Thapana Onphalai/iStock via Getty Images Market Update U.S. equities were mostly lower in the first quarter of 2026. The Russell 3000 declined 4%, and the S&P 500 posted its first quarterly decline in a year. The year began on a constructive note as declining yields, improving leading indicators, and rising mortgage applications supported a broadening rally. However, sentiment reversed sharply in ...
Thapana Onphalai/iStock via Getty Images Market Update U.S. equities were mostly lower in the first quarter of 2026. The Russell 3000 declined 4%, and the S&P 500 posted its first quarterly decline in a year. The year began on a constructive note as declining yields, improving leading indicators, and rising mortgage applications supported a broadening rally. However, sentiment reversed sharply in March following the Iran conflict escalation. The near-blockage of the Strait of Hormuz sent crude oil surging over 75%, reigniting inflation fears and shifting the Fed narrative from rate cuts to potential hikes. Equity market leadership changed sharply as the quarter progressed. Early cyclical broadening gave way to a narrow, commodity-driven market that benefited energy, agriculture, and hard-asset industries. Large-cap Growth was the only style box to post double-digit losses, hampered by Big Tech weakness and AI displacement concerns in software. Conversely, Small Caps proved resilient; the Russell 2000 finished higher while the Equal-Weight S&P 500 remained flat. Sector dispersion was extreme in the S&P 500, with Energy surging over 35% while Technology fell over 9%. From a factor perspective, Value, Momentum, and Yield drove returns. Quality was mixed, while Growth and Volatility factors detracted. Key Performance Takeaways The London Company Mid Cap portfolio declined 5.0% (-5.2% net) during the quarter vs. a 1.3% increase in the Russell Midcap Index. Both stock selection and sector exposure were headwinds to relative performance. The Mid Cap portfolio trailed its benchmark in Q1 and came up short of our 85-90% upside capture expectations. Early signs of broadening gave way to a narrower, macro-driven market where our structural underweight to Energy and commodity-linked industries was a significant detractor—similar to early 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Lower-quality, more speculative areas also proved surprisingly defensive. While frustrating, we've navigated...
Children run in a field in Zibo, Shandong province, on April 29. Photo: VCG Chinese travelers ventured significantly farther from home during the recent Labor Day holiday, which coincided with spring breaks at many schools, fueling double-digit growth in long-haul domestic trips. The number of cross-provincial tourists recorded on major travel platforms rose 7.6% year-on-year during the holiday pe...
Children run in a field in Zibo, Shandong province, on April 29. Photo: VCG Chinese travelers ventured significantly farther from home during the recent Labor Day holiday, which coincided with spring breaks at many schools, fueling double-digit growth in long-haul domestic trips. The number of cross-provincial tourists recorded on major travel platforms rose 7.6% year-on-year during the holiday period from May 1 to Tuesday, while the number of travelers journeying more than 800 kilometers surged 20%, driving an 18% increase in related hotel accommodation spending, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
gettinthere/iStock via Getty Images When it comes to income-oriented investing with a focus on regular payouts, Canadian equities naturally remain a go-to choice. By nature, these businesses are energy-oriented, with a value-oriented tilt, and tend to distribute a significant amount of their earnings as dividends. TC Energy ( TRP ) falls in the same category. However, unlike many other integrated ...
gettinthere/iStock via Getty Images When it comes to income-oriented investing with a focus on regular payouts, Canadian equities naturally remain a go-to choice. By nature, these businesses are energy-oriented, with a value-oriented tilt, and tend to distribute a significant amount of their earnings as dividends. TC Energy ( TRP ) falls in the same category. However, unlike many other integrated oil & gas players, TC Energy primarily operates as a midstream entity with a focus on natural gas. The company barely has any material exposure to oil. Even in natural gas, the company is largely a storage and transmission provider, with long-term, rent-like contracts and payment streams. Naturally, this makes them a predictable business to analyse and form an opinion on whether the price at any particular point in time offers adequate value or not. At present, the company is performing decently in terms of underlying business fundamentals. Although the leverage ratio at present is higher, considering the scale and track record of the company, that seems to still be manageable. However, the issue with the investment thesis at present is the valuation, which is almost priced to perfection. In addition to that, the current dividend yield is also at five-year historical lows, with the current yield at roughly ~3.75% . Even after allowing for the management’s ~3%-5% annualised dividend growth guidance, the current dividend yield, largely due to higher valuations, falls a little short of an allocation. The margin of safety stands reduced as well. Dividend yield relatively low end of the curve ( Seeking Alpha ) Company Overview and Business Model TRP Energy is an established midstream energy player focused on North American energy infrastructure, with operations across the US, Canada, and Mexico. The company owns the largest natural gas pipeline network in North America, spanning approximately ~58,000 miles and transporting over 30% of the natural gas every day to meet the contin...
