U.S. forces carried out what they described as “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran early Tuesday, with U.S. Central Command stating that the operation was intended to “protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins said targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. “U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forc...
U.S. forces carried out what they described as “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran early Tuesday, with U.S. Central Command stating that the operation was intended to “protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins said targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. “U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins added. The action comes as U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday stateside that the talks with Iran were “proceeding nicely.” However, he warned that “it will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all,” threatening to take things “Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is in India, meanwhile said that the Strait of Hormuz has to be open, “one way or the other,” referring to U.S. action against Iran, Reuters reported. He added that the deal with Iran could take a few days. Fox News, citing senior U.S. officials on Monday said that the Iran deal was “95% there. Elsewhere, equity futures trimmed their gains after U.S. and Israeli aircraft targeted Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, just hours after Trump indicated there had been progress toward an interim agreement. S&P 500 ( SPX ) futures trimmed gains to 0.7% after rising more than 1% earlier. Contracts on the Nasdaq 100 ( US100:IND ) were 0.9% higher after trading as high as 1.5% earlier. Here are some market tracking funds: ( DIA ), ( DDM ), ( DOG ), ( DXD ), ( SDOW ), ( SPY ), ( VOO ), ( IVV ), ( RSP ), ( SSO ), ( UPRO ), ( SH ), ( SDS ), ( SPXU ), ( QQQ ), ( QQQM ), ( TQQQ ), ( QID ), and ( SQQQ ) More on markets, etc. Inflation Troubles, Now And Ahead Dow Jones, Nasdaq And S&P 500 Intraday Levels - Markets Are Closed, But Futures Are Exploding No, The Market Is Not Getting Cheaper Equity supply looks manageable at $600B, Goldman Sachs says Is the stock market op...
網約車｜政府擬發牌一萬個 最快11月底批出 平台年牌費120萬元 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】政府建議發出一萬個網約車牌照。 運輸及物流局向立法會提交文件，稱考慮社會各界意見、乘客出行需求及網約...
網約車｜政府擬發牌一萬個 最快11月底批出 平台年牌費120萬元 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】政府建議發出一萬個網約車牌照。 運輸及物流局向立法會提交文件，稱考慮社會各界意見、乘客出行需求及網約車實際運力後，建議將網約車許可證數目上限定為一萬個，並向平台收取每年120萬牌照費用。而車輛許可證費用為1,560元，為期五年駕駛許可證費用則為410元。 當局最快於11月底起陸續批出牌照，讓平台開展登記及認證工作，周三提交立法會進行先訂立後審議程序。 有立法會議員認為一萬個網約車牌照數量合適，政府可以根據立法後的營運情況再調整。選委會界別（民建聯）陳恒鑌：「估計要完全發出這一萬個牌照也要到明年年中左右，所以要整體完全運作的話，可能要明年年中之後才可以見到實際效果、數字。如果運作後，我相信政府已取得所有數據，如果到時無論是多是少都可以作動態評估。」
Global investors have sold nearly $24 billion worth of Indian equities so far this year as capital shifted towards the artificial intelligence-driven rally in Taiwan. (AI image) Why Taiwan’s stock market is rallying Why Indian stock market has fallen (Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. T...
Global investors have sold nearly $24 billion worth of Indian equities so far this year as capital shifted towards the artificial intelligence-driven rally in Taiwan. (AI image) Why Taiwan’s stock market is rallying Why Indian stock market has fallen (Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India.) After months of AI-led rallies, Taiwan has finally overtaken India in terms of total stock market valuation, driven largely by the sharp rally in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest chipmaker.According to data compiled by Bloomberg, Taiwan’s overall market capitalisation rose to $4.95 trillion as of Monday, while India’s market value declined to $4.92 trillion. With this, Taiwan has become the world’s fifth-largest equity market, behind only the US, mainland China, Japan, and Hong Kong.According to a Bloomberg report, the jump in Taiwan’s market value underscores the strong investor optimism surrounding artificial intelligence, which has fuelled a global rally in technology stocks and disproportionately benefited manufacturing-driven economies such as Taiwan and South Korea.Taiwan’s rise in global market rankings has been powered mainly by TSMC, which now makes up nearly 42% of the benchmark index, reflecting the high level of concentration within the market.Shares of the semiconductor giant have surged 49% this year as the company emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence-led boom, with its chips occupying a major position in the global market.Yi Ping Liao, a fund manager at Franklin Templeton said Taiwan’s growing market capitalisation is largely being driven by the country’s significant concentration in technology hardware companies, which currently sit at the heart of the global artificial intelligence investment wave.According t...
Taiwan’s ascent up the global equity rankings is largely driven by TSMC, which now accounts for about 42% of the benchmark index, representing intense market concentration. The chipmaker’s shares have rallied 49% this year as it has benefited from the artificial intelligence trade, in which its semiconductors have a dominant market position. The island’s market capitalization climbed to $4.95 tril...
