Opera needs big money: opera chiefs need big donors. New York’s Metropolitan Opera has just lost a $200m investment, but should it have accepted it in the first place? Opera’s stories of power aren’t only played out on stage. The mechanics of producing opera involve vast amounts of people, from set builders to wig-makers to chorus and orchestra, and even vaster amounts of money. An opera company needs huge reservoirs of cash: whether from governments, companies donating for tax benefits, or private individuals whose motivations may be entirely driven by sheer love of the form, or they might not. The Royal Opera House named a hall after the American investment banker Alberto Vilar who promised the company £10m, before being convicted and imprisoned for fraud in 2010 , while the Sackler family’s millions sponsored swathes of culture across the US and UK – but the source of this wealth gave the world an opioid epidemic . So pity the poor opera house manager, trying to deal with an essentially insoluble situation: choose your donors, choose your poison. And pity especially Peter Gelb, who has been running the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the world’s biggest opera house, for the past two decades. Gelb faces in extremis the same hard economic truth that all opera houses, classical music institutions and performing groups face. Unlike so many parts of the economy, the services they provide have not become – and cannot become – more efficient. It’s what is known as Baumol’s cost disease , a term coined by the economist William J Baumol in the 1960s. One of the examples he used to illustrate the “disease” was a string quartet. It took four players in 1800 – and still, today, takes four musicians. How stupidly inefficient! It’s the same story, only exponentially less efficient and more expensive, for putting on an opera. Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, one of the Met’s recent blockbuster productions, still needs an army of stage managers as well as orchestral musicians, it st...

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong delivered a strong message to China on Wednesday: stable shipments of commodities and food requires continued imports of petrol, jet fuel and fertilizer. “I made the point that the inputs China supplies to Australia, including jet fuel, support the Australian resources sector, which in turn helps to maintain the flow of commodities that are so important in the bilateral trading relationship,” Wong told reporters after meetings with her counterpart Wang Yi and other Chinese leaders . That message is one which the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been taking to the whole region, highlighting the existing mutual dependence. Canberra aims to ensure energy deliveries continue, with the quid pro quo that it will do the same with liquefied natural gas and coal, food and iron ore. As part of that effort, earlier this month Wong signed an addition to the free trade deal with Singapore supporting the stable supply of essential goods such as food and energy. Since the war began, China has been limiting exports of some fuels, but the government in Beijing has begun to “ facilitate ” the sale of jet fuel to Australia companies, although she cautioned that talks were still in the early stages.

1、美联储对利率政策的讨论情况。 2、美联储官员们对经济形势（通胀、就业、中东局势的影响等）的看法。 见闻注; 1、美联储将于北京时间4月30日02:00公布FOMC利率决议声明，届时不会有经济预期概要（SEP），美联储主席鲍威尔随后将在02:30举行例行新闻发布会，如果凯文·沃什的提名资格能及时获得美国参议院投票确认，这将是鲍威尔任期内最后一次新闻发布会。 2、市场普遍预计，基准利率将维持在3.5%-3.75%区间不变，预计仅有理事Miran一票异议——他可能会继续支持降息25个基点。 3、最新变化来自通胀端，伊朗战争及能源冲击继续扰动前景，汽油价格仍高于4美元，霍尔木兹海峡交通仍高度受阻。 美国2月核心PCE物价指数同比上涨2.97%，低于前值3.1%。 4、最新数据显示，美国3月非农就业人数增加17.8万，创2024年底以来最大增幅，失业率降至4.3%。 美国职位空缺数从1月份向上修正后的724万（自去年5月以来的最高水平）降至688万，经济学家预测中值为689万。

Community members attend a vigil to honor the victims of one of Canada's deadliest mass shootings in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, on February 13, 2026. Paige Taylor White | Afp | Getty Images Family members of victims of one of Canada's deadliest mass shootings sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in U.S. court on Wednesday, alleging the company identified the shooter as a credible threat eight months before the attack but did not warn police. The lawsuits, filed in federal court in San Francisco, accuse OpenAI leaders of not alerting police because it would have exposed the volume of violence-related conversations on ChatGPT and potentially jeopardized the company's path to a nearly $1 trillion initial public offering. The February shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia left nine people dead, many of them children. An OpenAI spokesperson called the shooting "a tragedy" and said the company has a zero-tolerance policy for using its tools to assist in committing violence. "As we shared with Canadian officials, we have already strengthened our safeguards, including improving how ChatGPT responds to signs of distress, connecting people with local support and mental health resources, strengthening how we assess and escalate potential threats of violence, and improving detection of repeat policy violators," the spokesperson said in a statement. The cases are part of a growing wave of lawsuits accusing artificial intelligence companies of failing to prevent chatbot interactions that plaintiffs say contribute to self-harm, mental illness and violence. They appear to be the first in the U.S. to allege that ChatGPT played a role in facilitating a mass shooting. Jay Edelson, who is representing the plaintiffs, said he plans to file another two dozen lawsuits in the coming weeks against the company on behalf of other people impacted by the shooting. Lawsuits claim OpenAI safety team overruled Jesse Van Rootselaar, whose interactions with ChatGPT are at the cente...

