Gulf states are major fertilizer producers, and the war with Iran has triggered a 25% price hike just as struggling U.S. farmers are planting corn. (Image credit: Frank Morris)
Gulf states are major fertilizer producers, and the war with Iran has triggered a 25% price hike just as struggling U.S. farmers are planting corn. (Image credit: Frank Morris)
Jiangsu Aidea Pharmaceutical, which develops anti-HIV and Aids treatments, plans to tap Hong Kong’s initial public offering (IPO) market as it sets its sights on expansion into the US and Europe in the coming years, an executive said. The company, listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Star Market, described Hong Kong as a “good window” for going global, citing the city’s “flexible” fundraising e...
Jiangsu Aidea Pharmaceutical, which develops anti-HIV and Aids treatments, plans to tap Hong Kong’s initial public offering (IPO) market as it sets its sights on expansion into the US and Europe in the coming years, an executive said. The company, listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Star Market, described Hong Kong as a “good window” for going global, citing the city’s “flexible” fundraising environment. Many Chinese corporations – including those in the pharmaceutical sector – would...
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] It may seem like fintech emerged just a few years ago, but the sector has already become a powerful force in expanding financial inclusion and reaching underserved communities. For more than a decade, the West, led by hubs such as San Francisco, New York City and London, shaped fintech innovation. Today, that momentum is s...
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] It may seem like fintech emerged just a few years ago, but the sector has already become a powerful force in expanding financial inclusion and reaching underserved communities. For more than a decade, the West, led by hubs such as San Francisco, New York City and London, shaped fintech innovation. Today, that momentum is shifting decisively towards Asia. According to the latest “Future of Fintech in APAC”, Money20/20’s...
To get John Authers’ newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, sign up here . Today’s Points: The White House says the “regime” is “ looking for an exit ramp.” It was referring to Iran , which denies it’s prepared to hold negotiations. Markets are waiting to see if either takes that ramp this weekend. There’s a fire risk in private markets , warns Lloyd Blankfein. Meta Platforms and Alphabet lo...
To get John Authers’ newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, sign up here . Today’s Points: The White House says the “regime” is “ looking for an exit ramp.” It was referring to Iran , which denies it’s prepared to hold negotiations. Markets are waiting to see if either takes that ramp this weekend. There’s a fire risk in private markets , warns Lloyd Blankfein. Meta Platforms and Alphabet lose their social media addiction case — both companies’ stocks go up. AND: A last flock of Canadian songbirds . Walking the Off-Ramp “You’re beginning to see the regime look for an exit ramp,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday when asked about negotiations to end the war in Iran. She was talking about Iran, but it might just as easily have been the US. The next stage of escalation, should it happen, would be a win for nobody; the US would take out Iran’s energy infrastructure, and Tehran would retaliate by doing similar damage to production facilities across the Gulf, meaning energy and food crises for a swathe of the world’s population. It’s obvious that both sides could use an off-ramp. The question is whether they can find one before it’s too late. Stocks have been supported by growing confidence that America is indeed looking for an off-ramp. President Donald Trump’s latest ultimatum doesn’t expire until after trading ends for the week — a fact that cannot be a coincidence. Markets are likely to spend the rest of the week wavering as they weigh the evidence that Iran, despite its denials , could really make a deal. Trump is prone to exaggeration and contradiction, but he is stoking up a deal so much that it’s clear he wants one. To quote Peter Tchir of Academy Securities, the US has a clear Plan A: Get agreement and enforce it and call it regime change and win (or call it a win). Be better prepared (and allow the world to be better prepared) for the resumption of hostilities after the ceasefire. But when he conducts the same exercise for Iran...
In this week’s Hong Kong Edition, we look behind the scenes of Art Basel and the logistics of moving valuable artwork around the globe, report from high-power finance conferences in the city and speak with the owner of The Chairman after it regained the title of Asia’s Best Restaurant. For the Review, we visit an Italian hideaway that teleports you straight to the Tuscan countryside. To subscribe ...