Earnings Call Insights: The Macerich Company (MAC) Q1 2026 Management View "Our first quarter results reflect the continued progress we're making on our Path Forward plan." (President, CEO & Director Jackson Hsieh) "Our FFO as adjusted per diluted share was $0.34." (President, CEO & Director Hsieh) "For our go-forward portfolio, sales per square foot increased to $941." (President, CEO & Director ...
Earnings Call Insights: The Macerich Company (MAC) Q1 2026 Management View "Our first quarter results reflect the continued progress we're making on our Path Forward plan." (President, CEO & Director Jackson Hsieh) "Our FFO as adjusted per diluted share was $0.34." (President, CEO & Director Hsieh) "For our go-forward portfolio, sales per square foot increased to $941." (President, CEO & Director Hsieh) "Our cumulative SNO pipeline at the end of Q1 was $116 million against our $140 million target." (President, CEO & Director Hsieh) "We only have 250 remaining leases to complete the plan, of which 125 leases are currently in the LOI phase and 125 units are in the prospecting phase." (President, CEO & Director Hsieh) "Last week, we closed on the mall acquisition for $260 million, plus $12 million for the 13.1acre vacant Sears parcel." (President, CEO & Director Hsieh) "The acquisition is accretive to our 2028 target FFO range under our Path Forward plan by approximately $0.04 per share on a leverage-neutral basis." (President, CEO & Director Hsieh) "FFO as adjusted was approximately $92 million or $0.34 per share during the first quarter of 2026." (CFO, Treasurer & Senior EVP Daniel Swanstrom) Outlook "As a reminder, we expect go-forward portfolio centers NOI growth for the full year 2026 to be up at least 3% over 2025 and back-end weighted in terms of NOI growth contribution for the year." (CFO, Treasurer & Senior EVP Swanstrom) "The estimated annual contribution is $30 million in 2026, back-end weighted, $40 million to $45 million in 2027 and $45 million to $50 million in 2028." (CFO, Treasurer & Senior EVP Swanstrom) "I have a high degree of confidence in achieving our 2028 operational and financial targets." (President, CEO & Director Hsieh) "We look forward to providing an update on Path Forward 3.0 at NAREIT in June." (President, CEO & Director Hsieh) Financial Results "FFO as adjusted was approximately $92 million or $0.34 per share during the first quarter of ...
Asia’s dollar bond market has seen a burst of issuance as companies and governments rushed to secure cheaper funding, with credit spreads tightening to record lows on hopes tensions in the Middle East may ease. Hong Kong’s government is marketing a dollar benchmark offering as part of a broader multi-currency sale Thursday, while HSBC Holdings Plc is pricing a two-part dollar offering in the busie...
Asia’s dollar bond market has seen a burst of issuance as companies and governments rushed to secure cheaper funding, with credit spreads tightening to record lows on hopes tensions in the Middle East may ease. Hong Kong’s government is marketing a dollar benchmark offering as part of a broader multi-currency sale Thursday, while HSBC Holdings Plc is pricing a two-part dollar offering in the busiest session in more than two weeks. The sales follow Westpac Banking Corp. ’s $4 billion multi- tranche deal a day earlier, highlighting a strong reopening of primary markets. Yield premiums on the region’s high-grade debt tightened by at least one basis point to an all-time low, according to traders. The credit rally mirrors a broader rebound in regional risk assets as optimism grows over a potential US-Iran deal, with a key Asia-Pacific equity benchmark climbing to a record on Thursday. The gains highlight a rising confidence in the region’s corporate balance sheets and reinforces expectations for sustained demand in Asia’s primary debt market. “We see this primarily as a reflection of resilient economic and corporate fundamentals across much of Asia,” said John Woods , chief investment officer and head of investment solutions for Asia at Lombard Odier. “Many issuers have refinanced successfully at lower rates, and earnings have held up better than feared amid the geopolitical noise.” Asian credit spreads have tightened about 13 basis points this quarter, outperforming a roughly five basis-point decline globally, according to Bloomberg indexes. Sentiment has also been buoyed by stronger earnings, particularly in Japan , fueling the gain in regional equities led by technology shares. “Asian economies’ fundamentals have been comparatively stronger than expected, and earnings results so far have been quite supportive,” Marcella Chow , a global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management, said in a Bloomberg TV interview, adding that improved balance sheets and resilient ca...
