Across peninsular Malaysia, the heat is getting unbearable and posing health risks for many, and nowhere is this felt more sharply than in Kedah and Perlis, two northern states at the centre of Malaysia’s food-growing belt. Over the start of the Eid period last weekend, the scorching sun dampened the holiday mood during the festival marking the end of the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. Fam...
Across peninsular Malaysia, the heat is getting unbearable and posing health risks for many, and nowhere is this felt more sharply than in Kedah and Perlis, two northern states at the centre of Malaysia’s food-growing belt. Over the start of the Eid period last weekend, the scorching sun dampened the holiday mood during the festival marking the end of the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. Families are timing visits to avoid the fierce afternoon sun, farmers are watching paddy fields – known...
Iuliia Antonova/iStock via Getty Images Broader View The UP World LNG Shipping Index (UPI) resumed its upward trend and easily surpassed the 220-point mark, bringing it just shy of two points below the 230-point threshold. The three-month gain of UPI is nearly 40%. However, not all companies in the index rose; alongside geopolitical events, management actions also played a significant role. The ra...
Iuliia Antonova/iStock via Getty Images Broader View The UP World LNG Shipping Index (UPI) resumed its upward trend and easily surpassed the 220-point mark, bringing it just shy of two points below the 230-point threshold. The three-month gain of UPI is nearly 40%. However, not all companies in the index rose; alongside geopolitical events, management actions also played a significant role. The ratio of gainers to losers was 12:8. The median gain was 4.94%, and trading volume was once again roughly double the average. For the third consecutive week, the world has been adjusting to the loss of one-fifth of LNG supplies, with further escalation in the gas crisis triggered by Iran’s retaliatory attack on the Ras Laffan gas complex in Qatar following Israel’s shelling of Iranian facilities linked to the South Pars gas fields. 17% of this hub’s export capacity was damaged, and restoration is expected to take up to 5 years. This was a key catalyst for growth among certain UPI companies, such as U.S. LNG producers and European natural gas producers. However, the latter are unable to increase production significantly. The shortage is thus being addressed through rising gas prices in Europe and Asia, along with increased global movement of LNG tankers between producers and consumers. Spot rates remain high, at around $180,000 per day , according to Spark Commodities, with longer distances driving demand for more tankers. Interestingly, the trend of rejuvenating the global fleet by phasing out first-generation tankers continues. The combination of high spot rates, growing demand for transport capacity, and the ongoing retirement of older vessels creates a structurally favourable environment for the modern LNG fleet. UPI & SPX The UP World LNG Shipping Index, which tracks 20 listed LNG shipping companies, gained 16.49 points (7.77%), closing at 228.77 points, while the S&P 500 index lost 1.90%. The chart below illustrates the performance of both indices with weekly data. Week ...
allanswart/iStock via Getty Images A consortium backed by serial American sports investor David Blitze r and Blackstone ( BX ) has agreed to acquire Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru, or RCB, in a deal valued at roughly $1.8B. The investor group includes India’s Aditya Birla Group , Times of India Group , Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone’s perpetual private e...
allanswart/iStock via Getty Images A consortium backed by serial American sports investor David Blitze r and Blackstone ( BX ) has agreed to acquire Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru, or RCB, in a deal valued at roughly $1.8B. The investor group includes India’s Aditya Birla Group , Times of India Group , Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE ( BXPE ). The RCB franchise is currently owned by United Spirits Limited , the Indian arm of UK-based drinks giant Diageo ( DEO ), which has opted to divest the asset, calling it "non-core" to its primary alcohol business. To note, RCB , one of the IPL’s founding teams, has seen a significant uplift in brand value following its maiden title win in 2025. The deal, which also includes the team’s women’s side competing in the Women’s Premier League, is subject to regulatory approvals from the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Competition Commission of India. More on Blackstone Wall Street Lunch: Private Credit Funds Face $10B Investor Exit Wave Avoiding Blackstone And Blackstone Secured Lending Even Before BCRED Redemption Surge Blackstone: An Alternative Asset Compounder Built To Outperform Blackstone plans to invest $15B in Japanese property over three years - report Investors reportedly reject some data center financing over insufficient insurance coverage
(RTTNews) - Air Canada (AC.TO, ACDVF) said Tuesday in Update 1 that the captain and first officer died following an accident involving an Air Canada Express Mitsubishi CRJ900 during landing at LaGuardia Airport on March 22.
(RTTNews) - Air Canada (AC.TO, ACDVF) said Tuesday in Update 1 that the captain and first officer died following an accident involving an Air Canada Express Mitsubishi CRJ900 during landing at LaGuardia Airport on March 22.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked the head of the International Energy Agency to prepare for an additional coordinated release of oil reserves should it be required. Takaichi was speaking to Fatih Birol in Tokyo during a visit by the IEA executive director on Wednesday. The group announced in early March that it would release a record 400 million barrels from its emergency oil reserves ...
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked the head of the International Energy Agency to prepare for an additional coordinated release of oil reserves should it be required. Takaichi was speaking to Fatih Birol in Tokyo during a visit by the IEA executive director on Wednesday. The group announced in early March that it would release a record 400 million barrels from its emergency oil reserves to help ease supply shocks and contain price spikes caused by the war in the Middle East. “If the situation requires more support from the IEA, we are there,” Birol said in response to Takaichi’s comments. “We still have a significant amount of stocks. If necessary, we are ready to move forward — but I very much hope that it will not be necessary.” Japan is heavily reliant on oil from the Middle East, making it vulnerable to the ongoing war in Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The country is set to start releasing crude from its national reserves on Thursday. Read More: How Prepared Is Japan for an Energy Crisis?: Explainer
Maks_Lab/iStock via Getty Images S&P Global’s flash PMI data showed Japan’s economic upturn losing momentum following the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Inflation also looks set to spike higher after firms reported a jump in input costs, likewise emanating from the war. Strong growth fades Having risen to 53.9 in February, its highest since May 2023 and signalling one of the strongest expansi...