In this week’s Hong Kong Edition, we look behind the scenes of Art Basel and the logistics of moving valuable artwork around the globe, report from high-power finance conferences in the city and speak with the owner of The Chairman after it regained the title of Asia’s Best Restaurant. For the Review, we visit an Italian hideaway that teleports you straight to the Tuscan countryside. To subscribe to this weekly newsletter for free, click here . The Art of the Vault In March 2026, the global transportation map is a jagged mess . The war in Iran has upended shipping routes, sending fuel prices and cargo rates soaring . Russia’s airspace is still closed to most airlines. With so many markets in turmoil , managing the logistics of high-value assets has also become a front-line liquidity strategy. That meant escalating strains and rising stress levels for the organizers of Hong Kong’s biggest event on the cultural calendar: Art Basel opens this week with 240 international galleries. We’ve written extensively on the Hong Kong art scene from record auctions to rare exhibitions , as we chronicle the city’s push to become a global hub in yet another area — besides finance, gold trading , education , crypto and so much more. In the art world, the city’s performance has been inconsistent over the past decade and a half, partly because of China’s shrinking share since the pandemic. The US market’s annual sales of $26 billion is nearly three times the size of China and Hong Kong combined, according to the 2026 Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. And while Hong Kong remains one of the top trading hubs, Paris has now surpassed it to rank third globally in auction transactions and is often ahead in overall sales. “What we observe from our position at the heart of Central is a clear and compelling answer to how art is attracting wealth and capital into Hong Kong, particularly from mainland China,” says Alexander Li, head of retail at Hongkong Land, the largest landlord in Ce...
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This is the forum for daily political discussion on Seeking Alpha. A new version is published every market day. Please don't leave political comments on other articles or posts on the site. The comments below are not regulated with the same rigor as the rest of the site, and this is an 'enter at your own risk' area as discussion can get very heated. If you can't stand the heat... you know what they say... More on Today's Markets: Moderation Guidelines: We remove comments under the following categories: Personal attacks on another user account Anti-Vaxxer or covid related misinformation Stereotyping, prejudiced or racist language about individuals or the topic under discussion. Inciting violence messages, encouraging hate groups and political violence. Regardless of which side of the political divide you find yourself, please be courteous and don't direct abuse at other users. For any issue with regards to comments please email us at : moderation@seekingalpha.com. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
SuperAI, the largest AI conference in Asia, returns to Marina Bay Sands, Singapore on 10-11 June 2026. Now in its third year, the conference expects to convene over 10,000 attendees, 1,500 AI companies, 100+ exhibitors and 150+ speakers from over 150 countries.
SuperAI, the largest AI conference in Asia, returns to Marina Bay Sands, Singapore on 10-11 June 2026. Now in its third year, the conference expects to convene over 10,000 attendees, 1,500 AI companies, 100+ exhibitors and 150+ speakers from over 150 countries.
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock has the potential to surge 150% over the next few years, but one big thing is going to have to happen. First and foremost, artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure spending is going to have to continue to climb, and its customers are going to have to signal that this spending is sustainable. Without that happening, little else matters. That's why this is the one thin...
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock has the potential to surge 150% over the next few years, but one big thing is going to have to happen. First and foremost, artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure spending is going to have to continue to climb, and its customers are going to have to signal that this spending is sustainable. Without that happening, little else matters. That's why this is the one thing that 100% has to happen for Nvidia stock to see big gains from here. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Presented by OutSystems After two years of flashy AI demos, rushed agent prototypes, and breathless predictions, enterprise technology leaders are striking a more pragmatic tone in 2026. In a recent webinar hosted by OutSystems, a panel of software executives and enterprise practitioners made the case that the most consequential AI work happening now is focused on the practical matters of governan...
Presented by OutSystems After two years of flashy AI demos, rushed agent prototypes, and breathless predictions, enterprise technology leaders are striking a more pragmatic tone in 2026. In a recent webinar hosted by OutSystems, a panel of software executives and enterprise practitioners made the case that the most consequential AI work happening now is focused on the practical matters of governance, orchestration, and iteration, along with integrating agents into the systems they've spent decades building. Enterprise leaders are increasingly focused on fundamentals. The priority is using new AI technologies to accelerate productivity, improve delivery, and produce measurable business results. Three elements shape this work: The move from AI agent prototypes to agentic systems that deliver measurable ROI in production The growing role of enterprise platforms in governing, orchestrating, and scaling AI agents safely The rise of the generalist developer and enterprise architect as the most valuable technical profiles in an era of AI-generated code Against this backdrop, the panel discussed governance frameworks, the economics of enterprise AI, and the limits of large language models without orchestration. The conversation ultimately turned to how leading organizations are building multi-agent systems grounded in existing enterprise data and workflows. Agents in the real world Enabling agents to work in production across the enterprise is best accomplished with a unified platform that handles development, iteration, and deployment. And that'swhere capabilities like the Agent Workbench in the OutSystems platform matter, said Rajkiran Vajreshwari, senior manager of app development at Thermo Fisher Scientific. It provides the infrastructure to learn, iterate, and govern agents at scale. His team at Thermo Fisher has moved away from single-task AI assistants in customer service to building a coordinated team of specialized agents using the workbench. When a support case ar...
