Sir David is joined by celebrity fans and cast members to give the much-loved sitcom a proper send-off. Plus: suspicion falls on a bride-to-be in Bergerac 8pm, U&Gold The shop doorbell tinkles as David Jason steps on to the set of Open All Hours a whopping 50 years after the sitcom first aired. Diane Morgan narrates this two-hour special that looks back at the show with Jason, along with fans such...
Sir David is joined by celebrity fans and cast members to give the much-loved sitcom a proper send-off. Plus: suspicion falls on a bride-to-be in Bergerac 8pm, U&Gold The shop doorbell tinkles as David Jason steps on to the set of Open All Hours a whopping 50 years after the sitcom first aired. Diane Morgan narrates this two-hour special that looks back at the show with Jason, along with fans such as Johnny Vegas and cast members including Maggie Ollerenshaw. There’s also a new concluding scene that has been recorded to give the show a proper send-off. Hollie Richardson Continue reading...
Getty Images The utility and electrification markets remain hot, but the benefits aren’t filtering down equally to all players. Hubbell ( HUBB ) has modestly outperformed expectations in the two quarters since my last update and announced an accretive strategic acquisition, but the shares are up less than 10% since then, lagging electrification peers like ABB ( ABBNY ), Eaton ( ETN ), nVent ( NVT ...
Getty Images The utility and electrification markets remain hot, but the benefits aren’t filtering down equally to all players. Hubbell ( HUBB ) has modestly outperformed expectations in the two quarters since my last update and announced an accretive strategic acquisition, but the shares are up less than 10% since then, lagging electrification peers like ABB ( ABBNY ), Eaton ( ETN ), nVent ( NVT ), and Schneider ( SBGSY ), as well as the broader industrial space. The relative performance is somewhat better over longer timelines (one-year and three-year comps), but Hubbell has nevertheless not been a top performer. At this point I’m still neutral on the shares due to the valuation. I like the operational momentum in the business, and management’s history of value-additive M&A. I also don’t think a slowdown in electrical infrastructure investment is particularly likely over the next three to five years. That said, I just can’t make the numbers work in a way that supports a positive recommendation apart from momentum/theme investing. Mixed Results In Q1 Despite Higher Guidance Hubbell’s first quarter was okay on balance, but margin concerns are overshadowing ongoing momentum across much of the business. Revenue rose 8% in organic terms in Q1, beating expectations by about 1%. The Utility Solutions business grew 7%, a slight miss versus the Street, with Infrastructure up 12% and Automation down 7%. Electrical Systems grew 11%, beating it by about 3%. Gross margin improved almost a point (a slight beat relative to the Street). Operating income rose 18% on an adjusted basis, with margin up 210 bp to 19.8%, but that was only in line with expectations in a market that increasingly demands beats from datacenter-exposed names. At the segment level, Utility Solutions income rose 21% (margin up almost two points to 21.8%), beating by 2%, while Electrical rose 9% (margin down 30 bp to 16.4%), missing by 3%. Electrical margins were hurt in part by higher material costs. Manageme...
Safaricom Plc ’s annual profit rose 67%, exceeding analysts’ expectations, after its unit in populous Ethiopia narrowed its loss. Net income for the Vodacom Group Ltd. unit was 99.7 billion shillings ($772.3 million) in the year through March, exceeding the 92.4 billion-shilling estimate by analysts in a Bloomberg survey. The Ethiopian unit is on track to break even, Chief Executive Officer Peter ...
Safaricom Plc ’s annual profit rose 67%, exceeding analysts’ expectations, after its unit in populous Ethiopia narrowed its loss. Net income for the Vodacom Group Ltd. unit was 99.7 billion shillings ($772.3 million) in the year through March, exceeding the 92.4 billion-shilling estimate by analysts in a Bloomberg survey. The Ethiopian unit is on track to break even, Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa said. “Startup losses reduced by half” in Ethiopia, he said in a presentation.
(RTTNews) - Reinsurer Swiss Re Ltd. (SSREY.PK) reported Thursday higher profit in its first quarter, despite weak insurance revenues. The company attributed the profit growth to increased contributions from all Business Units, supported by low natural catastrophe experience and a
(RTTNews) - Reinsurer Swiss Re Ltd. (SSREY.PK) reported Thursday higher profit in its first quarter, despite weak insurance revenues. The company attributed the profit growth to increased contributions from all Business Units, supported by low natural catastrophe experience and a
Swedish credit management firm Intrum AB plans to raise 7.5 billion Swedish kronor ($812 million) of equity capital, as the company continues to struggle with a heavy debt load. The group said the raise will “accelerate Intrum’s deleveraging path by two years,” according to a statement on Thursday. The new injection will comprise a directed issue of shares of 1.5 billion kronor to select investors...
