Morning, I’m Louise Moon from Bloomberg UK’s breaking news team, bringing you up to speed on today’s top business stories. As the war in Iran enters its fourth week and shows no sign of de-escalating, Keir Starmer is today convening an emergency meeting — including Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, and top ministers. Discussion points include the economic impact of the crisis, energy securit...
Morning, I’m Louise Moon from Bloomberg UK’s breaking news team, bringing you up to speed on today’s top business stories. As the war in Iran enters its fourth week and shows no sign of de-escalating, Keir Starmer is today convening an emergency meeting — including Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, and top ministers. Discussion points include the economic impact of the crisis, energy security, supply chain resilience and the international response to the war. The clock is ticking on President Trump’s 48-hour deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, which ends late this evening, while the economic implications for Britain from the war are increasingly serious. Starmer — who yesterday spoke with Trump and agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is “essential” for global energy market stability — is under growing pressure to announce support for energy bills. It comes just as Britain’s economy was starting to get back on track, as my colleague Sam notes below. And only adds to the PM’s list of worries . What’s your take? Ping me on X , LinkedIn or drop me an email at lmoon13@bloomberg.net. Oh, and do subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to trusted business journalism on the UK, and beyond. What We’re Watching Coleen Rooney-backed protein shake and supplements firm Applied Nutrition expects some reduction in volumes into the Middle East in the back half of the year, but kept annual revenue expectations in tact. That’s after first half numbers beat estimates. Shares fell 13%, having risen almost 60% since it listed in late 2024. Shares in hospital group Spire Healthcare slumped 21% after confirming late on Friday that Bridgepoint and Triton had both walked away from takeover talks. Spire said it’s still chatting to other parties. Retailers including Currys and Primark owner AB Foods want the government to act faster in removing a tax loophole that has helped online giants like Shein gain market share. Under current rules set to change by March ...
During Nvidia's (NVDA 3.17%) financial analyst question-and-answer session at GTC 2026, CEO Jensen Huang and CFO Colette Kress fielded a question about Nvidia's free cash flow (FCF) plans. Huang answered first by saying that the primary uses of cash flow are the company's growth and Nvidia's ecosystem -- from its integrated hardware stack to supporting software. Beyond that, Nvidia will still gene...
During Nvidia's (NVDA 3.17%) financial analyst question-and-answer session at GTC 2026, CEO Jensen Huang and CFO Colette Kress fielded a question about Nvidia's free cash flow (FCF) plans. Huang answered first by saying that the primary uses of cash flow are the company's growth and Nvidia's ecosystem -- from its integrated hardware stack to supporting software. Beyond that, Nvidia will still generate significant FCF. Kress then said that the company expects to use at least 50% of its FCF to return capital to Nvidia shareholders through buybacks and dividends -- especially in the second half of the year as Nvidia works through some of its more capital-intensive investments. Nvidia didn't explicitly say it was raising its dividend. But with so much expected FCF, it would make a ton of sense. Here's why. Nvidia's FCF is reaching unprecedented heights In fiscal 2026, Nvidia earned $215.9 billion in revenue and $96.6 billion in FCF, which supported $41.1 billion in stock buybacks and dividends -- a combined 42.6% of FCF. So Nvidia is already committing a larger percentage of FCF to buybacks and dividends with its 50% target. Analyst consensus estimates call for $8.28 in fiscal 2027 earnings per share, up from $4.90 in fiscal 2026. As a rough estimate, if we take that same growth rate of 69% and apply it to Nvidia's FCF, it would earn $163.3 billion in fiscal 2027 FCF. That translates to over $80 billion in projected buybacks and dividend payments. Nvidia pays quarterly dividend of just $0.01 per share right now, which cost $974 million in fiscal 2026. So almost all of its capital return program is going toward buybacks. Other big tech-focused companies like Apple and Microsoft use a combination of buybacks and growing dividends to reward shareholders. And even Alphabet and Meta Platforms introduced dividends in 2024, although they are still significantly smaller than their buyback budgets. The size of Nvidia's projected FCF and the precedent set by other mega-cap growth...
Key Points At GTC 2026, Nvidia announced plans to return a record amount of cash to shareholders. Nvidia is generating more cash flow than it needs to reinvest in the business. Dividends could complement Nvidia’s stock buybacks and make the stock more appealing to long-term investors. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › During Nvidia's (NASDAQ: NVDA) financial analyst question-and-answer sessio...
