Hong Kong and Hainan should forge a strong partnership and explore new models of cooperation, the city’s leader has said, urging the business sector to capitalise on the mainland Chinese province’s free-trade port status by offering professional services in areas such as finance, law and accounting. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s call followed a meeting with Feng Fei, the Communist Party secre...
Hong Kong and Hainan should forge a strong partnership and explore new models of cooperation, the city’s leader has said, urging the business sector to capitalise on the mainland Chinese province’s free-trade port status by offering professional services in areas such as finance, law and accounting. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s call followed a meeting with Feng Fei, the Communist Party secretary of the Hainan provincial committee, on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia annual...
magnez2/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images While shares of American Express ( AXP ) have been a moderate performer over the past year, gaining 8%, the stock has had a more difficult start to 2026. Indeed, shares are down over 20% from their highs as concerns have mounted about credit quality and spending on travel and leisure activity. Even as higher energy prices from the Iran War are likely to p...
magnez2/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images While shares of American Express ( AXP ) have been a moderate performer over the past year, gaining 8%, the stock has had a more difficult start to 2026. Indeed, shares are down over 20% from their highs as concerns have mounted about credit quality and spending on travel and leisure activity. Even as higher energy prices from the Iran War are likely to pressure these metrics, I view AXP as being better positioned than most other banks and consumer credit names, given its higher-income customer base. I last covered American Express in November , reiterating shares as a “ S ell” given their valuation, and that call has played out with the stock down 11% since then. With shares below my $310 target and a changed macro environment, now is a good time to revisit shares. Seeking Alpha Over the past month, we have seen a material rise in oil prices, and I expect the rise we have seen to be at least a 0.3% headwind to growth. Obviously, it is very difficult to know the full impact without knowing how long the conflict persists and when oil flows return to normal. Headlines oscillate daily if not hourly, but I remain concerned that oil may stay higher for longer. In general, I view higher oil prices as akin to a tax on consumers, and many consumers will likely have to cut back on other spending to offset the impact on their budgets. A severe enough energy shock can even cause a recession, especially when the labor market is softening, as it has been. In that case, financials can also see greater credit losses as well. In American Express’s case, I am more concerned about the impact on spending than on defaults, as it caters to a higher-income customer base who should be better able to withstand an inflation shock. While some spending may be curtailed, credit losses should be less impacted. Now, I would also note that the company enters this period of macro uncertainty coming off a period of strong results. In 2025 , American Expres...
Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) is one of the best cheapest stocks to buy on Robinhood. On March 16, Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) and NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) announced a strategic partnership to accelerate artificial-intelligence-powered content creation, marketing automation, and personalization. The partnership was inaugurated at NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2026 in San Jose, California. The focal...
Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) is one of the best cheapest stocks to buy on Robinhood. On March 16, Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) and NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) announced a strategic partnership to accelerate artificial-intelligence-powered content creation, marketing automation, and personalization. The partnership was inaugurated at NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2026 in San Jose, California. The focal point of […]
OpenAI said Tuesday that it was "saying goodbye to the Sora app" and that it would share more soon about how to preserve what users already created on the app. (Image credit: Michael Dwyer)
OpenAI said Tuesday that it was "saying goodbye to the Sora app" and that it would share more soon about how to preserve what users already created on the app. (Image credit: Michael Dwyer)
Cherry trees are bursting into bloom across Japan, but the cost of foods often eaten at flower-viewing picnics — known as hanami — is higher than ever. The price of typical food items is up 25% in the past six years and about 4% since last year, according to a report by Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. Meanwhile, broader inflation is prompting Japanese to cut back their spending on such events. S...
Cherry trees are bursting into bloom across Japan, but the cost of foods often eaten at flower-viewing picnics — known as hanami — is higher than ever. The price of typical food items is up 25% in the past six years and about 4% since last year, according to a report by Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. Meanwhile, broader inflation is prompting Japanese to cut back their spending on such events. Steamed sweet buns saw the biggest increase among the 14 items tracked, climbing more than 46% since 2020. Prices of carbonated drinks have also jumped about 46%, while rice balls are up 45%, driven by higher costs for ingredients such as sugar, cooking oil and rice, as well as plastic containers. The average budget for hanami in 2026 is around ¥6,383 ($40), down about 14% from a year earlier, according to market researcher intage . The pullback suggests consumers are cutting back on travel and dining out, opting instead to celebrate closer to home, it said. Japan’s spring wage negotiations have delivered pay increases above 5% for a third straight year, but food inflation has soared. As locals cut back, foreign tourists, attracted by the weak yen, are taking on a larger role in driving seasonal demand. The impact of war in the Middle East has yet to fully feed through to the index, but further increases in crude oil prices are likely to push up the costs of sweets and potato chips, Hideo Kumano said in the Dai-ichi Life report. Carbonated drinks are also expected to become more expensive due to rising plastic costs, he said. “Many people are skipping long-distance trips this year, while food-related costs are expected to continue rising amid tensions in the Middle East, making conditions even tougher next year,” Kumano said. The hanami market is also increasingly being driven by foreign visitors, he added. Despite rising prices, the total economic impact of hanami season this year could reach a record ¥1.49 trillion ($9.4 billion) this year, with foreign visitors accounting...