Swedish credit management firm Intrum AB plans to raise 7.5 billion Swedish kronor ($812 million) of equity capital, as the company continues to struggle with a heavy debt load. The group said the raise will “accelerate Intrum’s deleveraging path by two years,” according to a statement on Thursday. The new injection will comprise a directed issue of shares of 1.5 billion kronor to select investors as well as a fully underwritten rights issue of about 6 billion kronor. The Stockholm-based debt collector has been under pressure to cut its debt-to-earnings ratio in the wake of a business model that relied on cheap high-yield bonds to finance its purchase of non-performing loans. Last year saw Intrum exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the US as part of recapitalization plan that allowed it to reschedule debt maturities. The company said a leverage ratio of about 3 times would now be achievable by 2028 rather than its earlier goal of 2030. The capital raise will also allow for up to 7 billion kronor of additional portfolio investments over a two-year period, it noted. Intrum Chief Executive Officer Johan Akerblom , who took on the role in July, said by phone that the equity will enable his firm “to explore other asset classes, including secured and mixed portfolios.” More than 90% of the company’s current portfolio is based on unsecured loans, he added.
Materialise press release ( MTLS ): Q1 GAAP EPS of €0.03. Revenue of €66.28M (-0.2% Y/Y). Adjusted EBIT increased to €2,470k for the first quarter of 2026 from €646k or the first quarter of 2025. Driven by recurring positive free cash flow, our net cash position increased by €2,021k over the quarter to €72,826k, while €2,308k was invested in share buybacks, underscoring strong cash generation. "We...
Materialise press release ( MTLS ): Q1 GAAP EPS of €0.03. Revenue of €66.28M (-0.2% Y/Y). Adjusted EBIT increased to €2,470k for the first quarter of 2026 from €646k or the first quarter of 2025. Driven by recurring positive free cash flow, our net cash position increased by €2,021k over the quarter to €72,826k, while €2,308k was invested in share buybacks, underscoring strong cash generation. "We reaffirm our full‑year revenue guidance for fiscal year 2026 in the range of 273,000 to 283,000 kEUR. In addition, we are maintaining our Adjusted EBIT guidance for fiscal year 2026 of 10,000 to 12,000 kEUR, reflecting our continued focus on execution discipline, cost management, and capital allocation.” More on Materialise Materialise: The Medical Segment Alone Makes This A Buy Materialise: Medical And Software-Led Rebound Materialise NV 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Materialise Q1 2026 Earnings Preview Materialise outlines €273M–€283M 2026 revenue target as medical segment maintains double-digit growth
Josh Rubin has a good life with his husband, Evan Orensten. They’ve been together for 27 years. They live in Beacon, New York, with their Sealyham terrier, Rory. Their work with the consulting and media company they founded, Cool Hunting , takes them all over the world. Lately they have been considering starting a new chapter, possibly outside the US. They have a shortlist of potential destination...
Josh Rubin has a good life with his husband, Evan Orensten. They’ve been together for 27 years. They live in Beacon, New York, with their Sealyham terrier, Rory. Their work with the consulting and media company they founded, Cool Hunting , takes them all over the world. Lately they have been considering starting a new chapter, possibly outside the US. They have a shortlist of potential destinations, including Paris, Berlin and Mexico City. But they want to be sure this move allows them to thrive for years to come. So they tried something new to help make their decision: astrocartography. “It’s a way to explore who you are in a deeper, more meaningful way,” says Rubin, 52, who first heard about it from a friend. “It’s so timely, because Evan and I have had an ongoing conversation about where we want to grow old.” Astrocartography claims to work by examining the position of planets at the moment of your birth to determine places in the world conducive for achieving your goals. It’s inspired by math and astronomy but at odds with modern science, organized religion and skeptics who scoff at the idea that a planet’s movements might affect anyone’s life plans. Still, it has become increasingly popular among educated and affluent entrepreneurs, finance workers and even corporations. “Most of my clients are corporate,” says Berlin-based astrologer Clarisse Monahan , who left a job in finance and her doctoral studies in 2019 to enter the field. By 2020, she had been hired as the resident astrologer of Soho House. It’s not a far stretch from her previous life, she says. “Astrocartography is like finance: You’re mitigating risk,” she says. “If someone’s planning a move, that’s such a huge thing to do. I give them options and show them what a certain place is going to be like.” Some 30% of American adults consult horoscopes, tarot cards or fortune tellers, according to the Pew Research Center . A wide spectrum exists among that group, from those who glance at daily horoscopes t...