Key Points At GTC 2026, Nvidia announced plans to return a record amount of cash to shareholders. Nvidia is generating more cash flow than it needs to reinvest in the business. Dividends could complement Nvidia’s stock buybacks and make the stock more appealing to long-term investors. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › During Nvidia's (NASDAQ: NVDA) financial analyst question-and-answer session at GTC 2026, CEO Jensen Huang and CFO Colette Kress fielded a question about Nvidia's free cash flow (FCF) plans. Huang answered first by saying that the primary uses of cash flow are the company's growth and Nvidia's ecosystem -- from its integrated hardware stack to supporting software. Beyond that, Nvidia will still generate significant FCF. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Kress then said that the company expects to use at least 50% of its FCF to return capital to Nvidia shareholders through buybacks and dividends -- especially in the second half of the year as Nvidia works through some of its more capital-intensive investments. Nvidia didn't explicitly say it was raising its dividend. But with so much expected FCF, it would make a ton of sense. Here's why. Nvidia's FCF is reaching unprecedented heights In fiscal 2026, Nvidia earned $215.9 billion in revenue and $96.6 billion in FCF, which supported $41.1 billion in stock buybacks and dividends -- a combined 42.6% of FCF. So Nvidia is already committing a larger percentage of FCF to buybacks and dividends with its 50% target. Analyst consensus estimates call for $8.28 in fiscal 2027 earnings per share, up from $4.90 in fiscal 2026. As a rough estimate, if we take that same growth rate of 69% and apply it to Nvidia's FCF, it would earn $163.3 billion in fiscal 2027 FCF. That translates to over $80 billion in projected buybacks and divi...
Joe Kent Makes Genuine Plea To Trump: "Address The Israeli Issue" Recently-resigned director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent told antiwar.com editor Scott Horton that a narrow window for de-escalation still exists, but only if Donald Trump is willing to confront what Kent repeatedly described as the core constraint on U.S. strategy: Israel. “I think he's got to address the Is...
Joe Kent Makes Genuine Plea To Trump: "Address The Israeli Issue" Recently-resigned director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent told antiwar.com editor Scott Horton that a narrow window for de-escalation still exists, but only if Donald Trump is willing to confront what Kent repeatedly described as the core constraint on U.S. strategy: Israel. “I think he's got to address the Israeli issue first and foremost… and demand and force them to stop going on the offense.” Kent addressed Trump’s recent public comments urging restraint, specifically that Israel halt strikes on energy infrastructure, but warned that rhetorical pressure alone would prove ineffective. According to Kent, past behavior suggests compliance would be temporary at best. “If you tell them that they need to stop… they might back off for a week or so, but they're not going to listen to you.” pic.twitter.com/BEeBTR6zs3 — ZeroHedge Debates (@zerohedgeDebate) March 20, 2026 “Take Away Their Ability” Kent outlined what he sees as the only viable leverage: withdrawing U.S. defensive support unless Israel shifts fully to a defensive posture. “You have to take away their ability to do that… we’re not going to support you while you’re on the offense.” Tying American support to Israeli operational restraint would be a massive structural change in the U.S.-Israel relationship (if actually carried out in practice) as it is something rarely done by past Presidents on both sides of the aisle. Kent argued that U.S. and Israeli endgames in Iran are no longer aligned. While Washington may seek limited military objectives, he described Israel’s aims as far more expansive, and far more destabilizing. “The Israelis want full regime change… and have a very high tolerance for chaos.” He warned that such an outcome would carry severe downstream consequences from increased terrorism threats in the continental U.S. to yet another immigration crisis for Europe to unsustainable oil prices. “That would be absol...
Regal Hotels International Holdings and its units have sold the 494-room Regal Kowloon Hotel for about HK$1.52 billion (US$194 million) to the real estate investment arm of Centaline Group, which operates one of Hong Kong’s largest property agency networks, to be converted into a student hostel. Regal Hotels and affiliates Century City International Holdings and Paliburg Holdings agreed to dispose...
Regal Hotels International Holdings and its units have sold the 494-room Regal Kowloon Hotel for about HK$1.52 billion (US$194 million) to the real estate investment arm of Centaline Group, which operates one of Hong Kong’s largest property agency networks, to be converted into a student hostel. Regal Hotels and affiliates Century City International Holdings and Paliburg Holdings agreed to dispose of the 17-storey hotel on Sa Po Road, including two basement floors, the group said in a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday. The buyer was identified as Blue Sky Properties, a Hong Kong-based unit of Centaline Strategic Investments. Advertisement The purchase amount was about 7.8 per cent lower than the appraised value of HK$1.65 billion at the end of 2025. The sale also included HK$753 million of debt tied to the asset, which would be assumed by the buyer, the filing said. The property would be rebranded under Centaline’s student accommodation platform CampusOne Communities, the company said in a separate statement. Among commercial buildings, hotels are favoured for conversion into student hostels due to lower costs, according to multinational firm Arup. Photo: Sam Tsang The deal highlights investors’ appetite for student accommodation in Hong Kong, where consultancy Savills estimated a deficit of about 88,000 beds.
The ripples of the war against Iran by the US and Israel are exerting inflationary pressures across Africa through higher energy and fertiliser prices, threatening an already fragile economic recovery. Most of Africa’s 54 countries depend on fuel imports and have experienced sharp increases in fuel prices, driven by disruptions to Middle East exports and the surge in global prices. Most are just g...