Oracular spectacular? | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge If you want to know whether the AI bubble is bursting, there's only one publicly traded company that will tell you: Oracle. That's right, the database company. Oracle has burned its boats and pivoted to AI, but not in any kind of usual way. It is not a foundation model builder like OpenAI or Anthropic, obviously. It's not quite a neocloud, though it has entered the same bare-metal business as CoreWeave . It is a software-as-a-service company that has made an audacious bet on a very specific future version of AI as Oracle's traditional business has gracefully declined. It is significantly older than any of its AI competitors, save Microsoft, … Read the full story at The Verge.

Navios Maritime ( NMM ) declares $0.06/share quarterly dividend , 20% increase from prior dividend of $0.05. Forward yield 0.33% Payable May 14; for shareholders of record May 11; ex-div May 11. See NMM Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Navios Maritime Navios Maritime Partners Remains A Buy After A 100% Rally Navios Maritime Partners L.P. Common Units 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Navios Maritime Partners L.P. Common Units (NMM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Scorpio Tankers leads seven ocean transportation stocks with new Buy ratings at Jefferies Quant check dry bulk shipping names as Baltic Dry Index strength supports sentiment

格隆汇4月29日丨据伊朗学生通讯社，伊朗货币里亚尔兑美元汇率跌至历史新低，目前汇率已突破1美元兑181万里亚尔的水平。当天里亚尔兑美元汇率加速了自两天前开始的下跌趋势，下跌超过23万里亚尔。

The yen slid past the key 160-per-dollar level as the currency traded under pressure following the Bank of Japan ’s April meeting, at which Governor Kazuo Ueda refrained from providing a clear sign concerning the timing of the central bank’s next interest-rate hike. The renewed weakness is likely to heighten concern among Japanese policymakers. Prior to the BOJ decision early Tuesday, Minister of Finance Satsuki Katayama said authorities are standing by to respond to foreign-exchange moves as needed around the clock as Tokyo remains on high alert over speculative moves that are weighing on the currency. Investors also remain on edge as the US and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz after Tehran proposed an interim deal to reopen the key shipping passage following stalled peace talks . The uncertainty has supported the dollar and kept oil prices elevated, adding to inflation in Japan while also raising downside risks to growth. The moves in Japan’s currency also come alongside broader strength in the dollar heading into the conclusion of the Federal Reserve ’s own policy meeting Wednesday. Officials led by Chair Jerome Powell are widely expected to keep rates on hold, with traders focused on any forward guidance offered by the central bankers amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index gained about 0.2% as of 9:30 a.m. in New York. The weakening in the yen resumed even after traders in the interest-rate swaps market ratcheted up expectations for a rate hike by June to around 66%. Read More: BOJ Holds Rates in Split Vote, Boosting Odds of a June Hike A breach of the yen’s year-to-date weak point of 160.46, hit on March 30, would take the yen back to levels last reached in mid-2024. Authorities intervened in the market several times in 2024 when the yen weakened toward the 160-per-dollar level , though officials have repeatedly emphasized that they are focused on excessive volatility rather than defending specific rates. Beyon...

Here’s What Investors Are Looking For in Today’s Earnings from MSFT, AMZN, META, and GOOGL TipRanks

iPhone and iPad maker Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will be reporting results this Thursday after market hours. Here’s what to look for.

What To Expect From Apple’s (AAPL) Q1 Earnings Yahoo Finance

Key PointsHalter Ferguson added 1,052,039 shares of Upstart; estimated trade value $37.01 million (based on quarterly average pricing).

