When a South Korean cargo ship exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, Donald Trump wasted no time declaring what he thought it meant. “Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” the US president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, invoking the incident as fresh justification for Seoul to send naval forces to the embattled waterway. Seoul...
When a South Korean cargo ship exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, Donald Trump wasted no time declaring what he thought it meant. “Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” the US president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, invoking the incident as fresh justification for Seoul to send naval forces to the embattled waterway. Seoul’s answer, for now, has been a polite but firm no – or at least, not yet. The explosion occurred...
BJP7images/iStock via Getty Images Introduction I first wrote about Sigma Lithium ( SGML ) not long ago at the end of 2025. I gave a Strong Buy recommendation based on favorable dynamics of lithium prices and a visible turning point for the Brazilian miner, which was becoming a cash-positive operation. Since the article was published, the stock is up more than ~85%, albeit with a very high volatil...
BJP7images/iStock via Getty Images Introduction I first wrote about Sigma Lithium ( SGML ) not long ago at the end of 2025. I gave a Strong Buy recommendation based on favorable dynamics of lithium prices and a visible turning point for the Brazilian miner, which was becoming a cash-positive operation. Since the article was published, the stock is up more than ~85%, albeit with a very high volatility. I am also very impressed with the resilience of lithium prices. Lithium prices rallied even further in Q126. Spodumene, which is the main benchmark for Sigma, is currently at ~2,500 USD/t (+64% YTD), the highest level since 2023. It is becoming clearer that this is not just a short-term spike but a rise in fundamentals as a result of favorable supply and demand dynamics. Despite that, Q126 was marked by intense volatility in Sigma's stock price. The volatility shows that the market is still skeptical about Sigma's future prospects, valuing it as a distressed pre-operating miner. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that the company fundamentals are improving and Sigma is on track to becoming one of the largest low-cost lithium producers in the world. The re-rating that will occur if I am right on this is too large to ignore. I maintain my Strong Buy recommendation with a price target of $73.84 (248% upside). Details of the price target can be found in the section "upside potential and price target". Lithium Price Bull Case On the demand side, I am even more bullish on lithium than I was at the end of 2025. Recent data shows lithium's main applications are the following: 75% for electric vehicles (EVs), 20% for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and 5% for portable electronics and other use cases. We began 2026 with a strong base case for EV demand. In 2025, IEA forecasted EV growth at an average rate of about 25% per year until 2030, reaching 40% of total worldwide car sales by then. As you probably know, China is the main driver of the EV market. It accounts for appro...
Singapore schools used caning as a disciplinary measure only when all other options were inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct, Minister for Education Desmond Lee said on Tuesday. Responding to more than 20 parliamentary questions on the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) updated efforts to tackle bullying, Lee acknowledged that studies linked poorly administered and frequent corporal punishm...
Singapore schools used caning as a disciplinary measure only when all other options were inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct, Minister for Education Desmond Lee said on Tuesday. Responding to more than 20 parliamentary questions on the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) updated efforts to tackle bullying, Lee acknowledged that studies linked poorly administered and frequent corporal punishment – particularly in unregulated settings such as the home – with negative outcomes. “We recognise...
Realizing a systemic upgrade to the service sector requires, eliminating the bottlenecks and pain points in everyday life and economic production, addressing pressing livelihood anxieties like eldercare. China’s State Council recently released a comprehensive policy document to expand and improve the service sector, outlining 20 measures across five broad categories. Its stated goal is to achieve ...
Realizing a systemic upgrade to the service sector requires, eliminating the bottlenecks and pain points in everyday life and economic production, addressing pressing livelihood anxieties like eldercare. China’s State Council recently released a comprehensive policy document to expand and improve the service sector, outlining 20 measures across five broad categories. Its stated goal is to achieve significant progress in the high-quality development of the sector by 2030 and to push its total scale past the 100 trillion yuan ($14.64 trillion) mark. The Opinions on Promoting the Capacity Expansion and Quality Improvement of the Service Sector breaks down the institutional and regulatory mechanisms that hinder the industry’s development. The directive aims to push producer services toward specialization and the high end of the value chain, while promoting the diversified and convenient development of premium consumer services — all to provide robust support for accelerating the construction of a modernized industrial system.
