(RTTNews) - The Taiwan stock market has moved higher in back-to-back sessions, advancing more than 1,000 points or 3 percent in that span. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now sits just beneath the 34,350-point plateau although it may spin its wheels on Thursday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is negative on pessimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were down...
(RTTNews) - The Taiwan stock market has moved higher in back-to-back sessions, advancing more than 1,000 points or 3 percent in that span. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now sits just beneath the 34,350-point plateau although it may spin its wheels on Thursday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is negative on pessimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were down and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion. The TSE finished sharply higher on Wednesday following gains from the technology and plastics companies, although the financial shares were soft. For the day, the index jumped 512.01 points or 1.51 percent to finish at 34,348.58 after trading between 33,929.28 and 34,423.66. Among the actives, Cathay Financial dipped 0.17 percent, while Mega Financial eased 0.13 percent, CTBC Financial collected 0.63 percent, First Financial lost 0.52 percent, Fubon Financial sank 0.33 percent, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company spiked 1.87 percent, United Microelectronics Corporation added 0.66 percent, Hon Hai Precision dropped 0.94 percent, Largan Precision vaulted 1.67 percent, Catcher Technology shed 0.53 percent, Delta Electronics strengthened 1.74 percent, Novatek Microelectronics rose 0.39 percent, Formosa Plastics jumped 1.83 percent, Nan Ya Plastics improved 0.82 percent, Asia Cement fell 0.29 percent and MediaTek and E Sun Financial were unchanged. The lead from Wall Street is weak as the major averages opened lower on Wednesday and moved deeper into the red as the day progressed, ending at session lows. The Dow tumbled 768.11 points or 1.63 percent to finish at 46,225.15, while the NASDAQ dropped 327.11 points or 1.46 percent to close at 22,152.42 and the S&P 500 sank 91.39 points or 1.36 percent to end at 6,624.70. The weakness early in the day came following the release of a Labor Department report showing producer prices in the U.S. increased by much more than expected in February. Following that early pu...
Key Points FOMC interest rate decisions are among the most anticipated announcements on Wall Street. Although the U.S. economy is chugging along and consumer spending remains resilient, inflation is a wildcard that can upend the Fed's existing monetary policy. A historically divided FOMC is further complicating matters for an expensive stock market. 10 stocks we like better than S&P 500 Index › Fe...
Key Points FOMC interest rate decisions are among the most anticipated announcements on Wall Street. Although the U.S. economy is chugging along and consumer spending remains resilient, inflation is a wildcard that can upend the Fed's existing monetary policy. A historically divided FOMC is further complicating matters for an expensive stock market. 10 stocks we like better than S&P 500 Index › Few announcements put investors on the edge of their seats quite like interest rate decisions from the Federal Reserve. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings occur about every six weeks and shape U.S. monetary policy. While the Fed is often viewed as the bedrock of Wall Street and a calming force for equities, eight words from Fed Chair Jerome Powell following the FOMC's March 18 meeting may have spoiled the party for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI), S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), and Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC). Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Jerome Powell just said the quiet part out loud In many respects, the FOMC's March 2026 meeting went according to plan. The FOMC voted 11-1 to keep the federal funds target rate unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75%, which was the expectation for investors heading into the meeting. Powell's statements also pointed to steady economic growth and "resilient" consumer spending. But in Fed Chair Powell's opening statement at the FOMC press conference, he uttered eight words that ultimately roiled Wall Street and its major stock indexes. In response to U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran and the subsequent skyrocketing of crude oil prices, Powell proclaimed, "higher energy prices will push up overall inflation." While Jerome Powell and the other members of the FOMC have vowed to adhere to the dual mandate of stabilizing pri...
Two Mexican real estate investment trusts have said they plan to bid for peer Fibra Macquarie , one day after Fibra Prologis shareholders signed off on plans to buy it. Fibra Next, which in November raised $400 million in a share offering as it looks to create Latin America’s biggest industrial real estate trust, said it will make a voluntary offer for 100% of Fibra Macquarie, a filing said. The o...