koto_feja Grand Theft Auto 6 appears to still be on track for a pivotal release date ahead of the 2026 holiday season. Take-Two Interactive's ( TTWO ) Rockstar Games' open-world crime game will be set in the fictional state of Leonida. Trailers indicate that the world also appears to include areas inspired by the Everglades, the Florida Keys, and other parts of the state. The game is expected to launch on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, according to Rockstar’s official announcement. After a long delay, reports suggest a larger, more immersive world with GTA 6, with modernized systems for police behavior, stealth, combat, and world simulation. Earlier in the week, Oppenheimer analyst Martin Yang attended the iicon Conference, where Take-Two Interactive ( TTWO ) CEO Strauss Zelnick was interviewed by reporter Jenny Mass. Notably, Strauss reaffirmed the release date of November 26, although he declined to set a benchmark to define success for GTA 6 or release pricing info, although he seemed to indicate a super premium price point will not be in play. Strauss confirmed that he believes conceptually that live services can exist with new releases. Yang took that to mean that Grand Theft Auto Online will co-exist alongside GTA 6 and to boost revenue streams for Take-Two ( TTWO ) Clearly, Take-Two Interactive ( TTWO ) knows the bar is high for GTA 6. "What we think about is making the most spectacular piece of entertainment on Earth, in history – and it’s a pretty daunting challenge. If we do that, and if we’re of service to our customers, then the upside will take care of itself," stated Strauss. On a humorous note, Strauss said he expects countless people will be calling in sick on November 19. Shares of Take-Two Interactive ( TTWO ) are down 18% on a year-to-date basis. More on Take-Two Take-Two Interactive: What The Market Is Missing About The GTA VI (Rating Upgrade) Take-Two Interactive Software: Strong Bookings Prospects Amid Selloff (Upgrade) Take...

财联社4月29日讯（编辑 牛占林） 周三黄金价格连续第三个交易日下跌，因中东持续冲突引发的通胀担忧影响，市场对未来货币政策前景的不确定性加剧，市场焦点转向稍晚公布的美联储利率决议。 欧盘交易时段，现货黄金下跌1.3%，报每盎司4536美元，创一个月新低。美国黄金期货价格下跌1.1%，报4,555.70美元。 贵金属咨询机构Kitco Metals高级分析师Jim Wyckoff表示："我们看到一些头寸调整，正在为稍后的联邦公开市场委员会(FOMC)决议做准备。与此同时，美国国债收益率上升以及原油价格上涨引发通胀担忧，这些因素也对黄金市场构成利空。" 黄金通常被视为对冲通胀的资产，但由于黄金本身不产生利息收益，当各国央行提高利率时，其吸引力往往会下降。 地缘风险方面，美国总统特朗普敦促伊朗"尽快醒悟"并签署协议，此前结束中东冲突的努力已陷入数日僵局，且有媒体报道称美国将延长对伊朗港口的封锁。 中东战争已导致油价飙升，布伦特原油触及一个月高位，因市场对供应中断的担忧持续存在，同时美国国债收益率小幅走高。 美联储政策决议将于北京时间周四凌晨2点公布，目前市场普遍预期将维持利率不变，主席鲍威尔定于半小时后举行新闻发布会，这可能是他作为美联储主席的最后一次会议。 "今日会议可能波澜不惊，因为市场并不预期利率会有变动。当然，鲍威尔若给出任何意外信号，都将对市场产生重大影响，"Wyckoff表示。 其他贵金属方面，现货白银下跌1.6%，报每盎司71.95美元；铂金下跌2.1%，报1900.11美元；钯金下跌1.6%，报1436.86美元。 央行持续购金 与此同时，世界黄金协会(WGC)表示，2026年第一季度全球黄金需求同比增长2%，因金条和金币购买量激增，以及央行购金量增长3%，抵消了珠宝需求23%的降幅。 各国央行继续支撑整体需求，第一季度增持244吨黄金储备，购买量超过上一季度和五年平均水平，尽管包括土耳其、俄罗斯和阿塞拜疆在内的少数官方机构抛售有所增加。 WGC印度区首席执行官Sachin Jain表示："地缘政治紧张局势吸引全球散户投资者追逐黄金的上涨势头和避险魅力，推动金条和金币需求增长42%。在当前全球局势混乱的背景下，通过金条和金币进行的消费进一步强化了黄金的避险吸引力。" 中国金条和金币需求同比激增67%，达创纪录的207吨，远高于2013年第二季度创下的155...

Key PointsWith an average annual return of 10% over the past century, the S&P 500 is one of the best long-term wealth creation tools ever.

