Iran War Threatens China's 4.5 Percent Growth Target: Analysts Authored by Jarvis Lim via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), China’s already-strained economy faces mounting pressure as the Iran war threatens to choke export growth and suppress domestic demand, putting its 4.5 percent growth target at risk, experts say. A woman takes a photo of the Lujiazui financial district across the Huangpu River...
Iran War Threatens China's 4.5 Percent Growth Target: Analysts Authored by Jarvis Lim via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), China’s already-strained economy faces mounting pressure as the Iran war threatens to choke export growth and suppress domestic demand, putting its 4.5 percent growth target at risk, experts say. A woman takes a photo of the Lujiazui financial district across the Huangpu River on the Bund promenade in Shanghai, China, on March 5, 2026. Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images As the U.S.–Israeli war against the Iranian regime stretches past the two-month mark, President Donald Trump said in an April 29 interview with Axios that he will continue to maintain a blockade of Iran until Tehran agrees to a deal addressing concerns over its nuclear program. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, briefly spiked to over $120 a barrel after Trump’s remarks, hitting a four-year high before dropping back to $114. It now sits at around $108 as of Sunday afternoon. Rising oil costs have also driven up plastic prices across Southern China, squeezing profit margins and triggering panic buying throughout the supply chain at Dongguan’s Zhangmutou—the nation’s top plastics trading hub. China is the world’s largest producer, consumer, and exporter of final plastic products, according to a 2025 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, an intergovernmental organization. Export Squeeze Tsai Ming-fang, a professor of industrial economics at Tamkang University in Taiwan, said that while many argue China’s strategic oil inventories would shield it from the effects of a blockade, the turmoil in China’s plastics markets shows the conflict is already weighing on its manufacturing exports. China is estimated to be holding the world’s largest crude stockpiles, at nearly 1.4 billion barrels as of December 2025 and growing in 2026, according to an analysis released in April by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “ Surging energy prices in financially ...
Earnings Call Insights: onsemi (ON) Q1 2026 Management View “This quarter marks a clear inflection point for onsemi. Improving demand signals, accelerating AI data center growth and sustained gross margin expansion demonstrates that the structural changes we made over the past several years are now translating into tangible financial results,” said (President, CEO & Director Hassane El-Khoury). “W...
Earnings Call Insights: onsemi (ON) Q1 2026 Management View “This quarter marks a clear inflection point for onsemi. Improving demand signals, accelerating AI data center growth and sustained gross margin expansion demonstrates that the structural changes we made over the past several years are now translating into tangible financial results,” said (President, CEO & Director Hassane El-Khoury). “We delivered revenue of $1.51 billion and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.64, both above the midpoint of guidance, driven by growth in AI data center,” (CEO El-Khoury) said, adding, “We expanded gross margin for the third consecutive quarter to 38.5%.” “Our execution on Treo continues to accelerate,” (CEO El-Khoury) said, noting, “In the first quarter, revenue increased more than 2.5x sequentially,” and highlighting production shipments of Treo-based 10BASE-T1S Ethernet for a “leading North American customer’s next-generation zonal architecture.” “Our overall GaN solutions design funnel, which includes vertical GaN, now exceeds $1.5 billion,” (CEO El-Khoury) said, adding that the company “expect[s]” GaN “revenue starting in 2027.” “Our revenue grew more than 30% quarter-over-quarter,” in AI data centers, (CEO El-Khoury) said, and “we now expect our AI data center revenue to double year-over-year in 2026.” “The improving market conditions are coming through in our financial results and outlook as demand visibility improves,” said (Executive VP, CFO, Treasurer & Principal Accounting Officer Thad Trent). “We expanded non-GAAP gross margin for the third consecutive quarter to 38.5%, and we expect sequential gross margin expansion throughout the year.” Outlook “We anticipate Q2 revenue will be in the range of $1.535 billion to $1.635 billion,” (CFO Trent) said, adding, “We expect to exit an incremental $30 million to $40 million of noncore revenue in the second quarter.” “Our non-GAAP gross margin is expected to be between 38% and 40%,” (CFO Trent) said, and “This resul...
The iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (NYSEMKT:IWN) offers broader small-cap exposure with over 1,300 holdings, while the State Street SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Value ETF (NYSEMKT:SLYV) provides a more concentrated portfolio at a lower cost. Both funds serve as vehicles for small-cap value exposure, a segment often prized for its long-term growth potential and diversification benefits. While IWN tracks ...
The iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (NYSEMKT:IWN) offers broader small-cap exposure with over 1,300 holdings, while the State Street SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Value ETF (NYSEMKT:SLYV) provides a more concentrated portfolio at a lower cost. Both funds serve as vehicles for small-cap value exposure, a segment often prized for its long-term growth potential and diversification benefits. While IWN tracks a wider universe of stocks via the Russell 2000, SLYV follows a more selective index that includes specific profitability filters for its constituents. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Dividend yield is the trailing-12-month distribution yield. Continue reading
(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is notably lower on Tuesday, extending the losses in the previous session, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is falling to near the 8,550 level, with weakness in mining stocks partiall
(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is notably lower on Tuesday, extending the losses in the previous session, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is falling to near the 8,550 level, with weakness in mining stocks partiall