Two Mexican real estate investment trusts have said they plan to bid for peer Fibra Macquarie , one day after Fibra Prologis shareholders signed off on plans to buy it. Fibra Next, which in November raised $400 million in a share offering as it looks to create Latin America’s biggest industrial real estate trust, said it will make a voluntary offer for 100% of Fibra Macquarie, a filing said. The offer will be a combination of cash and equity; Fibra Next is offering 0.420 shares of Fibra Next for each Fibra Macquarie certificate, a cash portion capped at 11.7 billion pesos ($656.4 million), or a combination of both. Monterrey, Nuevo León-based Fibra MTY, which earlier this month raised about $500 million to expand its industrial portfolio, has also submitted an expression of interest for a tender offer to acquire all of Fibra Macquarie, according to a Thursday filing . The two firms are throwing their hats into the ring after Fibra Prologis shareholders this week approved its plans to buy Fibra Macquarie. The deal is subject to regulatory sign-off from the Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores, a Tuesday filing said. The Fibra Prologis offer will allow Fibra Macquarie shareholders to trade each of their shares for 0.525 Fibra Prologis certificates or 40 pesos in cash, according to an announcement last month. The cash portion is capped at nearly 8 billion pesos. Fibra Macquarie, which focuses on commercial and industrial real estate in Mexico, had 261 properties worth $3.6 billion as of September, according to its website . In a statement, Fibra MTY Chief Executive Officer Jorge Avalos said its new tender offer for Fibra Macquarie is “built on a non-negotiable principle: full alignment with investors.” The structure of the potential offer remains under development and would be subject to corporate and regulatory approvals, Fibra MTY said in the statement. A Fibra Next representative declined additional comment beyond the filing. Emails seeking comment from Fibra Mac...
Animal rights groups have urged Hong Kong authorities to review their culling strategy for wild boars and to install animal bridges and other measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict in urban areas after incidents involving wild boars and a buffalo. They warned that as urban expansion, particularly the Northern Metropolis project, cleared large tracts of land and further eroded wildlife habitat,...
Animal rights groups have urged Hong Kong authorities to review their culling strategy for wild boars and to install animal bridges and other measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict in urban areas after incidents involving wild boars and a buffalo. They warned that as urban expansion, particularly the Northern Metropolis project, cleared large tracts of land and further eroded wildlife habitat, poor city planning would worsen the situation, endangering more animals. On Tuesday, authorities euthanised eight wild boars – two adults and six juveniles – after they wandered into a residential area near Chuk Yuen North Estate in Wong Tai Sin. The next day, a buffalo was struck by a vehicle on a highway in Yuen Long, disrupting traffic for hours, and was later euthanised. Advertisement The death of the boars reignited debate over the government’s culling policy adopted in 2021 to replace the previous “capture, contraception and relocation” strategy. The accident involving the buffalo also highlighted the absence of road infrastructure to prevent wildlife from safely crossing busy roads in rural areas. Advertisement The Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group condemned the culling of the eight pigs as “brutal”.
Australia’s central bank said local households and firms are broadly well placed to cope with recent interest-rate increases and surging fuel prices from the escalating Middle East conflict, while highlighting the potential for an unexpected shock as a result of elevated international risk. “The Australian financial system has a good degree of resilience though the risk of a more material adverse ...
Australia’s central bank said local households and firms are broadly well placed to cope with recent interest-rate increases and surging fuel prices from the escalating Middle East conflict, while highlighting the potential for an unexpected shock as a result of elevated international risk. “The Australian financial system has a good degree of resilience though the risk of a more material adverse shock has increased over recent weeks,” the Reserve Bank said in its Financial Stability Review released in Sydney on Thursday. “The strong financial positions of most Australian households and businesses means that they are unlikely to be a source of instability,” the half-yearly review said. “Financing pressures will increase for some if inflation is higher for longer that currently forecast.” In terms of global risks, the RBA highlighted four key areas: Potential for elevated geopolitical tensions to spill over into a severe international shock Potential for a sharp revision for the outlook of AI-related investments Potential for confidence in institutional arrangements to be undermined or regulatory divergence Potential for disruptive crystallization of macro-financial vulnerabilities in China The RBA this week delivered its second straight interest-rate increase as it tries to restrain resurgent inflation pressures that were gaining strength even before the US-Israeli attack on Iran. The resulting surge in oil prices as Iran struck energy-rich Gulf states and closed the Strait of Hormuz in response has exacerbated the threat of sharp price rises across the economy. Still, the central bank said most Australians are in reasonable shape to absorb the fallout because of strong employment and housing markets, as well as pre-payments on home loans that have built up financial buffers. The RBA added though that there’s “early evidence” that some forms of riskier lending have picked up. “High loan-to-valuation ratio lending to first-home buyers” has increased alongside the exp...