Taiwan’s ascent up the global equity rankings is largely driven by TSMC, which now accounts for about 42% of the benchmark index, representing intense market concentration. The chipmaker’s shares have rallied 49% this year as it has benefited from the artificial intelligence trade, in which its semiconductors have a dominant market position. The island’s market capitalization climbed to $4.95 trillion as of Monday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. India’s value has dropped to $4.92 trillion. Taiwan’s stock market is now the fifth largest in the world, behind only the US, mainland China, Japan and Hong Kong. Taiwan overtook India in stock market value, powered mainly by a breakneck rally in the world’s largest chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. The surge in the island’s market value highlights intense optimism in AI that is triggering a global rally in tech shares, disproportionately benefiting manufacturing hubs such as Taiwan and South Korea. India, on the other hand, is grappling with surging energy cost, slowing corporate earnings growth and the lack of companies directly linked to the AI buildout. “Taiwan’s rising market capitalization is fundamentally a reflection of its heavy concentration in tech hardware, which is currently at the center of the AI investment cycle,” said Yi Ping Liao, a fund manager at Franklin Templeton. “Markets with limited exposure to tech hardware are increasingly being overshadowed by tech hardware–heavy markets such as Taiwan and Korea.” New regulations are also in TSMC’s favor. Taiwan’s financial regulator last month increased the limit that domestic funds can invest in a single stock. Under the new guideline, funds that invest solely in Taiwanese stocks can hold up to 25% of their net assets in any listed company whose weighting exceeds 10% in the Taiwan Stock Exchange, up from a previous limit of 10%. Currently, only TSMC meets the criterion. The change may help lure in more than $6 billion of inflows to Taiwa...
DNY59/iStock via Getty Images PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF ( PULS ) is an ETF investing in ultra-low duration and short-dated bonds. The fund follows an active investment approach and charges an annual expense ratio of 0.15%. The fund has consistently delivered a greater return than its stated ICE BofA US 3-Month Treasury Bill Index benchmark . This makes it a considerable selection for investors loo...
DNY59/iStock via Getty Images PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF ( PULS ) is an ETF investing in ultra-low duration and short-dated bonds. The fund follows an active investment approach and charges an annual expense ratio of 0.15%. The fund has consistently delivered a greater return than its stated ICE BofA US 3-Month Treasury Bill Index benchmark . This makes it a considerable selection for investors looking to park capital for shorter time frames. Naturally, the above-Treasury yield is due to the fact that the fund buys corporate bonds, commercial papers, asset-backed securities, and some similar securities. The fund, however, maintains an investment-grade profile with ~34% exposure to AAA-rated securities. The credit risk thereby remains largely manageable, and, considering the fact of it being a short-term vehicle, it could be utilised by an investor to park excess capital on a near-term basis and net returns higher than Treasuries. The other aspect that I have come to like about this fund for present allocation is the current SEC yield of ~4.23% . That is around 60 basis points over the iShares Treasury ETF ( SHV ). The latter has an SEC yield of ~3.5% . The reason to simultaneously compare and relate the PULS metric with SHV is that SHV is a pure-play Treasury allocation vehicle and has a duration of ~0.3 years, which is closer to the duration of PULS at ~0.4 years, making duration exposure fairly identical among these. And unless the incremental return of any non-treasury vehicle such as Puls is adequately over the Treasury yield, there would not remain much case for investment allocation. A ~0.7% incremental yield at present, however, consisting of short-term investment-grade securities without any material duration-risk exposure, appears to be something that could be looked at closely. The allocation case for PULS could largely be established on two fronts. The first is simple: that the ETF offers greater-than-Treasury yield with fairly low incremental risk exposur...
Oil rebounded as fresh US military strikes in Iran clouded the outlook for an interim deal between Tehran and Washington to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the talks set to continue for several more days. Bloomberg's Garfield Reynolds has the latest. (Source: Bloomberg)
Oil rebounded as fresh US military strikes in Iran clouded the outlook for an interim deal between Tehran and Washington to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the talks set to continue for several more days. Bloomberg's Garfield Reynolds has the latest. (Source: Bloomberg)
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JOYY press release ( JOYY ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPADS of $1.11 misses by $0.33 . Revenue of $555.7M (+12.4% Y/Y) misses by $2.97M . Non-GAAP EBITDA was US$45.7 million, compared with US$40.4 million in the corresponding period of 2025 and US$50.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. Net Cash as of March 31, 2026 was US$3,175.1 million. Net Cash from operating activities was US$46.0 million, compared wi...
JOYY press release ( JOYY ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPADS of $1.11 misses by $0.33 . Revenue of $555.7M (+12.4% Y/Y) misses by $2.97M . Non-GAAP EBITDA was US$45.7 million, compared with US$40.4 million in the corresponding period of 2025 and US$50.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. Net Cash as of March 31, 2026 was US$3,175.1 million. Net Cash from operating activities was US$46.0 million, compared with US$58.0 million in the corresponding period of 2025. Business Outlook: For the second quarter of 2026, the company expects net revenues to be between US$562 million and US$581 million vs. consensus of $558.67M . More on JOYY JOYY: A 'Buy' On Above-Expectations Results And Guidance JOYY Inc. (JOYY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript JOYY reports mixed Q4 results; introduces Q1 outlook JOYY Q4 2025 Earnings Preview Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on JOYY
Over the years, the consumption of Ilex paraguariensis – known as yerba mate in South America – has spread beyond the borders of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil and is now gaining popularity in China. “Our exports have doubled since last year,” Juan Luis Lorenzo, a local producer involved in the direct exports of yerba mate to China, said. The increase in exports by Lorenzo’s cooperative reflects th...