The ripples of the war against Iran by the US and Israel are exerting inflationary pressures across Africa through higher energy and fertiliser prices, threatening an already fragile economic recovery. Most of Africa’s 54 countries depend on fuel imports and have experienced sharp increases in fuel prices, driven by disruptions to Middle East exports and the surge in global prices. Most are just getting over the price shocks caused by Russia’s war with Ukraine, which started in 2022 and has hurt many African countries that depend on the belligerents for wheat imports. The cycle appears set to be repeated with the war in Iran. Nato chief says 22 countries working to reopen Strait of Hormuz Nato chief says 22 countries working to reopen Strait of Hormuz Since the start of the hostilities, oil and gas infrastructure in Iran and other Persian Gulf countries have been hit, including the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas facility in Qatar . Most critically, the Strait of Hormuz , through which more than 20 per cent of the world’s shipments of crude oil pass, was effectively shut, also cutting the export of nitrogen used in fertilisers, as well as other petroleum by-products. Advertisement “The first area which is affected by the current crisis is crude petroleum,” George Elombi, president of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), told reporters in Cairo, Egypt, on March 18. “It is good for those of our countries which are export-oriented in petroleum; for the countries that are net importers of the refined petroleum, the prices will go up.” Elombi said Afreximbank was putting in place measures to give financial help to African countries dependent on fuel imports. Advertisement The squeeze on fertiliser imports comes at a time when the product is needed most across tropical Africa, at the start of the rains and the planting season. Sudan, for example, gets as much as 54 per cent of its fertiliser shipments using the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Nati...
TLDRs; Amazon stock falls slightly as India fee cuts fail to excite investors. $35B investment aims to capture India’s growing e-commerce market. Marketplace competition pressures Amazon despite logistical expansions in Northeast India. Hyper-value commerce strategy targets smaller cities and new buyer segments. 💥 Find the Next KnockoutStock! Get live prices, charts, and KO Scores from KnockoutSto...
TLDRs; Amazon stock falls slightly as India fee cuts fail to excite investors. $35B investment aims to capture India’s growing e-commerce market. Marketplace competition pressures Amazon despite logistical expansions in Northeast India. Hyper-value commerce strategy targets smaller cities and new buyer segments. 💥 Find the Next KnockoutStock! Get live prices, charts, and KO Scores from KnockoutStocks.com , the data-driven platform ranking every stock by quality and breakout potential. Amazon (AMZN) shares edged down slightly this week as the tech giant announced aggressive expansion plans in India, signaling a major push into one of the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce markets. The modest decline reflects investor caution amid rising competition from local rivals, even as the company commits billions toward future growth. Amazon.com, Inc., AMZN Expanding Zero-Fee Coverage Nationwide Amazon has revealed that it will increase its zero referral fee coverage in India to 125 million products, up from just 12 million in 2025. The initiative is part of a broader marketplace strategy aimed at attracting more sellers and boosting engagement in a sector where e-commerce still accounts for only a single-digit share of total retail. Abhinav Singh, Amazon’s Vice President for India and Australia operations, noted that sellers have responded positively to the fee waivers. “Lowering costs for merchants enables us to tap into previously underrepresented markets and smaller cities,” Singh said, emphasizing that the policy supports both seller growth and consumer access to affordable goods. $35B Investment and Logistics Boost Amazon’s commitment to India extends beyond marketplace incentives. The company has pledged over $35 billion in investment through 2030, adding to nearly $40 billion already deployed. Part of this capital is being directed toward expanding infrastructure, including a new Amazon Air cargo route linking Guwahati and Kolkata. This connection is expected to accele...
meshaphoto/iStock via Getty Images By Ashok Bhatia, CFA The echoes of 2022 are loud but misleading. The macro still points to easing, not hikes, while the credit cycle begins to turn. Elevated oil prices and rising inflation expectations from the Middle East conflict instinctively invite a parallel with 2022, when a supply shock met excess fiscal stimulus, causing breakevens to surge and developed...
meshaphoto/iStock via Getty Images By Ashok Bhatia, CFA The echoes of 2022 are loud but misleading. The macro still points to easing, not hikes, while the credit cycle begins to turn. Elevated oil prices and rising inflation expectations from the Middle East conflict instinctively invite a parallel with 2022, when a supply shock met excess fiscal stimulus, causing breakevens to surge and developed market central banks to tighten aggressively. The pattern feels familiar enough to repeat. Yet, in our view, this time is different, at least for the U.S., with a more complex and contested monetary policy outlook in other developed markets. In 2022, unemployment was falling, post-Covid fiscal stimulus was extensive, and financial conditions were loosening. Today, each of those variables has reversed, changing the case for how central banks should, and likely will, respond. Last week’s decisions by the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank (ECB), the Bank of England (BoE) and the Bank of Canada (BoC) to hold rates steady reflect this tension. The uniform action and hawkish tone across all four central banks might suggest alignment, but beneath the surface, a more nuanced and growing divergence among them is taking shape. At the core of our view is that elevated oil prices present more of a growth than an inflation risk to the U.S. and that with the macro backdrop so fundamentally different from four years ago, the basis for an easing bias remains firmly in play. The Fed’s Stronger Case for Easing As expected, the Fed held rates steady at 3.50 – 3.75% but acknowledged that “the implications of developments in the Middle East for the U.S. economy are uncertain,” simultaneously elevating risks to both sides of its dual mandate. The meeting concluded with a hawkish tone across the economic projections and press conference, with interest rates shifting up across the curve as the market priced out the possibility of a Fed cut this year. Average market pricing has shifted fr...