(RTTNews) - German airport operator Fraport Group (FRA.DE, 0O1R.L, FPRUF.PK) Tuesday reported wider group loss in its first quarter, while EBITDA and revenues increased from last year. Further, the firm maintained fiscal 2026 outlook.
(RTTNews) - German airport operator Fraport Group (FRA.DE, 0O1R.L, FPRUF.PK) Tuesday reported wider group loss in its first quarter, while EBITDA and revenues increased from last year. Further, the firm maintained fiscal 2026 outlook.
A former senior Hong Kong police inspector has been jailed for six weeks after lying to colleagues to borrow HK$140,000, as he struggled with debts exceeding HK$2 million (US$255,308). Kwun Tong Court on Tuesday sentenced Tang Chun-ho, 45, after finding him guilty of making false claims to secure loans from colleagues in 2023. Magistrate Lau Suk-han said the defendant had shown no remorse. “The co...
A former senior Hong Kong police inspector has been jailed for six weeks after lying to colleagues to borrow HK$140,000, as he struggled with debts exceeding HK$2 million (US$255,308). Kwun Tong Court on Tuesday sentenced Tang Chun-ho, 45, after finding him guilty of making false claims to secure loans from colleagues in 2023. Magistrate Lau Suk-han said the defendant had shown no remorse. “The court has already rejected [the defendant’s defence], yet he repeated it in the background report,...
MR1805/iStock via Getty Images The Middle East crisis has created a risk-off environment for global equities. But, beyond immediate market reactions, it raises a deeper question: what lessons will countries, companies, and individuals take from this disruption? For many Asian economies, heavy reliance on Middle Eastern crude and natural gas is now emerging as a critical vulnerability. The resultin...
MR1805/iStock via Getty Images The Middle East crisis has created a risk-off environment for global equities. But, beyond immediate market reactions, it raises a deeper question: what lessons will countries, companies, and individuals take from this disruption? For many Asian economies, heavy reliance on Middle Eastern crude and natural gas is now emerging as a critical vulnerability. The resulting supply shock echoes the dislocations seen during the COVID-era supply chain crisis. As just-in-time logistics break down, several Asian countries have already begun rationing gas amid tightening inventories. More concerning still, many of these economies depend heavily on oil and gas for electricity generation, amplifying the impact. How can these economies reduce their reliance on the Strait of Hormuz for energy? Where else can they turn to satisfy their energy needs? One potential answer is closer to home. China, a regional neighbor, has spent years reshaping its energy mix away from imported fossil fuels. As a result, its electricity generation is relatively insulated from oil price shocks, as China produces most of its electricity using its significant renewable capacity, as well as domestically sourced coal. Despite being a leader in non-oil energy production, China is still not immune to the global price shock, as imported oil still supplies 14% of its energy needs. 4 Just as the United States, which has become effectively energy independent, is still feeling the effect of higher gas prices. We believe this new reality could force both countries to further accelerate the search for alternative energy sources. We believe the recent oil price shock could accelerate the transition to renewable and alternative sources of energy globally. China already leads in New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), Nuclear Energy, Solar & Wind Power, and Battery Storage. The oil price shock could represent a significant opportunity for firms leading in each of these areas to meet potentially risin...
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde’s push to speed up plans for a digital euro is part of a broader geopolitical effort for independence and autonomy, where the bloc is less reliant on others and can reduce exposure to major economies like the US and China. Bloomberg's Anna Irrera reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde’s push to speed up plans for a digital euro is part of a broader geopolitical effort for independence and autonomy, where the bloc is less reliant on others and can reduce exposure to major economies like the US and China. Bloomberg's Anna Irrera reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
Michele Bullock says more interest rate rises may be needed after the third interest rate hike in 2026 bringing the offical cash rate to 4.35%. The Reserve Bank governor says rate hikes to date won’t be able to stop fuel prices from driving up inflation and are instead aimed at cutting spending to stop broader prices from rising after the oil price spike ends RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank hikes...
Michele Bullock says more interest rate rises may be needed after the third interest rate hike in 2026 bringing the offical cash rate to 4.35%. The Reserve Bank governor says rate hikes to date won’t be able to stop fuel prices from driving up inflation and are instead aimed at cutting spending to stop broader prices from rising after the oil price spike ends RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank hikes official cash rate to 4.35% in blow to mortgage holders Continue reading...