美的集团今年一季度的业绩受到大环境影响，计划将今年回购A股股份的用途变更为注销，同时拟聘请人工智能方面的专家担任独立董事。 美的集团（000333.SZ）4月29日晚发布一季报显示，2026年一季度，美的集团实现营收1310.99亿元，同比增长2.55%；归母净利润126.75亿元，同比增长2.03%。这虽较家电行业上市公司一季度业绩普遍下滑的情况好，但业绩增速较2025年两位数的增长已经明显放缓。为提振信心，美的集团拟将今年回购A股股份的用途变更为注销，同时拟聘请人工智能方面的专家担任独立董事。 今年一季度，国内外家电市场增长承压。奥维云网（AVC）的数据显示，2026年一季度，中国家电市场零售额累计1726亿元，同比下降6.2%，其中3月零售额同比下滑12.5%。从各品类看，一季度，空调零售额同比下降13.8%，冰箱零售额同比下降5.3%，洗衣机零售额同比下降1.1%，干衣机零售额同比下降19.7%，抽油烟机零售额同比下降12%，燃气灶零售额同比下降15%，洗碗机零售额同比下降4.8%。 另据海关总署的数据，今年1-3月，中国家用电器出口额约1719.3亿元，同比下降0.9%；其中3月份家用电器出口额527.2亿元，同比下降17.8%。 美的集团近年积极拓展家电之外的ToB业务，以形成“增长接力”。今年一季度，美的集团ToB业务中，美的楼宇科技、机器人与自动化及工业技术的收入分别为108亿元、82亿元、68亿元，分别同比增长10.1%、同比增长11.8%、同比下降11.7%。 近日发布的家电上市公司一季报业绩，大多数有增长压力。比如，海尔智家（600690.SH）今年一季度实现营业收入736.87亿元、同比减少6.86%，归母净利润46.52亿元、同比减少15.21%。海信家电（000921.SZ）一季度实现营业收入230.6亿元、同比减少7.16%，归母净利润10.35亿元、同比减少8.22%。 一季度也有逆势增长的企业。海信视像（600060.SH）今年一季度实现营业收入137.2亿元、同比增加2.58%，归母净利润5.9亿元、同比增加6.71%。格力电器（000651.SZ）今年一季度实现营业总收入430.8亿元、同比增长3.46%，归母净利润60.82亿元、同比增长3.01%。美的集团一季度营收、归母净利润均增长2%左右，但对比其去年营收增长12.1%、...

Stock were pulled back again Wednesday morning ahead of what's sure to be a wild 24 hours for Wall Street. The Dow fell 252 points, or 0.5%. The S&P 500 was down 0.2%. The Nasdaq was down 0.2%. If it feels like the calm before the storm, that's because a hurricane of headlines are on their way.

Landstar System ( LSTR ) declares $0.40/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 0.84% Payable June 9; for shareholders of record May 15; ex-div May 15. See LSTR Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Landstar System Landstar System, Inc. (LSTR) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Landstar System, Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Landstar System: The Selloff Is Valid, But It's Still Fully Priced Landstar signals April truck revenue per load about 13% above April 2025 while providing Q2 commentary instead of formal guidance ClearBridge Small Cap Strategy adds Upwork, exits Alexander & Baldwin in Q4

Source: Bloomberg, 4:33

Gerdau ( GGB ) declares $0.0361/share quarterly dividend. Payable June 16; for shareholders of record May 15; ex-div May 15. See GGB Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Gerdau Gerdau S.A. (GGB) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Gerdau S.A. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Gerdau: Up, And Back Down Again In 2026E (Rating Upgrade) Ternium raised to Buy at BofA as 'solid option' to play U.S. flat steel Gerdau upgraded, Ternium downgraded at Scotiabank in steelmaker rating swap

Tank maker KNDS investigates 2013 Qatar deal, finds no evidence of misconduct Reuters