After turning age 73, the IRS requires you to begin taking withdrawals from certain tax-deferred retirement accounts, like a 401(k), 403(b), or traditional IRA. They're called required minimum distributions (RMDs) because failing to take these withdrawals will result in a penalty. The deadline to take RMDs is Dec. 31 for most people, except in the year someone turns 73. In that case, you can delay...
After turning age 73, the IRS requires you to begin taking withdrawals from certain tax-deferred retirement accounts, like a 401(k), 403(b), or traditional IRA. They're called required minimum distributions (RMDs) because failing to take these withdrawals will result in a penalty. The deadline to take RMDs is Dec. 31 for most people, except in the year someone turns 73. In that case, you can delay your RMDs until April 1 of the following year. For example, someone who turned 73 last year would have until April 1 of this year to take their RMDs. If you're someone who delayed their RMDs from last year until this year, here's how to calculate your RMD to ensure you can avoid an unnecessary penalty before the upcoming deadline. Determining how much you're required to withdraw To calculate your RMD, you need to know the value of your accounts at the end of the previous year and your life expectancy factor (LEF), which the IRS provides for every age. An important note regarding LEFs: Most people will use the Uniform Lifetime Table to determine their LEF. The one exception is if your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger than you, in which case you would use the Joint Life Expectancy Table. Once you know your account values and LEF, you find your RMD by dividing the account balance(s) by your LEF. To see it in action, let's assume you're using the Uniform Lifetime Table and age 73 (the only age eligible to delay RMDs). Below is how much your RMDs would be based on the 26.5 LEF that corresponds with that age. Account Value(s) at the End of 2025 RMD for Uniform Lifetime Table $250,000 $9,434 $500,000 $18,868 $750,000 $28,302 $1 million $37,736 $2 million $75,472 $3 million $113,208 The penalty for not taking your RMD If you don't take your full RMD, the penalty is 25% of the amount you didn't withdraw. For instance, if you had $1 million in your 401(k) and were supposed to withdraw $37,736 but only withdrew $7,736, the penalty would be 25% of the $30...
Energy Vault posted a surprise adjusted profit and surging revenue growth in Q4, yet analysts still rate it a Reduce as institutions quietly accumulate shares.
Energy Vault posted a surprise adjusted profit and surging revenue growth in Q4, yet analysts still rate it a Reduce as institutions quietly accumulate shares.
Key Points The prospects for interest rate cuts in the coming months seem to be fading. That's not great for any cryptocurrency, especially the most popular one. 10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin › One of the key market drivers for cryptocurrencies is interest rates. All things being equal, when they're on the way down, investors get more excited about digital coins and tokens. Conversely, whe...
Key Points The prospects for interest rate cuts in the coming months seem to be fading. That's not great for any cryptocurrency, especially the most popular one. 10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin › One of the key market drivers for cryptocurrencies is interest rates. All things being equal, when they're on the way down, investors get more excited about digital coins and tokens. Conversely, when they stay level (or even rise) that sentiment can quickly turn negative. On Wednesday the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) kept its key interest rates unchanged, and the latest economic data suggested there isn't much scope for cuts in the near future. So it wasn't surprising that the No. 1 cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) led the way with a nearly 5% decline over the 24 hours prior to 4 PM Eastern time. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Foiled by the Fed The interest rate calculation is a rather simple one; when rates go down, the yields of so-called "safe assets" like government bonds decline. This, in turn, makes riskier investments -- hello, cryptos! -- more appealing. Investors like the potential bounce they can offer, in favor of a predictable yield that's heading south. So many crypto-heads didn't get what they wanted with the Fed's Open Market Committee (FOMC) decision to leave its benchmark Federal Funds Rate untouched at 3.5% to 3.75%. Inflation seems to be an increasing threat to the economy, as the Fed raised its year-end inflation forecast to 2.7% from 2.4%. That was on the back of the largest monthly rise in the producer price index (PPI) in more than two years. That key inflation indicator rose by 0.7% in February. Interest rate blues These increased forecasts don't bode well for interest rate hawks, and, in turn, they're going to dampen enthusiasm for all manner of cryptocur...