Pixelbizz/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Europe’s most valuable tech firm, ASML ( ASML ), is facing significant internal pushback after more than 1,000 employees staged a mass walkout at its Veldhoven headquarters on Tuesday. The protest targets a restructuring initiative set to eliminate 1,700 positions—nearly 4% of the company's global workforce , Reuters reported Tuesday. On March 24, ASML s...
Pixelbizz/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Europe’s most valuable tech firm, ASML ( ASML ), is facing significant internal pushback after more than 1,000 employees staged a mass walkout at its Veldhoven headquarters on Tuesday. The protest targets a restructuring initiative set to eliminate 1,700 positions—nearly 4% of the company's global workforce , Reuters reported Tuesday. On March 24, ASML staff participated in a second organized walkout to formally voice their rejection of the 1,700 proposed job cuts. The reduction was first announced in January as part of a broader strategic plan to shed 3,000 middle-management roles —a move the company argues is necessary to 'de-layer' its bureaucracy and refocus engineering teams on innovation. According to the report , FNV Union representative Peter Reniers urged ASML management to "go back to the drawing table" and present a plan that does not involve forced layoffs, given the company's strong financial position. With projected profits of €9.6 billion in 2025 and a €12 billion buyback program, Reniers believes ASML can reorganize without job cuts, stating they have both time and resources. "They have the time and they have the resources" to move carefully, he noted. ASML acknowledged the concerns raised by employees and stated that it respects the unions' right to express their opinions. The company is continuing with its reorganization plans, which include retraining for employees and severance packages. Unions are set to respond to the proposed social plan on April 7, while the company’s works council will give formal advice in May. More on ASML Holding ASML And The AI Race: One Technology To Rule Them All ASML: Energy And Recession Fears Rise, But AI Semiconductor Demand Is Solid For Now ASML: EUV Orders Explode, The Setup Into 2026-2028 Just Improved SK hynix to buy $7.9B equipment from ASML; eyes $10B U.S. listing to meet memory chip demand ASML plans about 1,700 job cuts
Hove, East Sussex: Loading it up with many different species – oak, elder, hazel, willow and birch – has turned it into a thriving ecosystem In the garden, the log pile is a whole world. I hear frogs croaking from within it, I watch wrens foraging for insects. It’s a mixture of different species: apple from neighbours who were cutting a tree down, walnut from a pollarded giant at the allotment, ha...
Hove, East Sussex: Loading it up with many different species – oak, elder, hazel, willow and birch – has turned it into a thriving ecosystem In the garden, the log pile is a whole world. I hear frogs croaking from within it, I watch wrens foraging for insects. It’s a mixture of different species: apple from neighbours who were cutting a tree down, walnut from a pollarded giant at the allotment, hawthorn lost to a storm. There’s also oak, elder, hazel, willow and birch. I stop tree surgeons and ask if I can take a log or two, replacing the sadness of another felled tree with the hope of the life its dead wood will support. I like taking new logs home for my log pile. Continue reading...
Marvel Fusion GmbH , a German startup working on nuclear fusion, is exploring new uses for its laser technology including defense, medical and industrial applications as its attempts to commercialize the novel energy technology drag out, people familiar with the matter said. Executives are holding meetings with investors about plans to bring to market the lasers it created to harness nuclear fusio...
Marvel Fusion GmbH , a German startup working on nuclear fusion, is exploring new uses for its laser technology including defense, medical and industrial applications as its attempts to commercialize the novel energy technology drag out, people familiar with the matter said. Executives are holding meetings with investors about plans to bring to market the lasers it created to harness nuclear fusion, the people said, asking not to be identified because the plans are private. The company is also weighing a relocation to the US to improve its access to capital, the people said. The plans aren’t final and Marvel may decide to stay in Germany, they added. “While fusion energy remains our primary focus, we are exploring how our advanced laser technology can create value across multiple sectors,” which supports the long-term goal of commercializing fusion energy, a spokeswoman for the company said in an email, declining to comment on specific use cases. She also didn’t comment on a potential headquarters move to the US from Germany beyond saying the company has benefited from having operations in both countries. Read more: Why Investors Are Betting on Elusive Nuclear Fusion: Explainer Companies are racing to harness nuclear fusion — the process that powers the Sun — using lasers and magnets to facilitate reactions that generate clean energy. Fusion could theoretically be used to meet the surging demand for new sources of power from artificial intelligence and to diversify away from fossil fuels. But startups in the field face a number of engineering and economic challenges that have prevented fusion from being widely deployed outside of the lab. Marvel Fusion has said it aims to commercialize nuclear fusion by the mid 2030s. It’s raised $400 million from public and private sources, including Siemens Energy and EQT. The company is valued at about €1 billion ($1.2 billion), a person familiar with the matter said. In 2023, the company partnered with Colorado State University ...