面对每天上千份上市公司公告该看哪些？重大事项公告动辄几十页几百页重点是啥？公告里一堆专业术语不知道算利好还是利空？请看财联社公司新闻部 《速读公告》 栏目，我们派驻全国的记者们将于公告当晚为您带来准确、快速、专业的解读。 财联社4月29日讯（记者 刘建） 受益于碳酸锂价格回升，锂电产业链企业一季度纷纷交出亮眼成绩单。 川能动力 （000155.SZ）亦不例外，公司2026年一季度归母净利润实现同比、环比双增长。 今日晚间，川能动力发布2026年一季度报告，报告期内公司实现营业收入12.21亿元，同比增长45.97%；归属于上市公司股东的净利润为2.67亿元，同比增长12.65%。此前公司2025年Q4归母净利润为1.55亿，据此计算，公司Q1归母净利润环比增长72.11%。 对于业绩变动因素，川能动力表示，主要系本报告期公司锂电业务销售数量增加、销售价格上涨，锂电业务营业收入增加所致。 机构数据显示，一季度电池级碳酸锂均价站稳15万元/吨以上，较2025年同期的7.58万元/吨实现翻倍增长，同时锂精矿、氢氧化锂、六氟磷酸锂等核心上游产品售价同步上行，直接打开了企业的盈利空间。 具体业务来看，川能动力主营风力光伏发电、垃圾焚烧发电及环卫一体化、锂矿采选和锂盐制造。2026年1-3月，公司新能源发电业务实现发电量15.48亿千瓦时、售电量14.73亿千瓦时，生产、销售锂精矿3.62万吨，实现碳酸锂产量3582.59吨、销量2250吨。 需要注意的是，报告期内公司经营活动产生的现金流量净额为-3.21亿元，较上年同期减少244.21%，公司解释称，“主要系本报告期公司锂电业务采购支出增加所致。” 展望后市，在储能高需求的背景下，碳酸锂行情或有望保持热度。有机构数据显示，2026年一季度中国储能锂电池出货量达215GWh，同比增长139%；头部企业订单已排产至2026年底至2027年第二季度，产能饱和并优先承接高利润订单。 上海钢联新能源事业部锂业分析师李攀告诉财联社记者，“碳酸锂中期趋势的确立，关键在于‘强预期’能否转化为‘强现实’。若二季度去库顺畅，下游库存消耗至低位，同时终端消费表现强劲，则三季度末在需求旺季推动下，市场可能迎来更流畅的上涨行情。” 公开资料显示，川能动力拥有阿坝州金川县李家沟锂矿采矿权，已探明矿石资源储量3881.2万吨，平均品位1.29%，氧化锂资...

Tesla leases space in new industrial building south of Denver The Business Journals

格隆汇4月29日｜加拿大央行周三如期将基准利率维持在2.25%不变，并表示只要经济按预期发展，利率可能会保持接近这一水平。该行季度预测预计，通胀将在4月达到3%左右的峰值，并假设到2027年中期原油价格降至每桶75美元。预测还假设美国对加拿大商品的关税不变——即美加贸易谈判既无突破，美国关税也不会升级。总体而言，加拿大央行基本保持增长预测不变，并指出作为原油净出口国，经济将从当前的地缘政治波动中受益。该行表示，经济在经历去年第四季度收缩后，于2026年初恢复增长。行长麦克勒姆表示，官员们同意不对短期通胀飙升过度解读。“但如果能源价格持续高企，我们不会让它们的影响变成持续性通胀，”他说。

Powell holds rates as four AI mega-caps report tonight. Tone and capex signals could decide Bitcoin's next move.

Key PointsDirector Robert Bessler sold 69,899 shares for a total transaction value of approximately $492,000 across April 23 and April 24, 2026.

BalkansCat/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Franklin Resources ( BEN ) was upgraded at Barclays after the second-quarter earnings release on improving fundamentals. Shares were 2.00% higher at $30.05 after the market opened on Wednesday. The asset manager reported FQ2 non-GAAP EPS of $0.71, which beats analyst estimates by $0.16, and revenue of $2.29B (+8.5% Y/Y), which exceeds the consensus by $240M. "Following several quarters of improving fundamentals, particularly versus traditional asset manager peers, we are upgrading BEN to Equal Weight (previously Underweight)," said analyst Benjamin Budish. The upgrade considers strong Alts fundraising and performance, improving overall net flows, and expense discipline. The price target was raised to $31.00, 19% higher than the prior target of $26.00. Barclays' rating aligns with the sell-side analysts and Seeking Alpha Quant rating of Hold. SA authors grade the stock as Sell. More on Franklin Resources Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Franklin Resources, Inc. 2026 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Franklin Resources: March AUM Data Is A Potential Warning Sign Franklin Templeton expects $830m comp and mid- to high 37s effective fee rate in Q3, while targeting $25b-$30b private markets fundraising Franklin Resources Non-GAAP EPS of $0.71 beats by $0.16, revenue of $2.29B beats by $240M

中共中央政治局委员、外交部长王毅29日在北京会见第80届联合国大会主席贝尔伯克。 王毅表示，习近平主席提出全球治理倡议，发出维护多边主义、改革完善全球治理体系、加强联合国作用的明确信号。中国将坚定维护以联合国为核心的国际体系，以中国发展带动各国共同发展，以中国良治赋能全球治理。 贝尔伯克感谢中方长期坚定支持联合国和联大工作，表示面对层出不穷的全球性挑战，只有各方携手才能共同应对。期待继续同中方加强合作，推动完善全球治理。本届联大将继续遵守第2758号决议。(新华社)

Northern Re to scale capital intelligence via Palantir platform selection Artemis.bm

Alphabet and Meta head into earnings with ad revenue in focus as strong sales growth and steady estimate revisions set the stage.