“I hardly drink at all – one or two glasses of beer at most.” Kim Min-ha, a 21-year-old student at Sookmyung Women’s University, recently headed to a cafe with fellow club members after a meet-up. They each ordered one of the newly released drinks and chatted for a while before parting ways. On the rare occasions that they do go out for beer, only a few actually order alcohol. Kim said the gatheri...
“I hardly drink at all – one or two glasses of beer at most.” Kim Min-ha, a 21-year-old student at Sookmyung Women’s University, recently headed to a cafe with fellow club members after a meet-up. They each ordered one of the newly released drinks and chatted for a while before parting ways. On the rare occasions that they do go out for beer, only a few actually order alcohol. Kim said the gatherings usually start at 6pm and end around 8 or 9pm. Kim’s experience reflects the growing spread of...
"Bloomberg: The Asia Trade" brings you everything you need to know to get ahead as the trading day begins in Asia. Bloomberg TV is live from Tokyo and Sydney with Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts, getting insight and analysis from newsmakers and industry leaders on the biggest stories shaping global markets. (Source: Bloomberg)
"Bloomberg: The Asia Trade" brings you everything you need to know to get ahead as the trading day begins in Asia. Bloomberg TV is live from Tokyo and Sydney with Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts, getting insight and analysis from newsmakers and industry leaders on the biggest stories shaping global markets. (Source: Bloomberg)
HJBC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction The last time I covered Nestlé ( NSRGY , NSRGF ), I highlighted their potential coming from the new CEO and the cost-saving program with significant workforce reductions amid ongoing macro pressure from several points of view. Despite a solid year that beat their expectations even though macro headwinds persisted, I'm downgrading Nestlé to a Hold...
HJBC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction The last time I covered Nestlé ( NSRGY , NSRGF ), I highlighted their potential coming from the new CEO and the cost-saving program with significant workforce reductions amid ongoing macro pressure from several points of view. Despite a solid year that beat their expectations even though macro headwinds persisted, I'm downgrading Nestlé to a Hold, as their portfolio trimming actions also come with downside risks, especially since they're selling in what is otherwise a weak environment that's been under significant pressure even before the ongoing Iran conflict. Fundamentals Are Improving Nestlé IR Nestlé reported an overall solid year despite the ongoing macro pressure, with their adjusted free cash flow dropping to CHF 9.15 billion (~$11.59 billion) while margins dropped due to a mix of continued commodity inflation, higher marketing expenses, tariffs, significant impact from currency exchange rates, and other headwinds, although it reached their guidance despite even more pressure than expected, while the FCF beat their expectations significantly. For 2026, the company expects organic growth between 3% and 4%, expecting an increase in RIG compared to 2025 thanks to the new CEO's plans, even though they see a major 20bps hit from the infant formula recall - both mentioned below. Meanwhile, they see better margins, especially in the second half of the year, with FCF expected to reach over CHF 9 billion, potentially signaling that their cost-saving and portfolio reshuffling actions are working (2025 guidance was over CHF 8 billion). Nestlé's CFO also provided an update about their "Fuel for Growth" program during the Q4 Earnings Call , summarizing their significant actions: Now let me give you an updated view of the efficiencies coming through our Fuel for Growth program. In 2025, we delivered a strong start with a clear step-up in the second half. This increased pace of delivery means we now expect cost savings to ...
格隆汇3月26日｜被“龙虾”OpenClaw刷屏了？在即将举行的 2026全球开发者先锋大会，专家将教你装虾、养虾。据悉，今年大会现场特设“龙虾养殖场”，阶跃星辰、商汤科技、中国电信等带来“一站式养虾”服务。坐落于徐汇西岸的通用大模型企业阶跃星辰，就将在大会首日举办“现场装龙虾大会”，带来面向入门用户的StepClaw阶跃龙虾。阶跃星辰研发副总裁陈健生介绍： “它是基于OpenClaw的生态深度优化打造的AI助手，无需服务器，也无需命令行，安装阶跃 AI 桌面伙伴或阶跃 AI APP 后即可“一键领养”。现场装虾会获得1亿token的龙虾挂件。”