. By Wednesday evening, Iranian state media said that the strait was closed after Israel unleashed a brutal assault on Lebanon: about 100 strikes in 10 minutes. Iran had insisted that Lebanon was part of the deal, while Mr Trump disagreed . This conflict has killed thousands in the region, including children, and left many more exhausted, terrified and traumatised, while the aggressors have openly boasted of their intent to commit war crimes. Continue reading...
Tatsuya Ozaki/iStock via Getty Images Key takeaways 1 New portfolio positioning in place As announced on June 23, 2025, the fund transitioned to new leadership under the Asian and Emerging Markets Equities Investment Team, which resulted in a change in its investment philosophy and process. 2 The fund outperformed its benchmark The fund ( ASIAX ) had a positive return for the quarter and outperfor...
Tatsuya Ozaki/iStock via Getty Images Key takeaways 1 New portfolio positioning in place As announced on June 23, 2025, the fund transitioned to new leadership under the Asian and Emerging Markets Equities Investment Team, which resulted in a change in its investment philosophy and process. 2 The fund outperformed its benchmark The fund ( ASIAX ) had a positive return for the quarter and outperformed the MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan Index. Stock selection in information technology (IT) was the largest contributor to relative return. 3 Asian equities opportunity We believe Asian equities currently offer double-digit earnings growth potential, with reasonable valuation levels across much of the universe. Investment objective The fund seeks long-term growth of capital. Fund facts Fund AUM ($M) 450.71 Click to enlarge Portfolio managers Charles Bond, Matthew Pigott, William Lam Manager perspective and outlook We believe Asian equities currently offer double-digit earnings growth potential, with reasonable valuation levels across much of the universe. The asset class has been trading at a discount to global equities, particularly the US market. Furthermore, Asian currencies have started to strengthen relative to the US dollar, which has remained overvalued against most currencies. In the past, we have seen that performance of Asian equity markets has tended to benefit from a weakening US dollar. In our view, the Asian region remains fertile ground for active stock pickers, with significant valuation disparity across Asian markets and genuine improvements in shareholder return policies. Though we remain mindful of geopolitical risks and uncertainty that may come with the US government's pursuit of protectionist policies, Asian corporations generally in our view have healthy balance sheets and competitive advantages, which could make them more resilient than what is currently implied in valuations. Moreover, if specific global trade channels are forced to reconfigure away...
The Financial Sector SPDR Fund ( XLF ) declined 9.85% in the first quarter of 2026, remaining in negative territory and underperforming the broader S&P 500 Index, which fell 4.6% over the same period. As companies prepare to report their results for the quarter gone by, Seeking Alpha provides a snapshot of how companies rank across key factors such as valuation, growth, profitability, momentum, an...
The Financial Sector SPDR Fund ( XLF ) declined 9.85% in the first quarter of 2026, remaining in negative territory and underperforming the broader S&P 500 Index, which fell 4.6% over the same period. As companies prepare to report their results for the quarter gone by, Seeking Alpha provides a snapshot of how companies rank across key factors such as valuation, growth, profitability, momentum, and estimate revisions. Presented below is a look at large-cap financial companies with market caps exceeding $10 billion, highlighting those with the highest and lowest quant ratings ahead of Q1 2026 results. Here are the top and bottom-rated 5 quant stocks ahead of the upcoming earnings season: Top 5 stocks: BNP Paribas SA ( BNPQY ) Quant Rating 4.93; Strong Buy Banco do Brasil ( BDORY ) Quant Rating 4.91; Strong Buy B3 S.A. - Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão ( BOLSY ) Quant Rating 4.87; Strong Buy Lloyds Banking Group ( LYG ) Quant Rating 4.84; Strong Buy Barclays PLC ( BCS ) Quant Rating 4.83; Strong Buy Bottom 5 stocks: Adyen N.V. ( ADYEY ) Quant Rating 1.25; Strong Sell Erie Indemnity Company ( ERIE ) Quant Rating 1.44; Strong Sell Coinbase Global ( COIN ) Quant Rating 1.65; Sell Brown & Brown ( BRO ) Quant Rating 1.70; Sell Arthur J. Gallagher ( AJG ) Quant Rating 1.91; Sell More on State Street® Financial Select Sector SPDR® ETF, BNP Paribas SA, etc. Banco Do Brasil: The Rebound Still Looks Premature Lloyds Banking: I Like It, But I'd Want It Cheaper Lloyds Banking Group plc (LYG) Discusses Financial Performance, Strategic Update and Outlook - Slideshow Top and bottom mid-cap financials identified in quant rankings before results Small-cap financial stocks split on quant ratings ahead of Q1 earnings
Terns Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TERN) had a more memorable March than a great many other companies on U.S. stock exchanges. That's largely because it agreed to be bought out by a much larger peer, and the deal's premium helped crank Terns' share price more than 25% higher over the month. That earth-shaking event occurred on March 25. In a joint press release, Terns and global pharmaceutical giant M...