Europe’s luxury firms, carmakers and hotels largely disappointed investors this earnings season, making consumer discretionary the worst-performing sector as rising inflation and geopolitical uncertainty derail a long-awaited recovery. Earnings per share for the MSCI Europe consumer discretionary index dropped more than 12% in the first quarter, with companies representing more than 80% of the ben...
Europe’s luxury firms, carmakers and hotels largely disappointed investors this earnings season, making consumer discretionary the worst-performing sector as rising inflation and geopolitical uncertainty derail a long-awaited recovery. Earnings per share for the MSCI Europe consumer discretionary index dropped more than 12% in the first quarter, with companies representing more than 80% of the benchmark’s market capitalization having reported, Bloomberg Intelligence data shows. That compares with expectations of a more modest 2.4% decline, and with stronger-than-expected growth of 5.7% for the broader MSCI Europe index . The sector “is facing an uphill battle to regain momentum,” as automakers and luxury goods companies face squeezed wallets, ongoing tariff threats and growing competition in China, BI strategists Laurent Douillet and Simbarashe Gumbo said. While the Iran war has disrupted operations and darkened the outlook for a range of industries, the consumer discretionary sector “has reacted more negatively to the conflict given the risk of spending power being diverted away from non-food retail and the impact of reduced tourist flows for luxury,” Deutsche Bank analyst Adam Cochrane said. LVMH SE and Kering SA both warned of weaker demand as the war in the Middle East hurt activity in the key shopping hub of Dubai, while depressing consumer confidence globally. Even Hermes International SCA — a traditionally more resilient luxury name thanks to its high-end, scarcity-driven model — saw a dip in sales, sending shares tumbling . The same goes for hotels. Sofitel-owner Accor SA — the most exposed of the global hotel operators to the Iran war — said a strong start to the year in the Middle East region was derailed by the outbreak of the conflict. Its hotels in the United Arab Emirates, which account for about 3% of rooms, were particularly affected. Luxury automakers are also struggling, with the fallout from the war compounding existing challenges including fierce...
The last time oil prices spiked due to war in 2022, the rush to get protection with inflation-linked bonds turned out badly . So far, this time is proving different. A gauge of global inflation-linked bonds is up 2% in 2026, ranking first out of the 24 key fixed-income indexes tracked by Bloomberg. The strategy is attracting a torrent of cash, with BlackRock Inc.’s $15 billion exchange-traded fund...
The last time oil prices spiked due to war in 2022, the rush to get protection with inflation-linked bonds turned out badly . So far, this time is proving different. A gauge of global inflation-linked bonds is up 2% in 2026, ranking first out of the 24 key fixed-income indexes tracked by Bloomberg. The strategy is attracting a torrent of cash, with BlackRock Inc.’s $15 billion exchange-traded fund for US Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities pulling in its largest monthly inflows since 2021. The bullish argument is that, even if energy prices continue to drop, the turmoil caused by the two-month war in Iran will have a long-lasting impact on the global economy. In the US, gasoline prices are near the highest since 2022, while in the Mideast damaged natural gas facilities may take years to fix. While so-called linkers have a patchy history of protection — their value counter-intuitively nosedived in 2022 when inflation surged following the war in Ukraine — those in favor argue it’s different this time around. RBC BlueBay Asset Management and BNP Paribas Asset Management are among those buying now. “Inflation-linked bonds is a place you want to be hiding right now,” said Mark Dowding , chief investment officer at RBC BlueBay Asset Management. He sees value in such securities in the US, euro-area and Japan. Inflation-linked bonds have often been seen as a staid investment, favored by the likes of pension funds seeking to match assets against their liabilities going out decades into the future. Yet when concerns about inflation grow, they can quickly attract a wider range of investors wagering on the direction of consumer prices. Euro inflation-linked bond funds saw nearly €500 million ($588 million) in net inflows in March — the strongest since March 2022 — marking a reversal after almost a year of outflows, according to data from Morningstar . Breakevens Surge The rush is showing up across market metrics. The extra compensation investors demand to hold US 10-year no...
Russia warned foreign diplomats in Kyiv that it would attack the city if Ukraine disrupted World War II commemorations in Moscow this weekend, as attacks from both sides continued into Thursday. Russia did not elaborate on its threat, and Ukraine did not immediately respond. Russia and Ukraine traded strikes on Thursday, wounding 13 people in the Russian border city of Bryansk and one person in Uk...
Russia warned foreign diplomats in Kyiv that it would attack the city if Ukraine disrupted World War II commemorations in Moscow this weekend, as attacks from both sides continued into Thursday. Russia did not elaborate on its threat, and Ukraine did not immediately respond. Russia and Ukraine traded strikes on Thursday, wounding 13 people in the Russian border city of Bryansk and one person in Ukraine’s Dnipro, officials from both sides said. Russia marks World War II Victory Day each year on...