Maks_Lab/iStock via Getty Images S&P Global’s flash PMI data showed Japan’s economic upturn losing momentum following the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Inflation also looks set to spike higher after firms reported a jump in input costs, likewise emanating from the war. Strong growth fades Having risen to 53.9 in February, its highest since May 2023 and signalling one of the strongest expansions recorded over the survey’s history (since 2007), the headline PMI tracking output across the manufacturing and services sectors fell to 52.5 in March, according to the provisional ‘flash’ reading. Growth slowed in both sectors. While still well above the 50.0 no-change level to thereby indicate another month of robust economic growth, in fact rounding off the strongest quarterly expansion since the fourth quarter of 2013, the loss of growth momentum in March was accompanied by some worrying forward-looking indicators. Confidence slumps as demand falters First, new orders growth, which typically drives changes in output, slowed sharply in March. Having risen in February at the fastest rate for nearly three years, buoyed by reduced US tariff worries and rising hopes of domestic political stability and support to business from the Takaichi government, inflows of new orders rose only modestly in March to register the weakest increase for three months. The slowdown was commonly linked to signs of more subdued customer demand, particularly from overseas, amid rising costs and an uncertain geopolitical climate. Second, business expectations for the year ahead likewise deteriorated, slumping from February’s 13-month high to now sit at an 11-month low (and the second-lowest recorded since the pandemic). Inflation spike and supply chain worries A key concern stemming from the war in the Middle East is the impact on supply chains and inflation, notably through energy prices, given Japan’s dependence on accessing the majority of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz. March’s flash P...
Rasi Bhadramani/iStock via Getty Images Key Takeaways Markets: US equities, as measured by the Russell 1000 Index, climbed in the fourth quarter. While investors continued to pile into artificial intelligence stocks, corporate earnings were strong and the market advance broadened in the quarter, with both small-cap and value stocks performing well. Contributors: Stock selection in the consumer sta...
Rasi Bhadramani/iStock via Getty Images Key Takeaways Markets: US equities, as measured by the Russell 1000 Index, climbed in the fourth quarter. While investors continued to pile into artificial intelligence stocks, corporate earnings were strong and the market advance broadened in the quarter, with both small-cap and value stocks performing well. Contributors: Stock selection in the consumer staples, consumer discretionary and health care sectors supported relative results. Individual contributors included Dollar General ( DG ), General Motors ( GM ) and Roche Holdings ( RHHBY ). Detractors: Security selection in financials, information technology and materials hindered relative performance. Among the detractors were Fiserv (FI), Charter Communications ( CHTR ) and BNP Paribas ( BNPQY ). Outlook: We remain focused on identifying opportunities to acquire stocks at attractive valuations based upon our assessment of fundamental value. Our process of finding underappreciated and misunderstood companies with identifiable catalysts to unlock shareholder value may provide meaningful upside potential and possible downside risk management during turbulent periods. Performance Review The Fund (Class Z without sales charges) underperformed its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Value Index, for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. Retailer Dollar General boosted relative results as recent earnings have been strong on better earnings as comparable store sales and traffic improved. Same-store sales in all their categories were positive, including the higher-margin non-consumables categories. US automaker General Motors supported relative results following solid quarterly financial results as the impact from tariffs has been less than anticipated, and the company has maintained strong cost discipline. It raised its outlook for 2025 and is optimistic about 2026. Payments company Fiserv hurt relative returns after the new chief executive slashed 2025 guidance and issued weak 2026 foreca...
OpenAI is tapping Kiran Mani, the chief executive officer of Indian streaming platform JioStar, for a newly created role leading its Asia-Pacific operations. Mani will take up the position of managing director for the region in June, relocating to the ChatGPT maker’s Singapore office and reporting to Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon . An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the move. Mani couldn’t immed...
OpenAI is tapping Kiran Mani, the chief executive officer of Indian streaming platform JioStar, for a newly created role leading its Asia-Pacific operations. Mani will take up the position of managing director for the region in June, relocating to the ChatGPT maker’s Singapore office and reporting to Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon . An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the move. Mani couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. OpenAI is in a race against rivals such as Anthropic PBC and Alphabet Inc. ’s Google to capture users, with populous markets across Asia holding significant promise. India, with more than 1.4 billion people, is a key country for the company. JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance Industries Ltd. and Walt Disney Co. , runs the JioHotstar streaming platform. The service has tapped into India’s obsession with cricket as well as its appetite for soap operas and reality shows, building a subscriber base of more than 300 million. In 2024, OpenAI hired its first employee in the country, a government relations head, and has been ramping up staff since then. In February, OpenAI announced a partnership with the Tata Group to build artificial intelligence technologies, including data center infrastructure. Read More: OpenAI to Partner With Tata for AI Data Center Buildout in India Previously, Mani worked at Google for more than 13 years, rising to general manager for Android and Google Play across Asia-Pacific and Japan, according to his LinkedIn profile . He also worked at Microsoft Corp. and International Business Machines Corp.