(Bloomberg) -- China’s early lead in humanoid robots will help power the next phase of its global manufacturing and export dominance, according to new research from Morgan Stanley. Most Read from BloombergUS Has Opened a Passage Through Hormuz, Central Command SaysDOJ Plans Intervention in Trump Supreme Court Carroll AppealUS Says Offensive Phase of Iran War Over as Ship Hit in StraitSony to Pay A...
(Bloomberg) -- China’s early lead in humanoid robots will help power the next phase of its global manufacturing and export dominance, according to new research from Morgan Stanley. Most Read from BloombergUS Has Opened a Passage Through Hormuz, Central Command SaysDOJ Plans Intervention in Trump Supreme Court Carroll AppealUS Says Offensive Phase of Iran War Over as Ship Hit in StraitSony to Pay Almost $4 Billion for Bieber, Neil Young CatalogUS, Iran Weigh Potential Deal as Trump Seeks Way Out
tadamichi Asian equities surged on Thursday, headlined by a historic record-high reopening in Japan as breakthroughs in U.S.-Iran peace negotiations sent a wave of optimism through risk-driven markets. Supported by a bullish Wall Street lead and a rally in semiconductor stocks following blockbuster earnings from AMD, regional indexes capitalized on easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. ...
tadamichi Asian equities surged on Thursday, headlined by a historic record-high reopening in Japan as breakthroughs in U.S.-Iran peace negotiations sent a wave of optimism through risk-driven markets. Supported by a bullish Wall Street lead and a rally in semiconductor stocks following blockbuster earnings from AMD, regional indexes capitalized on easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Gold prices traded near $4,700 an ounce on Thursday after rising roughly 3% in the previous session. WTI crude futures stabilized above $95 per barrel on Thursday after tumbling as much as 13.3% to $88.66 in the previous session. The benchmark KOSPI fell more than 1% to around 7,300 on Thursday, pulling back from record highs. Japan's ( NKY:IND ) rose 6.15% toward 63,000 in post-holiday trading on Thursday. The Japanese yen traded around 156 per dollar on Thursday after rising about 1% overnight. The Bank of Japan kept its short-term policy rate unchanged at 0.75% at its April 2026 meeting, leaving borrowing costs at their highest level since September 1995. China's ( SHCOMP ) rose 0.20% to 4,169 on Thursday, hitting a new two-month high, while the Shenzhen Component was flat near 15,458, and the offshore yuan strengthened to around 6.80 per dollar on Thursday. Investors are also watching a highly anticipated summit next week between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, previously postponed amid heightened geopolitical tensions tied to the Middle East war. Meanwhile, China’s financial regulator reportedly told major state-owned banks to halt new lending to five refiners sanctioned by the US over alleged ties to Iran’s oil trade. Hong Kong ( HSI ) rose 1.36% to 26,585 on Thursday, its highest level since February 2026, extending gains from the previous session. India ( SENSEX ) rose 0.03% to open at 78,073 on Thursday, extending gains from the previous session. The Indian rupee traded around 94.7 per dollar, rebounding from record-low levels near 95.2. Australia ( AS51 ) ...
Nobel laureate says he previously considered himself a supporter of Israel, but ‘the campaign of annihilation in Gaza has changed all that’ Nobel laureate JM Coetzee has declined to attend an upcoming literature festival in Israel, writing a excoriating letter to organisers citing the country’s “genocidal campaign” in Gaza, stating: “It will take many years for Israel to clear its name”. The 86-ye...
Nobel laureate says he previously considered himself a supporter of Israel, but ‘the campaign of annihilation in Gaza has changed all that’ Nobel laureate JM Coetzee has declined to attend an upcoming literature festival in Israel, writing a excoriating letter to organisers citing the country’s “genocidal campaign” in Gaza, stating: “It will take many years for Israel to clear its name”. The 86-year-old author, who was born in apartheid South Africa and lives in Australia, wrote to organisers of the Jerusalem international writers festival in November. Continue reading...