Over the years, the consumption of Ilex paraguariensis – known as yerba mate in South America – has spread beyond the borders of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil and is now gaining popularity in China. “Our exports have doubled since last year,” Juan Luis Lorenzo, a local producer involved in the direct exports of yerba mate to China, said. The increase in exports by Lorenzo’s cooperative reflects the broader rise in yerba mate exports from Argentina to China, which have increased by 88 per cent since 2021, according to Argentina’s National Institute of Statistics and Census. Advertisement In the first quarter of 2026 alone, Argentina exported around 214,000kg (471,789 Ilbs) of yerba mate to China. Footballers and other sportspeople have helped popularise yerba mate well beyond South America. World Cup-winning footballer Lionel Messi is frequently seen carrying a mate wherever he goes. Advertisement As a result, the drink has become associated with health, energy and well-being.
GSR Ventures Management Co. , an early investor in Chinese social media app RedNote, is seeking investors for a new fund, according to people familiar with the matter. GSR is banking on its stake in RedNote — also known as Xiaohongshu in Chinese — to be a key draw for prospective investors, the people said. It has indicated to potential investors that they may gain exposure to RedNote shares throu...
GSR Ventures Management Co. , an early investor in Chinese social media app RedNote, is seeking investors for a new fund, according to people familiar with the matter. GSR is banking on its stake in RedNote — also known as Xiaohongshu in Chinese — to be a key draw for prospective investors, the people said. It has indicated to potential investors that they may gain exposure to RedNote shares through GSR’s existing fund if they back the new vehicle, the people said. The move could also provide an exit route for some investors in the current fund backing RedNote, which is now more than a decade old, the people added. The fund is planning to raise about $350 million to invest in China’s venture capital space, one of the people said, requesting not to be named because the information is private. The plans are preliminary and could be subject to change, the people added. Xiaohongshu is valued at about $50 billion in the existing GSR fund, the people added. That marks a 61% increase compared with when it was sold at $31 billion in a GSR secondary fund transaction in the first half of 2025. RedNote emerged last year as a competitor to TikTok. It has gained traction among investors following the Chinese government’s pledge to support private firms, which has buoyed confidence in the country’s startup scene. The firm was co-founded in 2013 by Charlwin Mao Wenchao and Miranda Qu Fang. Investors are still waiting for it to go public. A GSR representative declined to comment. GSR joins a raft of China-focused VC and private equity firms seeking to raise funds since last year. Among them include IDG Capital , BAI Capital, Hillhouse Investment Management and Primavera Capital. Together, they represent a wave of activity that hasn’t been seen among China-focused US dollar funds for years. It’s unfolding as global investors reassess the country’s startup landscape and broader economy, which are showing signs of revival after years of Covid-era stagnation and regulatory headwinds. T...
FinVolution Group press release ( FINV ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPADS of $0.26. Revenue of $465.36M (-7.76% Y/Y). Cumulative registered users reached 190.0 million as of March 31, 2026, an increase of 7.2% compared with March 31, 2025. Cumulative borrowers reached 29.6 million as of March 31, 2026, an increase of 8.4% compared with March 31, 2025. Number of unique borrowers 6 for the first quarter of 2026 w...
FinVolution Group press release ( FINV ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPADS of $0.26. Revenue of $465.36M (-7.76% Y/Y). Cumulative registered users reached 190.0 million as of March 31, 2026, an increase of 7.2% compared with March 31, 2025. Cumulative borrowers reached 29.6 million as of March 31, 2026, an increase of 8.4% compared with March 31, 2025. Number of unique borrowers 6 for the first quarter of 2026 was 1.7 million, a decrease of 22.7% compared with the same period of 2025. Transaction volume 2 was RMB38.5 billion for the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 21.6% compared with the same period of 2025. Transaction volume facilitated for repeat individual borrowers 7 for the first quarter of 2026 was RMB31.4 billion, a decrease of 26.3% compared with the same period of 2025. Outstanding loan balance 4 was RMB65.1 billion as of March 31, 2026, a decrease of 9.8% compared with March 31, 2025. Average loan size was RMB12,098 for the first quarter of 2026, compared with RMB10,494 for the same period of 2025. Average loan tenure was 8.5 months for the first quarter of 2026, compared with 8.2 months for the same period of 2025. 90 day+ delinquency ratio 8 was 3.11% as of March 31, 2026. Outlook: The company reiterates its full-year 2026 total revenue guidance to be in the range of approximately RMB11.5 billion to RMB12.9 billion. More on FinVolution Group FinVolution Group (FINV) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript FinVolution Group 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation FinVolution: China Risks Have Settled, What's Next (Rating Upgrade) FinVolution stock climbs after Q4 earnings, revenue fall less than expected FinVolution targets 50% international revenue by 2030 as overseas growth accelerates