Terns Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TERN) had a more memorable March than a great many other companies on U.S. stock exchanges. That's largely because it agreed to be bought out by a much larger peer, and the deal's premium helped crank Terns' share price more than 25% higher over the month. That earth-shaking event occurred on March 25. In a joint press release, Terns and global pharmaceutical giant Merck announced a definitive agreement under which Merck (via a subsidiary) will acquire the smaller company for $53 per share in cash. The pair said this represents a 42% premium over Terns' 90-day volume-weighted average price. All told, wrote the companies, the deal is worth around $6.7 billion. Continue reading
A weekly, midday program that delivers high-impact, editorially driven coverage of the most important corporate transactions shaping the global market. Today's guests: Blackstone Global Head Private Equity Strategies Joe Barratta, Skadden Partner Head of Shareholder Engagement & Activism Elizabeth Gonzalez-Sussman, Kirkland & Ellis Partner Shaun Mathew, Palliser Capital Founder & Chief Investment ...
A weekly, midday program that delivers high-impact, editorially driven coverage of the most important corporate transactions shaping the global market. Today's guests: Blackstone Global Head Private Equity Strategies Joe Barratta, Skadden Partner Head of Shareholder Engagement & Activism Elizabeth Gonzalez-Sussman, Kirkland & Ellis Partner Shaun Mathew, Palliser Capital Founder & Chief Investment Officer James Smith, and William Blair Global Head of Investment Banking Matt Zimmer. (Source: Bloomberg)
Sadiq Khan has the right approach, but his critics are determined to see the capital as a fictionalised case study in lawlessness London is much reviled by people who don’t live there. It has its share of social problems typical to a large metropolis, but it is unusual in having also a dystopian twin – a fallen city, overrun with violent criminals, located in the imagination of rightwing politicia...
Sadiq Khan has the right approach, but his critics are determined to see the capital as a fictionalised case study in lawlessness London is much reviled by people who don’t live there. It has its share of social problems typical to a large metropolis, but it is unusual in having also a dystopian twin – a fallen city, overrun with violent criminals, located in the imagination of rightwing politicians and the online sources they consume. The capital’s denigrators felt vindicated recently by scenes of disorder on Clapham High Street. Hundreds of young people, rallied on social media, mustered for a spontaneous gathering , which degenerated into a spree of antisocial behaviour. Images of the disorder were shared online as proof of the capital’s status as a no-go area. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, said that the unrest was symptomatic of “societal breakdown”. Continue reading...
France ’s budget minister said it’s too soon to set a more ambitious deficit reduction target despite a sharper-than-expected narrowing of the gap last year. The reduction of the deficit to 5.1% in 2025 from 5.8% a year earlier was partly due to one-off elements and there is great uncertainty over the macroeconomic impact of the Iran conflict in 2026, David Amiel told the senate’s finance committe...
France ’s budget minister said it’s too soon to set a more ambitious deficit reduction target despite a sharper-than-expected narrowing of the gap last year. The reduction of the deficit to 5.1% in 2025 from 5.8% a year earlier was partly due to one-off elements and there is great uncertainty over the macroeconomic impact of the Iran conflict in 2026, David Amiel told the senate’s finance committee Wednesday. “We obviously want to do better than the 5% target in budget documents if the economic situation allows,” he said. “But at this stage of the year, and given the uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East, we haven’t revised the target.” French ministers have said they will update their economic and financial forecasts April 21 when they present fiscal plans to the European Union. Speaking alongside Amiel, Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure said it is too soon to draw conclusions on how the fast-changing conflict will affect activity. France Weighs Targeted Fuel Aid as Iran War Pushes Up Costs French Inflation Quickens to Highest Since August 2024 on War Europe’s Economy Starts to Feel Pain From Trump’s Iran War
On 4/10/26, DigitalBridge Group Inc's 7.15% Series I Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock (Symbol: DBRG.PRI) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.4469, payable on 4/15/26. As a percentage of DBRG.PRI's recent share price of $16.40, this dividend
On 4/10/26, DigitalBridge Group Inc's 7.15% Series I Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock (Symbol: DBRG.PRI) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.4469, payable on 4/15/26. As a percentage of DBRG.PRI's recent share price of $16.40, this dividend